At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence.

There is nothing glamorous or romantic about war. It's mostly about random pointless death and misery.

I love being outdoors, being in the mountains and the desert, and my wife enjoys that too. That's one of the things that sustain our relationship.

But [Everett] and McCandless, at least they tried to follow their dream. That’s what was great about them. They tried. Not many do.

To the contrary: His life hummed with meaning and purpose. But the meaning he wrested from existence lay beyond the comfortable path: McCandless distrusted the value of things that came easily.

But somethings in life are more important than being happy. Like being free to think for yourself.

I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong, but to feel strong... to measure yourself at least once.