For men, as they get bogged down with responsibilities, commitments, bureaucracy, it is a fantasy just to think of shedding everything literally, walking away with nothing at all, and just hitting the road.

Full of thrills and tension - but smart and human too.

Some old guy once said that the meaning of life is that it ends.

Practically any Western has a homesteader in trouble, and a mysterious rider shows up off the range, solves the problem over two or three days, and then rides off into the sunset.

To fill a small bag means selecting,and choosing, and evaluating. There's no logicial end to that process. Pretty soon I would have a big bag, and then two or three. A month later I'd be like the rest of you.

It's a kind of zen question: if you write a book and no one reads it, is it really a book?

The key to thrillers is vicarious pleasure.