To underestimate one's thirst, to pass a given landmark to the right or left, to find a dry spring where one looked for running water - there is no help for any of these things.

All mountain streets have streams to thread them, or deep grooves where a stream might run. You would do well to avoid that range uncomforted by singing floods. You will find it forsaken of most things but beauty and madness and death and God.

I am not sure that God always knows who are his great men; he is so very careless of what happens to them while they live.

It is no use trying to improve on children's names for wildflowers.

If you ever, ever, ever meet a grizzly bear, / You must never, never, never ask him where / He is going, / Or what he is doing; / For if you ever, ever dare / To stop a grizzly bear, / You will never meet another grizzly bear.

The manner of the country makes the usage of life there, and the land will not be lived in except in its own fashion.

Man is a great blunderer going about in the woods, and there is no other except the bear makes so much noise.