The Mojave is a big desert and a frightening one. It's as though nature tested a man for endurance and constancy to prove whether he was good enough to get to California. Travels With Charley: in Search of America, pt. 3 (1962).

More from Travels With Charley

• Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. And there's an opening convey of generalities. A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner. Travels With Charley: In Search of America, pt. 4 (1962)
• A gentleman can live through anything.
• There is no defeat in death, Master Bruce. Victory comes in defending what we know is right while we still live.
• All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us… they can’t get away this time.
• All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us... they can't get away this time. Surrounded by the enemy during WW2
• A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.