Quotes from Larry McMurtry

Of all the women he knew, she had meant the most; and was the one person in his life he felt he had missed, in some ways.

But then July accepted it and never scolded back, so perhaps that was the way of the world: women scolded, and men kept quiet and stayed out of the way as much as possible.

If I'd have wanted civilization I'd have stayed in Tennessee and wrote poetry for a living

Now there was a crack, a kind of canyon, between the Woodrow Call sitting with Teresa on the train and the Woodrow Call who had made the campfire that morning and saddled his horse. The crack was permanent, the canyon deep. He could not get across it, back to himself. His last moments as himself had been spent casually—making a campfire, drinking coffee, saddling a horse.

They respected only the strong men who could not be insulted without a price being paid in blood.

In the night Lorena tried to sort it out in her mind. She had been hungry so much, tired so much, scared so much, that her mind didn't work well anymore. Sometimes she would try to remember something and couldn't—it was as if her mind and memory had gone and hidden somewhere until things were better.

Occasionally the very youngness of the young moved him to charity—they had no sense of the swiftness of life, nor of its limits.

I would prefer to be shot, myself, if I get that sick," Call said. "Once there's no avoiding death I see no point in lingering." Augustus smiled at the comment, and poured himself a little more whiskey. "We're all just lingering, Woodrow," he said. "None of us can avoid dying—though old Scull did the best job of it of any man I know, while that old bandit had him.

It's a funny life," Augustus said. "All these cattle and nine-tenths of the horses is stolen, and yet we was once respected lawmen. If we get to Montana we'll have to go into politics. You'll wind up governor if the dern place ever gets to be a state. And you'll spend all your time passing laws against cattle thieves.

Well, boys, Long Bill said. I guess here's where I quit rangering. It's rare sport, but it ain't quite safe.

Such is the life and death of a good cowboy.

I pride myself on being able to put up with a lot," Nellie said. "But bagpipers are pretty much my limit.

Governors and legislators wanted the hostiles held in check and the bandits hung, but they wanted it all to be done with the fewest possible men on the cheapest possible horses. It irritated Call and infuriated Augustus.

You told me to stay," July said. "I know I did, son," Augustus said. "I'm sure you wish you had. But yesterday's gone on down the river and you can't get it back. Go on with your digging and I'll tidy up.

You are like me, a free man. The sky is your wife.

No, but I have passed the point in life where I expect to be satisfied," Augustus said. "At least I don't expect to be satisfied with much. When it comes right down to it, Woodrow, I guess my own cooking beats anything I've come across in this life.

We might all get killed this afternoon, for all I know. That's the wild for you - it's got its dangers, which is part of the beauty.

Wantin' takes too much time...I'd rather be working.

I don't think you ever wanted to be happy anyway. It don't suit you, so you managed to avoid it.

It ain't a mistake to behave like a human being once in a while

Even experienced men were apt to flounder badly in crises if they lacked leadership.

He had hit with his closed fist and knocked her sprawling. It took talent to make Wyatt lose his temper, but Jessie knew just how to do it, and did it mainly just to have something happening. Pouring whiskey from bottle to glass was boring work.

For a time Dish lost all sense of what life was about. He even lost the sense that he was a cowboy, the strongest sense he had to work with. He was just a fellow with a glass in his hand, whose life had suddenly turned to mud. The day before he had been a top hand, but what did that mean anymore?

It was only the thought that Deets was still knowing him, somehow, that kept him from feeling totally alone.