“I'd like to repeat the advice that I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circ*mstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover.
Don't settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.
You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.
My point is that you do not need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light in your life. It is simply waiting out there for you to grasp it, and all you have to do is reach for it. The only person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new circ*mstances.”
― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild
FAQs
Jon Krakauer Quotes. It's not always necessary to be strong, but to feel strong. make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt.
What was Jon Krakauer's quote? ›
Jon Krakauer Quotes. It's not always necessary to be strong, but to feel strong. make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt.
What is the most important quote from Into the Wild? ›
Most significant, however, is the sentence, “I now walk out to live amongst the wild.” He goes without help, under his own power, to meet his destiny, but he describes that destiny in abstract, poetic terms that both lend it gravity and fail to demonstrate that he knows anything at all about what awaits him.
Why author Jon Krakauer wrote Into the Wild? ›
Why did Jon Krakauer write "Into the Wild"? Krakauer originally wrote an article about Chris McCandless' story in Outside. However, when he could not say everything he wanted to within his word count limit, he wrote his book, Into the Wild.
What authors are mentioned in Into the Wild? ›
Krakauer's depiction of McCandless in Into the Wild encourages these kinds of comparisons and frequently makes intertextual references to the works of famous authors such as Jack London, Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, and Robinson Jeffers.
What is Krakauer's message in Into the Wild? ›
Krakauer demonstrates that no matter how much a person desires to live a secluded life in the wild, the need for human contact is an inevitable and compelling force, whether in the form of a desire for social comfort and a sense of belonging or as a way to meet basic needs.
Why does Krakauer talk about himself in Into the Wild? ›
Why does Krakauer talk about himself in Chapter 14? Krakauer felt a deep personal connection to Chris McCandless as he learned Chris's story. He tells his own story in Chapters 14-15 to illustrate that many people feel the need to prove themselves by overcoming some kind of hardship.
What is the most important message in Into the Wild? ›
What is the main message of "Into the Wild"? "Into the Wild" dissects Chris' desire to escape his life and venture for freedom into the wild. The novel is relatable to many due to its overarching themes such as the individual versus society, nature, and survival.
What is the quote in Chapter 16 of Into the Wild? ›
Chapter 16 Quotes
Ten days bring…him to the great white north. No longer poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild.
What is Jon Krakauer most famous for? ›
Jon Krakauer (April 12, 1954) is an American writer and mountaineer known for several bestselling nonfiction books. Some of his most popular works include Into the Wild, Eiger Dreams, Into Thin Air, Where Men Win Glory, Under the Banner of Heaven, and Three Cups of Deceit.
Jon Krakauer climbed Devil's Thumb in Alaska because it is a goal that his father, Lewis Krakauer always had for him. His father introduced him to mountain climbing and had high expectations for Jon and all of his children.
Is Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer a true story? ›
Into the Wild is a true story written by Jon Krakauer. It is the story of the last couple of years of Chris McCandless's life after he graduated from college, cut ties with his family, and set off to wander through the American West.
What does he write at the end of Into the Wild? ›
On it, McCandless writes a goodbye message claiming that he has had a happy life. In the last lines of Into the Wild, Krakauer describes the peace in McCandless's eyes in the last photograph he took of himself and compares him to a monk.
What is the point of Into the Wild? ›
Into the Wild addresses the issues of how to be accepted into society, and how finding oneself sometimes conflicts with being an active member in society. Most critics agree that Chris McCandless left to find some sort of enlightenment.
What are Krakauer's credentials for writing Into the Wild? ›
Krakauer had an avid interest in mountaineering and had a wealth of knowledge related to the outdoors. By the time he wrote Into the Wild, Krakauer's main credentials were articles and short stories written for the magazine Outside.
What is Krakauer's claim in Chapter 14 Into the Wild? ›
Summary and Analysis Chapter 14. Based on his own experiences in Alaska when he was a stubborn, headstrong young man, author Jon Krakauer arrives at the conclusion that McCandless's death wasn't suicide or even the result of an unconscious death wish, but rather an accident.
What did Jon Krakauer think of Everest? ›
Jon Krakauer, the author of “Into Thin Air” which chronicles his true-life experience on Everest when eight climbers died in a storm, is not a fan of Universal's “Everest.” “It's total bull,” Krakauer told the Los Angeles Times. “Anyone who goes to that movie and wants a fact-based account should read 'Into Thin Air.
What was Krakauer's thesis? ›
Krakauer analyzes how this pursuit of idealism rather than normality led to happiness and fulfillment. His second thesis is that McCandless did not die of starvation in Alaska, but rather because he accidentally ate poisonous plants, since he mistakenly thought they were safe for consumption.
What is Krakauer's purpose in Chapter 9? ›
This is a second consecutive chapter in which the author attempts to illuminate McCandless's character by comparing and contrasting it to those of his predecessors. In doing so, Krakauer further convinces the reader that although McCandless was unique, the impulses that drove him were not unprecedented.
