My parents were brutal to each other, so I slept in the basement by an old coal-fired furnace. I became a street kid. Occasionally, I’d live with aunts or uncles, then I’d run away to live in the woods, trapping and hunting game to survive. The wilderness pulled at me; still does. Gary Paulsen Read Quote
In sailing, I single-hand, and I want to do the Horn. The Horn is the maximum expression of sailing, the way the Iditarod is the maximum expression of running dogs. It’s not to write about it; it’s to experience the maximum thing. Gary Paulsen Read Quote
The maximum expression of running dogs is the Iditarod. You enter a state of primitive exaltation, and you never return. You’re never normal again. Gary Paulsen Read Quote
My folks were drunks, and I had a rough childhood – really rough – in fact, rougher than I thought about. Gary Paulsen Read Quote
Look at Inuit clothing. Their stuff still works better than Cabela’s. I’ve made my own parkas, mukluks, footgear, and it is good to 60 degrees below zero. All I did was copy the patterns that came down from the Inuits. Gary Paulsen Read Quote
I was raised on farms by people who didn’t have Wal-Mart. They had to make their own sleds, harnesses, clothing, etc. Gary Paulsen Read Quote
Years ago, when I was writing westerns, other writers who were friends of mine wanted me to collaborate with them. And it just didn’t work. Gary Paulsen Read Quote
Adults are locked into car payments and divorces and work. They haven’t got time to think fresh. Gary Paulsen Read Quote
