Ron quotes from Into the Wild (2007)

Ron

You strike me as a bright young man. Am I wrong about that?

Think I got my head on my shoulders pretty good.

Ron

That's what I mean. Wha- how long you been out here?

Couple of weeks.

Ron

And before that?

A lot of places. Been moving around a lot.

Ron

Well, how old are ya?

Twenty-three.

Ron

Twenty-three years old! Son, don't you think you ought to be getting an education? And a job? And making something of this life?

Mr. Franz, I think careers are a 20th Century invention and I don't want one. You don’t need to worry about me; I have a college education. I’m not destitute. I'm living like this by choice.

Ron

In the dirt?

Yeah. In the dirt.

Ron

Where's your family?

Don't have one anymore.

Ron

That's a shame.

I went to South Dakota. I worked at a grain elevator for this guy named Wayne. He was a really good guy. So, I took the Colorado River all the way down through the Grand Canyon and did rapids, which is by far one of the scariest things I've ever done. And I took the Colorado down into Mexico, Golfo, where I got stuck. Salvation Mountain. The Slabs.

Ron

What's the "N" stand for?

North.

Ron

Alaska!? Son, what the hell are you running from?

You know, I can ask you the same question! Except I already know the answer!

Ron

You do, do you?

I do, Mr. Franz! You got to get back out in the world! Get out of that lonely house, that little workshop of yours. Get back out on the road! Really! You're going to live a long time, Ron! You should make a radical change in your lifestyle! I mean, the core of man's spirit comes from new experiences. And there you are, stubborn old man, sitting on your butt!

Ron

Sitting on my butt!?

Yeah.

Ron

Ha! I'll show you sitting on my butt! [gets up and follows Chris up the hill]

Ron

I'm gonna miss you when you go.

I'll miss you too, Ron. But you're wrong if you think that the joy of life comes principally from human relationships. God's placed it all around us. It's in everything. It's in anything we can experience. People just need to change the way they look at those things.

Ron

Yeah, I'm gonna take stock of that. No, I am. I am. But I wanted to tell you something. From the bits and pieces I put together, you know, from what you told me about your family, your mother, and your dad. And I know you've got your problems with the church too. But there's some kind of bigger thing we can all appreciate and it sounds like you don't mind calling it God. But when you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines on you.

Holy shit!

Ron

I told you about that language.

Ron

Well, my friend...

Yep. [begins to get of the Jeep]

Ron

I had an idea. You know, my mother was an only child and so was my father, and I was their only child, so when I'm gone, I'm the end of the line. My family will be finished. What do you say... you let me adopt you? I could be, say, your grandfather. [smiles]

Ron... could we talk about this when I get back from Alaska? Would that be okay?

Ron

Yeah... yeah. We can do that. Yeah.

All right, Ron. Thank you.