Truth Be Known

Old Vaquero Saying

“Give someone a book and they’ll read for a day. Teach someone to write a book and they’ll spend a lifetime mired in paralyzing self‑doubt.”

Quotes

“We expect far too much of a first sentence. Think of it as analogous to a good country breakfast: what we want is something simple, but nourishing to the imagination.”

—Larry McMurtry, Some Can Whistle

“Larry McMurtry painted with eloquent prose and dialogue a world of authenticity, complexity and humanity. He captured a legacy I knew well, and I loved his books and scripts. That American West has disappeared, but it will live forever through his genius. He will be missed.”

—Dan Rather, journalist

“As much as he despised literary provincialism and argued for a turn from rural to urban literature, his focus remained on Texas.” 

—Henry Chappell, author

“Larry McMurtry was a great storyteller. I learned from him, which was important. I was entertained by him, which was ALL important.

“RIP, cowboy.
“Horseman, pass by.” 

—Stephen King, author 

“To this day, I still think Lonesome Dove is my best part.”

—Robert Duvall, actor

“Beers raised up, tears raining down for the realist of the real ones. Arguably the greatest American novelist of the 20th century.”

—Andy Greenwald, author

“With two novels [Horseman, Pass By and Leaving Cheyenne], Larry McMurtry firmly established himself well in the ranks of the new generation of Texas novelists.” 

—Leonard Sanders, “Hud Author has New One,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, October 30, 1966

“If McMurtry’s story [The Last Picture Show] of a decaying Texas town and its decaying inhabitants had a universality which touched eastern readers and viewers, it has even more impact on natives of these parts. The feeling that ‘I’ve been there,’ and ‘I know these people’ is almost too much to bear.”

—Perry Stewart, “A Film for All Time,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 10, 1972

“Among the best writers ever.”

—James L. Brooks, writer, director, producer, Terms of Endearment (1983)