“There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore.”

Source: No Country for Old Men

"Sayings of the Week", The Observer (9 September 1979)

Source: Infidel

The Post Office Girl (published posthumously in 1982)

Interview in Playboy (November 1999)
Context: We call our country home of the brave and land of the free, but it's not. We give a false portrayal of freedom. We're not free — if we were, we'd allow people their freedom. Prohibiting something doesn't make it go away. Prostitution is criminal, and bad things happen because it's run illegally by dirt-bags who are criminals. If it's legal, then the girls could have health checks, unions, benefits, anything any other worker gets, and it would be far better.

"A Pinch of Salt".
Fairies and Fusiliers (1917)
Context: Poet, never chase the dream.
Laugh yourself and turn away.
Mask your hunger, let it seem
Small matter if he come or stay;
But when he nestles in your hand at last,
Close up your fingers tight and hold him fast.

Source: Lost in Translation

Source: The Notebook