No Country for Old Men

by

Cormac McCarthy

A Vietnam Veteran, Llewellyn Moss is a strong willed and self-sufficient man. Moss stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and takes a briefcase full of drug money from the scene. This action sets in motion a train of circumstances that force him to use his military training and survival skills in order to evade the dangerous men seeking his death. Moss has been disillusioned by his experience fighting in Vietnam, and does not operate in the world with the same moral framework as Bell. His sense of morality comes from within, through his desire for authenticity, autonomy, and freedom. His actions through the narrative are morally complex. Because Moss’s objectives are authenticity, autonomy, and freedom, he refuses to cooperate with Chigurh when he offers to spare Carla Jean’s life in exchange for the money. Moss’s sense of self-sufficiency leads him to believe he can overcome Chigurh, but this mistake ultimately leads to his and Carla Jean’s demise.

Llewellyn Moss Quotes in No Country for Old Men

The No Country for Old Men quotes below are all either spoken by Llewellyn Moss or refer to Llewellyn Moss. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Philosophy, Morality, and Ethics Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

He sat there looking at [the money] and then he closed the flap and sat with his head down. His whole life was sitting there in front of him. Day after day from dawn till dark until he was dead. All of it cooked down into forty pounds of paper in a satchel.

Related Characters: Llewellyn Moss (speaker)
Related Symbols: The Briefcase
Page Number: 18
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

[Moss] thought about a lot of things but the thing that stayed with him was that at some point he was going to have to quit running on luck.

Related Characters: Llewellyn Moss (speaker)
Related Symbols: The Briefcase
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

You can’t make a deal with him. Let me say it again. Even if you gave him the money he’d still kill you. There’s no one alive on this planet that’s ever had even a cross word with him. They’re all dead. These are not good odds. He’s a peculiar man. You could even say that he has principals. Principals that transcend money or drugs or anything like that.

Related Characters: Carson Wells (speaker), Llewellyn Moss
Page Number: 153
Explanation and Analysis:
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Llewellyn Moss Quotes in No Country for Old Men

The No Country for Old Men quotes below are all either spoken by Llewellyn Moss or refer to Llewellyn Moss. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Philosophy, Morality, and Ethics Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

He sat there looking at [the money] and then he closed the flap and sat with his head down. His whole life was sitting there in front of him. Day after day from dawn till dark until he was dead. All of it cooked down into forty pounds of paper in a satchel.

Related Characters: Llewellyn Moss (speaker)
Related Symbols: The Briefcase
Page Number: 18
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

[Moss] thought about a lot of things but the thing that stayed with him was that at some point he was going to have to quit running on luck.

Related Characters: Llewellyn Moss (speaker)
Related Symbols: The Briefcase
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

You can’t make a deal with him. Let me say it again. Even if you gave him the money he’d still kill you. There’s no one alive on this planet that’s ever had even a cross word with him. They’re all dead. These are not good odds. He’s a peculiar man. You could even say that he has principals. Principals that transcend money or drugs or anything like that.

Related Characters: Carson Wells (speaker), Llewellyn Moss
Page Number: 153
Explanation and Analysis: