[I]t is the writer's duty to write fiction which promotes virtue, the good, the beautiful, and above all, the true. ... It is the writer's duty to hate injustice, to defy the powerful, and to speak for the voiceless. To be ... the severest critics of our own societies.

Showing his sense of humor he left a message for anyone who asked about his final words: "No comment. It's hard for me to stay serious for more than half a page at a time. "I want my body to help fertilize the growth of a cactus or cliff rose or sagebrush or tree.

His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental groups and the non-fiction work Desert Solitaire. Edward Paul Abbey (January 29 1927 – March 14 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues criticism of public land policies and anarchist political views.