Hunter S. Thompson, the king of Gonzo journalism, had a way of cutting through the noise with sharp wit, brutal honesty, and more than a hint of madness. His words, written decades ago, still have the power to slap you in the face and make you laugh out loud all at once. Whether he was talking about politics, society, or just the human condition, Thompson’s quotes remain timeless, reminding us that chaos, absurdity, and truth are often intertwined. Buckle up as we dive into 35 legendary Hunter S. Thompson quotes that hit just as hard today as they did back then!
1. On crime and innocence
“In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.” – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
2. On procrastination
“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.”
3. On taking life seriously
“Life has improved immeasurably since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.”
4. On luck
“Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it.”
5. On Muhammad Ali
“That was always the difference between Muhammad Ali and the rest of us. He came, he saw, and if he didn’t entirely conquer, he came as close as anybody we are likely to see in the lifetime of this doomed generation.”
6. On taking risks
“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”
7. On fear
“Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed.”
8. On truth
“I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.”
9. On law and order
“We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws.”
10. On the good life
“Let us toast to animal pleasures, to escapism, to rain on the roof and instant coffee, to unemployment insurance and library cards, to absinthe and good-hearted landlords, to music and warm bodies and contraceptives… and to the “good life,” whatever it is and wherever it happens to be.”
11. On knowing
“I was not proud of what I had learned but I never doubted that it was worth knowing.”
12. On being alive
“Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run, but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant.”
13. On being a mutant
“There he goes. One of God’s own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live and too rare to die.”
14. On the value of doing
“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”
15. On accepting your decisions
“Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
16. On the journey of life
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”
17. On loud music
“Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.”
18. On weird behavior
“Weird behavior is natural in smart children, like curiosity is to a kitten.”
19. On traveling fast
“Some people will tell you that slow is good – but I’m here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba.”
20. On the beat of your own drum
“It was obvious that he was a man who marched through life to the rhythms of some drum I would never hear.”
21. On his tombstone
“On my tombstone, they will carve, ‘IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME.’”
22. On yesterday’s weirdness
“Yesterday’s weirdness is tomorrow’s reason why.”
23. On freedom
“Freedom is something that dies unless it’s used.”
24. On going crazy
“If you’re going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you’re going to be locked up.”
25. On the edge
“The Edge… There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.”
26. On self-respect
“I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.”
27. On being alone
“We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and—in spite of True Romance magazines—we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely—at least, not all the time—but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.”
Want more quotes? How about ’15 George Carlin Quotes That Are as True Now as They Were Then’
Check out: 15 George Carlin Quotes That Are as True Now as They Were Then
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