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100 Hunter S. Thompson Quotes To Start Your Day

Famous As: Journalist, Author and Founder of the Gonzo Journalism Movement
Born On: July 18, 1937
Died On: February 20, 2005
Born In: Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Died At Age: 67

Hunter S. Thompson was a ‘controversial’ American journalist and author, best known for his ‘Fear and Loathing’ series and his gonzo style of journalism that inspire countless reporters and movie makers till date. Gonzo journalism is when reporters include themselves in live reporting to such an extent that they become the prime characters of their story. At the age of 14, Thompson’s father passed away, leaving him to deal with a shaky childhood. He attended different schools until he joined Louisville Male High School, but he was eventually suspended because he was sentenced to 60 days in prison for his alleged involvement in a car robbery. After serving his sentence, Hunter joined the US air force and started serving at Florida’s Elgin Air Force Base. He studied electronics and became a sports editor for The Command Courier. After being ‘honorably discharged’ from the Air Force due to his rebellious attitude, he joined several jobs and got fired for his insubordination. His biggest breakthrough came from his featured articles in Rogue magazine. He also wrote ‘The Rum Diary’, ‘Prince Jellyfish’ and for ‘The Spyder’. Thereafter, he used his personal experiences to write countless books like Hell’s Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved, Screw Jack and Kingdom of Fear that instantly became popular worldwide! Here’s a collection of Hunter S. Thompson’s quotes, both from his writings and life. It’s not just in his works Thompson shares his opinion about life, love and the world. He was a man who always spoke his mind and you can easily find hundreds of his quotes on internet.

A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.

A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.

Hunter S. Thompson
I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.

Hunter S. Thompson
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?

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?

Hunter S. Thompson
Sex without love is as hollow and ridiculous as love without sex.

Sex without love is as hollow and ridiculous as love without sex.

Hunter S. Thompson
Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.

Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.

Hunter S. Thompson
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.

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.

Hunter S. Thompson
Some may never live, but the crazy never die.

Some may never live, but the crazy never die.

Hunter S. Thompson
If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up.

If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up.

Hunter S. Thompson
Too weird to live, too rare to die!

Too weird to live, too rare to die!

Hunter S. Thompson
When the going gets weird, the weird turn professional.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn professional.

Hunter S. Thompson
It never got weird enough for me.

It never got weird enough for me.

Hunter S. Thompson
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.

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.

Hunter S. Thompson
I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.

I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.

Hunter S. Thompson
I was not proud of what I had learned but I never doubted that it was worth knowing.

I was not proud of what I had learned but I never doubted that it was worth knowing.

Hunter S. Thompson
We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws.

We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws.

Hunter S. Thompson
Good people drink good beer.

Good people drink good beer.

Hunter S. Thompson
We can't stop here, this is bat country!

We can't stop here, this is bat country!

Hunter S. Thompson
Freedom is something that dies unless it's used.

Freedom is something that dies unless it's used.

Hunter S. Thompson
All my life, my heart has sought a thing I cannot name.

Remembered line from a long-
forgotten poem

All my life, my heart has sought a thing I cannot name. Remembered line from a long- forgotten poem

Hunter S. Thompson
Yesterday's weirdness is tomorrow's reason why.

Yesterday's weirdness is tomorrow's reason why.

Hunter S. Thompson
It was obvious that he was a man who marched through life to the rhythms of some drum I would never hear.

It was obvious that he was a man who marched through life to the rhythms of some drum I would never hear.

Hunter S. Thompson
America...just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable

America...just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable

Hunter S. Thompson
Weird behavior is natural in smart children, like curiosity is to a kitten.

Weird behavior is natural in smart children, like curiosity is to a kitten.

Hunter S. Thompson
You better take care of me Lord, if you don't you're gonna have me on your hands.

You better take care of me Lord, if you don't you're gonna have me on your hands.

Hunter S. Thompson
Walk tall, kick ass, learn to speak Arabic, love music and never forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers and warriors.

Walk tall, kick ass, learn to speak Arabic, love music and never forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers and warriors.

Hunter S. Thompson
The greatest mania of all is passion: and I am a natural slave to passion: the balance between my brain and my soul and my body is as wild and delicate as the skin of a Ming vase.

The greatest mania of all is passion: and I am a natural slave to passion: the balance between my brain and my soul and my body is as wild and delicate as the skin of a Ming vase.

Hunter S. Thompson
For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.

For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.

Hunter S. Thompson
I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes.

I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes.

Hunter S. Thompson
It was one of those fine little love stories that can make you smile in your sleep at night.

It was one of those fine little love stories that can make you smile in your sleep at night.

Hunter S. Thompson
Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Hunter S. Thompson
Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.

Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.

Hunter S. Thompson
With the truth so dull and depressing, the only working alternative is wild bursts of madness and filigree.

With the truth so dull and depressing, the only working alternative is wild bursts of madness and filigree.

Hunter S. Thompson
It gave me a strange feeling, and the rest of that night I didn’t say much, but merely sat there and drank, trying to decide if I was getting older and wiser, or just plain old.

It gave me a strange feeling, and the rest of that night I didn’t say much, but merely sat there and drank, trying to decide if I was getting older and wiser, or just plain old.

Hunter S. Thompson
I have no taste for either poverty or honest labor, so writing is the only recourse left for me.

I have no taste for either poverty or honest labor, so writing is the only recourse left for me.

Hunter S. Thompson
A word to the wise is infuriating.

A word to the wise is infuriating.

Hunter S. Thompson
I've always considered writing the most hateful kind of work. I suspect it's a bit like fucking, which is only fun for amateurs. Old whores don't do much giggling.

I've always considered writing the most hateful kind of work. I suspect it's a bit like fucking, which is only fun for amateurs. Old whores don't do much giggling.

Hunter S. Thompson
On my tombstone they will carve,

On my tombstone they will carve, "IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME.

Hunter S. Thompson
It was like falling down an elevator shaft and landing in a pool full of mermaids.

It was like falling down an elevator shaft and landing in a pool full of mermaids.

Hunter S. Thompson
Sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whiskey and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind but falling in love and not getting arrested.

Sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whiskey and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind but falling in love and not getting arrested.

Hunter S. Thompson
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely.

In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely.

Hunter S. Thompson
There was an awful suspicion in my mind that I'd finally gone over the hump, and the worst thing about it was that I didn't feel tragic at all, but only weary, and sort of comfortably detached.

There was an awful suspicion in my mind that I'd finally gone over the hump, and the worst thing about it was that I didn't feel tragic at all, but only weary, and sort of comfortably detached.

Hunter S. Thompson
Morality is temporary, wisdom is permanent.

Morality is temporary, wisdom is permanent.

Hunter S. Thompson
You can't miss what you never had.

You can't miss what you never had.

Hunter S. Thompson
Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.

Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.

Hunter S. Thompson
No, this is not a good town for psychedelic drugs. Reality itself is too twisted.

No, this is not a good town for psychedelic drugs. Reality itself is too twisted.

Hunter S. Thompson
Pray to God, but row away from the rocks.

Pray to God, but row away from the rocks.

Hunter S. Thompson
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold.

Hunter S. Thompson
If you can't make yourself understood by your friends, you'll be in trouble when your enemies come for you.

If you can't make yourself understood by your friends, you'll be in trouble when your enemies come for you.

Hunter S. Thompson
To make a point of declaring friendship is to cheapen it. For men's emotions are very rarely put into words successfully.

To make a point of declaring friendship is to cheapen it. For men's emotions are very rarely put into words successfully.

Hunter S. Thompson
Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.

Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.

Hunter S. Thompson
Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed.

Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed.

Hunter S. Thompson
I would feel real trapped in this life if I didn't know I could commit suicide at any time.

I would feel real trapped in this life if I didn't know I could commit suicide at any time.

Hunter S. Thompson
I'm a relatively respectable citizen. Multiple felon perhaps, but certainly not dangerous.

I'm a relatively respectable citizen. Multiple felon perhaps, but certainly not dangerous.

Hunter S. Thompson
Poor bastard. Wait 'till he sees the bats.

Poor bastard. Wait 'till he sees the bats.

Hunter S. Thompson
On some days you get what you want, and on others, you get what you need.

On some days you get what you want, and on others, you get what you need.

Hunter S. Thompson
Turn the goddam music up! My heart feels like an alligator!

Turn the goddam music up! My heart feels like an alligator!

Hunter S. Thompson
I felt a tremendous distance between myself and everything real.

I felt a tremendous distance between myself and everything real.

Hunter S. Thompson
I miss Nixon. Compared to these Nazis we have in the White House now, Richard Nixon was a flaming liberal.

I miss Nixon. Compared to these Nazis we have in the White House now, Richard Nixon was a flaming liberal.

Hunter S. Thompson
This is the fast lane, folks...and some of us like it here.

This is the fast lane, folks...and some of us like it here.

Hunter S. Thompson
Take it from me, there's nothing like a job well done. Except the quiet enveloping darkness at the bottom of a bottle of Jim Beam after a job done any way at all.

Take it from me, there's nothing like a job well done. Except the quiet enveloping darkness at the bottom of a bottle of Jim Beam after a job done any way at all.

Hunter S. Thompson
And the sad notes floated out to the
patio and hung in the trees like birds too tired to fly

And the sad notes floated out to the patio and hung in the trees like birds too tired to fly

Hunter S. Thompson
One of them is knowing the difference between Morality and Wisdom. Morality is temporary, Wisdom is permanent… Ho ho. Take that one to bed with you tonight.

One of them is knowing the difference between Morality and Wisdom. Morality is temporary, Wisdom is permanent… Ho ho. Take that one to bed with you tonight.

Hunter S. Thompson
I will fight for your right to be weird- just as I know you will fight for mine.

I will fight for your right to be weird- just as I know you will fight for mine.

Hunter S. Thompson
Sounds of life and movement, people getting ready and people giving up, the sound of hope and the sound of hanging on, and behind them all, the quiet, deadly ticking of a thousand hungry clocks...

Sounds of life and movement, people getting ready and people giving up, the sound of hope and the sound of hanging on, and behind them all, the quiet, deadly ticking of a thousand hungry clocks...

Hunter S. Thompson
You took too much man, too much, too much.

You took too much man, too much, too much.

Hunter S. Thompson
I’m a word freak. I like words. I’ve always compared writing to music. That’s the way I feel about good paragraphs. When it really works, it’s like music.

I’m a word freak. I like words. I’ve always compared writing to music. That’s the way I feel about good paragraphs. When it really works, it’s like music.

Hunter S. Thompson
He had come so far from himself that I don't
think he knew who he was anymore.

He had come so far from himself that I don't think he knew who he was anymore.

Hunter S. Thompson
Graffiti is beautiful; like a brick in the face of a cop.

Graffiti is beautiful; like a brick in the face of a cop.

Hunter S. Thompson
He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.

He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.

Hunter S. Thompson
At the top of the mountain we are all snow leopards.

At the top of the mountain we are all snow leopards.

Hunter S. Thompson
She was wearing the same clothes, but now she looked haggard and dirty. The delicate illusions that get us through life can only stand so much strain.

She was wearing the same clothes, but now she looked haggard and dirty. The delicate illusions that get us through life can only stand so much strain.

Hunter S. Thompson
And he would probably not agree with my conviction that a sense of humor is the main measure of sanity. But who can say for sure? Humor is a very private thing.

And he would probably not agree with my conviction that a sense of humor is the main measure of sanity. But who can say for sure? Humor is a very private thing.

Hunter S. Thompson
I never knew where I was going, but I ripped the tits off of everything that got in my way. By the time they figured me out, it was too late.

I never knew where I was going, but I ripped the tits off of everything that got in my way. By the time they figured me out, it was too late.

Hunter S. Thompson
You won't find reasonable men on the tops of tall mountains.

You won't find reasonable men on the tops of tall mountains.

Hunter S. Thompson
Sane is rich and powerful. Insane is wrong and poor and weak. The rich are free, the poor are put in cages. Res Ipsa Loquitur, amen. Mahalo.

Sane is rich and powerful. Insane is wrong and poor and weak. The rich are free, the poor are put in cages. Res Ipsa Loquitur, amen. Mahalo.

Hunter S. Thompson
Ah, that we lack the courage of our romantic convictions; and thereby miss the wine of life, forgoing the very thing that makes living worthwhile.

Ah, that we lack the courage of our romantic convictions; and thereby miss the wine of life, forgoing the very thing that makes living worthwhile.

Hunter S. Thompson
Jesus Creeping God! Is there a priest in this tavern? I want to confess! I'm a fucking sinner! Venal, mortal, carnal, major, minor - however you want to call it, Lord... I'm guilty.

Jesus Creeping God! Is there a priest in this tavern? I want to confess! I'm a fucking sinner! Venal, mortal, carnal, major, minor - however you want to call it, Lord... I'm guilty.

Hunter S. Thompson
The possibility of physical and mental collapse is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

The possibility of physical and mental collapse is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Hunter S. Thompson
What kind of rat bastard psychotic would play that song- right now, at this moment?

What kind of rat bastard psychotic would play that song- right now, at this moment?

Hunter S. Thompson
My blood is too thick for California: I have never been able to properly explain myself in this climate.

My blood is too thick for California: I have never been able to properly explain myself in this climate.

Hunter S. Thompson
The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.

The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.

Hunter S. Thompson
An outlaw can be defined as somebody who lives outside the law, beyond the law and not necessarily against it.

An outlaw can be defined as somebody who lives outside the law, beyond the law and not necessarily against it.

Hunter S. Thompson
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.

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.

Hunter S. Thompson
Jesus! Did I SAY that? Or just think it? Was I talking? Did they hear me? I glanced over at my attorney, but he seemed oblivious...

Jesus! Did I SAY that? Or just think it? Was I talking? Did they hear me? I glanced over at my attorney, but he seemed oblivious...

Hunter S. Thompson
Who said anything about slicing you up? ... I just wanted to carve a little Z on your forehead-- nothing serious.

Who said anything about slicing you up? ... I just wanted to carve a little Z on your forehead-- nothing serious.

Hunter S. Thompson
Still humping the American Dream

Still humping the American Dream

Hunter S. Thompson
It's a strange world. Some people get rich and others eat shit and die.

It's a strange world. Some people get rich and others eat shit and die.

Hunter S. Thompson
A man can live on his wits and his balls for only so long.

A man can live on his wits and his balls for only so long.

Hunter S. Thompson
I knew a Buddhist once, and I've hated myself ever since.

I knew a Buddhist once, and I've hated myself ever since.

Hunter S. Thompson
You can't hoard fun. It has no shelf life.

You can't hoard fun. It has no shelf life.

Hunter S. Thompson
It was the Law of the Sea, they said. Civilization ends at the waterline. Beyond that, we all enter the food chain, and not always right at the top.

It was the Law of the Sea, they said. Civilization ends at the waterline. Beyond that, we all enter the food chain, and not always right at the top.

Hunter S. Thompson
All energy flows according to the whims of the great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him.

All energy flows according to the whims of the great Magnet. What a fool I was to defy him.

Hunter S. Thompson
The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb grey hairs

The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb grey hairs

Hunter S. Thompson
Call on God, but row away from the rocks.

Call on God, but row away from the rocks.

Hunter S. Thompson
I wanted to take off all my clothes and never wear them again.

I wanted to take off all my clothes and never wear them again.

Hunter S. Thompson
There are always risks in challenging excessive police power, but the risks of not challenging it are more dangerous, even fatal.

There are always risks in challenging excessive police power, but the risks of not challenging it are more dangerous, even fatal.

Hunter S. Thompson
I am a road man for the lords of karma.

I am a road man for the lords of karma.

Hunter S. Thompson
Whatever he might have denied me was unimportant; it was the
fact that he could deny me anything at all, even what I didn't want

Whatever he might have denied me was unimportant; it was the fact that he could deny me anything at all, even what I didn't want

Hunter S. Thompson
A cap of good acid costs five dollars and for that you can hear the Universal Symphony with God singing solo and Holy Ghost on drums.

A cap of good acid costs five dollars and for that you can hear the Universal Symphony with God singing solo and Holy Ghost on drums.

Hunter S. Thompson
Right' i said. 'but first, we need the car. and after that, the cocaine. and then the tape recorder, for special music, and some acapulco shirts.

Right' i said. 'but first, we need the car. and after that, the cocaine. and then the tape recorder, for special music, and some acapulco shirts.

Hunter S. Thompson