Only those who can see above and beyond the American goal of respectable mediocrity can enjoy a life that leads to anything but a struggle to attain that end.
~Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Mediocrity
Hunter Thompson on Jail
And I realized at that point that, even though I was absolutely right, if I persisted with my righteous complaint, I would probably wind up in jail.
~ Hunter Thompson / Kingdom of Fear
Hunter Thompson on Writing
“One of the few ways I can almost be certain I’ll understand something is by sitting down and writing about it. Because by forcing yourself to write about it and putting it down in words, you can’t avoid having your say on the subject.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Punishment
“You will be flogged for being right and flogged for being wrong, and it hurts both ways–but it doesn’t hurt as much when you’re right.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Generosity of Spirit
“The real world is risky territory for people with generosity of spirit. Beware.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Fear
“Fear is a healthy instinct, not a sign of weakness. It’s a natural self-defense mechanism common to felines, wolves, hyenas, & most humans.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Fate
“No man who has chosen well and wisely will ever credit it to fate; the only real fatalist is a man on his way down the pipe.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson 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.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Trying
“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Direction
“Why not float if you have no goal?”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Life and Risk
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Luck
“I have never believed much in luck”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Grudges
“I’ve never been one to get ugly about past blunders, or to hold grudges any longer than absolutely necessary.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Choices
“Whether to float with the tide, or to swim for a goal. It is a choice we must all make consciously or unconsciously at one time in our lives.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Vengeance
“Because sooner or later the enemy will make a mistake and then you start grinding him down.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Revenge
“There is not much mental distance between a feeling of having been screwed and the ethic of total retaliation.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Adventure
“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 Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Ideas
“On some days you have good ideas and on some days you have bad ones. The trick is knowing the difference. Instantly.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Happenstance
“Some things happen for no good reason.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Work
“I tend to work only as hard as I think I have to work.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Peace
“I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Risk
“Where would the world be if all men had sought security and not taken risks or gambled with their lives?”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Procrastination
“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Luck
“Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Work
“There is plenty of money in the world but there are damn few jobs an intelligent man can do without compromising himself intolerably.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Being
“A man has to BE something; he has to matter.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Truth and Justice
“There is not much evidence in history of either God or Justice. The best we can hope for is Truth.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Learning from Mistakes
“Those who fail to learn from the brutal stompings visited on them in the past are doomed to be brutally stomped in the future.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Words
“Words are merely tools and if you use the right ones you can actually put even your life in order.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Danger
“Call on God, but row away from the rocks.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Friends
“My greatest talent is in my ability to choose good friends. It’s about as important as things get.”
~ Hunter Thompson
Hunter Thompson on Living Steady
“Live steady — don’t fuck around.”
~ Hunter Thompson