But our trip was different. It was a classic affirmation of everything right and true and decent in the national character. It was a gross, physical salute to the fantastic possibilities of life in this country-but only for those with true grit. And we were chock full of that.

Hunter S. Thompson

Categorized in : Country Character Fear And Loathing

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!

Hunter S. Thompson

suicide life death

The main problem in any democracy is that crowd-pleasers are generally brainless swine who can go out on a stage & whup their supporters into an orgiastic frenzy - then go back to the office & sell every one of the poor bastards down the tube for a nickel apiece. Probably the rarest form of life in American politics is the man who can turn on a crowd & still keep his head straight - assuming it was straight in the first place.

Hunter S. Thompson

democracy office men

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

Hunter S. Thompson

epic fun life

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.

Hunter S. Thompson

being-single lonely inspirational

The downward spiral of Dumbness in America is about to hit a new low.

Hunter S. Thompson

spirals lows america

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

Hunter S. Thompson

falling-in-love sleep fun

Anybody who thinks that 'it doesn't matter who's President' has never been Drafted and sent off to fight and die in a vicious, stupid war on the other side of the world-or been beaten and gassed by Police for trespassing on public property-or been hounded by the IRS for purely political reasons-or locked up in the Cook County Jail with a broken nose and no phone access and twelve perverts wanting to stomp your ass in the shower. That is when it matters who is President or Governor or Police Chief. That is when you will wish you had voted.

Hunter S. Thompson

fighting stupid war

I learned a long time ago that reality was much weirder than anyone's imagination.

Hunter S. Thompson

funny-life long reality

We are living in dangerously weird times now. Smart people just shrug and admit they're dazed and confused. The only ones left with any confidence at all are the New Dumb. It is the beginning of the end of our world as we knew it. Doom is the operative ethic.

Hunter S. Thompson

confused smart our-world

Hope rises and dreams flicker and die. Love plans for tomorrow and loneliness thinks of yesterday. Life is beautiful and living is pain.

Hunter S. Thompson

inspirational love life

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.

Hunter S. Thompson

running night believe

Insanity is a legal term. Crazy is an art form.

Hunter S. Thompson

crazy insanity art

The slow-rising central horror of "Watergate" is not that it might grind down to the reluctant impeachment of a vengeful thug of a president whose entire political career has been a monument to the same kind of cheap shots and treachery he finally got nailed for, but that we might somehow fail to learn something from it.

Hunter S. Thompson

thug political careers

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

Hunter S. Thompson

choices-made procrastination men

Coming of age in a fascist police state will not be a barrel of fun for anybody, much less for people like me, who are not inclined to suffer Nazis gladly and feel only contempt for the cowardly flag-suckers who would gladly give up their outdated freedom to live for the mess of pottage they have been conned into believing will be freedom from fear.

Hunter S. Thompson

giving-up fun believe

Human beings are the only creatures on earth that claim a God and the only thing that behaves like it hasn't got one.

Hunter S. Thompson

behave claims earth

Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.

Hunter S. Thompson

i-hate-you motivational inspirational

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

positivity happiness believe

Beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life.

Hunter S. Thompson

goal looks way

It is not necessary to accept the choices handed down to you by life as you know it.

Hunter S. Thompson

conformity accepting choices