Most of the trouble in this world has been caused by folks who can't mind their own business, because they have no business of their own to mind, any more than a smallpox virus has. William S. Burroughs More Quotes by William S. Burroughs More Quotes From William S. Burroughs Anything that can be done chemically can be done by other means. William S. Burroughs honest-tea done mean I like the idea of generalizing the narcotic thing by making it black meat addiction. William S. Burroughs addiction black ideas Always remember, there's no point trying to be faithful to the book because film and writing are just two completely different things. Any film stands on its own, apart from whether it's based on a novel. William S. Burroughs writing two book There's a book called Mummy and the people actually seem to have become addicted to mummy dust. And mummy dust was somehow made from people who've died of the most loathsome diseases. It's too bad that [David] Cronenberg didn't see this book, see I only saw it after the film was made. It might have been of interest to him. William S. Burroughs dust book people I read Mailer's Ancient Evenings with great interest because I was interested in . . . the seven souls structure, which was very helpful to me in Western Lands. And also in Place of Dead Roads. So that's Mailer. William S. Burroughs evening land soul I read a lot of books for information, like doctor books, spy books. . . . William S. Burroughs spy doctors book We have a great elaborate machine which I feel has to be completely dismantled - in order to do that we need people who understand how the machine works - the mass media - unparalleled opportunity. William S. Burroughs media opportunity order I'm definitely antiscientist because I feel that science represents a conspiracy to impose as the real and only universe, the universe of scientists themselves - they're reality-addicts, they've got to have things so real so they can get their hands on it. William S. Burroughs conspiracy real hands I think if a writer is not endeavoring to expand and alter consciousness in himself and in his readers, he is not doing much of anything. It is precisely words, word lines, lines of words and images, and associations connected with these word and image lines in the brain, that keep you in present time, right where you are sitting now. William S. Burroughs sitting brain thinking I started to write in about 1950; I was thirty-five at the time; there didn't seem to be any strong motivation. I simply was endeavoring to put down in a more or less straightforward journalistic style something about my experiences with addiction and addicts. William S. Burroughs motivation strong writing I see no reason why the artistic world can't absolutely merge with Madison Avenue. Pop art is a move in that direction. Why can't we have advertisements with beautiful words and beautiful images? William S. Burroughs beautiful art moving [Death is] a gimmick. It's the time-birth-death gimmick. Can't go on much longer, too many people are wising up. William S. Burroughs gimmicks goes-on people I feel that the change, the mutation in consciousness, will occur spontaneously once certain pressures now in operation are removed. I feel that the principal instrument of monopoly and control that prevents expansion of consciousness is the word lines controlling thought, feeling and apparent sensory impressions of the human host. William S. Burroughs expansion pressure feelings The forward step must be made in silence. We detach ourselves from word forms - this can be accomplished by substituting for words, letters, concepts, verbal concepts, other modes of expressions: for example, color. William S. Burroughs color silence expression We can translate word and letter into color - [Arthur] Rimbaud stated that in his color vowels, words quote "words" can be read in silent color. William S. Burroughs vowels color letters Man must get away from verbal forms to attain the consciousness, that which is there to be perceived at hand. William S. Burroughs consciousness men hands Forward steps are made by giving up old armor because words are built into you - in the soft typewriter of the womb you do not realize the word-armor you carry; for example, when you read this page your eyes move irresistibly from left to right following the words that you have been accustomed to. William S. Burroughs giving-up eye moving If you talk you always end up with politics, it gets nowhere. I mean man it's strictly from the soft typewriter. William S. Burroughs typewriters men mean For any species to change, if they are unable and are unwilling to do so - I might, for example, have suggested to the dinosaurs that heavy armor and great size was a sinking ship, and that they do well to convert to mammal facilities - it would not lie in my power or desire to reconvert a reluctant dinosaur. William S. Burroughs desire might lying Now all politicians assume a necessity of control, the more efficient the control the better. William S. Burroughs efficient assuming politician
