35 Best of Hunter S Thompson Quotes – Don’t Miss #27

Hunter S. Thompson was an American journalist and author known for his unique and unconventional writing style, often referred to as “gonzo journalism.” He was born in 1937 in Kentucky and began his career as a sports journalist before transitioning to political and cultural reporting.

Thompson’s most famous work is his book “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” which follows his drug-fueled trip to Las Vegas with his friend and attorney, Oscar Zeta Acosta. The book is a wild and surreal ride that captures the excess and chaos of the 1960s counterculture.

Thompson’s writing style was characterized by his use of first-person narration, unconventional sentence structure, and a blending of fact and fiction. He often injected his personal opinions and experiences into his reporting, blurring the lines between objective journalism and subjective storytelling.

Also, check out our post on latest quotes by Malcolm X.

Here is the list of best quotes by Hunter S Thompson

1. “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
2. “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.”
3. “I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.”
4. “We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws.”
5. “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
6. “I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. “
7. “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.”
8. “I feel the same way about disco as I do about herpes.”
9. “A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.”
10. “Freedom is something that dies unless it’s used.”
11. “I wouldn’t recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they’ve always worked for me.”
12. “Good people drink good beer.”
13. “Weird behavior is natural in smart children, like curiosity is to a kitten.”
14. “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.”
15. “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.”
16. “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.”
17. “I was not proud of what I had learned but I never doubted that it was worth knowing.”
18. “I learned a long time ago that reality was much weirder than anyone’s imagination.”
19. “I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.”
20. “Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
21. “Politics is the art of controlling your environment.”
22. “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.”
23. “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.”
24. “In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile.”
25. “I don’t have a fear of heights. I do, however, have a fear of falling from heights.”
26. “No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.”
27. “The TV 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.”
28. “I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.”
29. “I was not proud of what I had learned but I never doubted that it was worth knowing.”
30. “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
31. “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.”
32. “If you’re going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you’re going to be locked up.”
33. “The only difference between the sane and the insane is that the sane have the power to lock up the insane.”
34. “Weird behavior is natural in smart children, like curiosity is to a kitten.”
35. “I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.”

Conclusion

Thompson’s work was influential in shaping the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 70s. This emphasized a more literary and subjective approach to reporting. His style also influenced the world of fiction, with many writers drawing inspiration from his unique voice and perspective.

In addition to his writing, Thompson was known for his larger-than-life personality and wild antics. He was a frequent user of drugs and alcohol and was known for his love of guns and explosives. He died by suicide in 2005 at the age of 67.

Despite his controversial lifestyle, Thompson’s writing and personality continue to captivate readers and inspire writers. His legacy as a pioneer of gonzo journalism and a cultural icon lives on, making him a fascinating figure in American literature and journalism. For more, check out this post from GoodReads.