Gambling can turn into a dangerous two-way street when you least expect it. Weird things happen suddenly, and your life can go all to pieces.
My life has been the polar opposite of safe, but I am proud of it and so is my son, and that is good enough for me. I would do it all over again without changing the beat, although I have never recommended it to others. That would be cruel and irresponsible and wrong, I think, and I am none of those things.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects pride in a life lived boldly, despite its risks, emphasizing personal fulfillment over conventional safety.
Hunter S. Thompson expresses a deep appreciation for his unconventional and risky life choices. He acknowledges that while his path has been anything but safe, the pride and validation he feels from both his life and his relationship with his son make it worthwhile. He recognizes the gravity of his experiences and advises others against following a similar reckless course, showing a sense of responsibility and self-awareness about the impact of one's life choices on others.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared at a graduation ceremony to inspire graduates to embrace life's challenges.
More from Hunter S. Thompson
All quotes →As things stand now, I am going to be a writer. I'm not sure that I'm going to be a good one or even a self-supporting one, but until the dark thumb of fate presses me to the dust and says 'you are nothing', I will be a writer.
Fiction is a bridge to the truth that journalism can't reach.
There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge.
Objective journalism is one of the main reasons that American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long.
When you write for a living and you can't do anything else, you know that sooner or later that the deadline is going to come screaming down on you like a goddamn banshee. There's no avoiding it...So one day you just don't appear at the El Adobe bar anymore; you shut the door, paint the windows black, rent an electric typewriter and become the monster you always were - the writer.
Similar quotes
If you go through life, and you don't find the beauty in an unexpected place, then you really have a sad existence.
The ties that bind us to life are tougher than you imagine, or than any one can who has not felt how roughly they may be pulled without breaking.
I've been praying to God to show me how to forgive myself. Because... maybe... that's the thing I've been searching for.
When you're going through something, whether it's a wonderful thing like having a child or a sad thing like losing somebody, you often feel like 'Oh my God, I'm so overwhelmed; I'm dealing with this huge thing on my own.' In fact, poetry's a nice reminder that, no, everybody goes through it. These are universal experiences.
I observe, I write, I try not to remember the life that I didn't want to loose but lost and have to remember, being here fills my heart with so much joy, even if the joy isn't mine, and at the end of the day I fill the suitcase with old news.
What are the best things and the worst things in your life, and when are you going to get around to whispering or shouting them?