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.
Some people will tell you that slow is good - but I'm here to tell you that fast is better. I've always believed this, in spite of the trouble it's caused me. Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Speed and urgency can lead to greater success than taking your time.
This quote by Hunter S. Thompson emphasizes the value of speed and decisiveness. While some may advocate for a slow and steady approach, Thompson argues that quick actions and bold choices can yield more exciting and fulfilling outcomes, likening the thrill of a fast motorcycle ride to a more exhilarating experience than a cautious one. The metaphor of being 'shot out of a cannon' vs. 'squeezed out of a tube' vividly illustrates his preference for taking risks and embracing fast-paced opportunities.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about entrepreneurship, you might say, 'Some people will tell you that slow is good - but I'm here to tell you that fast is better.'
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.
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So the desire you have, that itch that you have to be whatever it is you want to be ... that itch, that desire for good is God’s proof to you sent already to indicate that it’s yours. You already have it. Claim it.
Men, my brothers, men the workers, ever reaping something new.
After I lost in 2018, I told everyone that it just gave me jet fuel, and that when I come back, I'm coming back full throttle.
What you persist in doing gets easier. The task hasn't changed, but your ability to do it has increased.
I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life.
Hearken, my believing reader. What is the cause of your weakness? Is it not because the fountain of life is little used? Is it not because you are resting on old experiences, and not daily gathering new manna—daily drawing new strength from Christ?