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.
Most people who deal in words don't have much faith in them and I am no exception.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects skepticism towards the power of words and the individual's own doubts about their faith in language.
Hunter S. Thompson's quote suggests that many individuals who engage with language on a daily basis β especially writers and speakers β often harbor a certain level of cynicism regarding the effectiveness and reliability of words. Thompson reveals his own ambivalence, acknowledging that despite his profession, he too struggles with faith in the transformation and impact of words, hinting at the inherent complexities of communication and the limitations of language in conveying true meaning.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a writing workshop to discuss the role of language in expressing truth.
More from Hunter S. Thompson
All quotes βAs 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
You've got to bend with the wind or you're broken.
Have faith in yourselves, be proud of your ancestors, instead of being ashamed of them.
Iβve often been accused of being too emotional and sentimental, but I believe in honest sentiment, and the need to purge ourselves at certain times, which is ancient. Men would live at least five or six more years and not have ulcers if they could cry better.
When you acknowledge that there is nothing repulsive or unforgivable or shameful about yourself, it becomes easier to be that authentic person and feel like you're living a less performed life.
It's amazing what we lose in life by listening to fear, instead of listening to God.
We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.