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.
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And as the ax bites into the wood, be comforted in the fact that the ache in your heart and the confusion in your soul means that you are still alive, still human, and still open to the beauty of the world, even though you have done nothing to deserve it.
I don't write a book so that it will be the final word; I write a book so that other books are possible, not necessarily written by me.
A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.
I find, the older I get, the more surprised I am about how hesitant people are to say what they really want, what they really dream about, what really drives them. It's as if sometimes we're sort of embarrassed, as we get older, to be transparent about that. But you save so much time if you're transparent about what you want.
Thou mayest as well expect to grow stronger by always eating as wiser by always reading. Too much overcharges Nature, and turns more into disease than nourishment. 'Tis thought and digestion which makes books serviceable, and give health and vigor to the mind.