Philosophy Quote by William S. Burroughs — Inspiring Words on Life, Love & Wisdom

“The first and most important thing an individual can do is to become an individual again, decontrol himself, train himself as to what is going on and win back as much independent ground for himself as possible”

“when I become death. Death is the seed from which I grow.”

“There is no intensity of love or feeling that does not involve the risk of crippling hurt. It is a duty to take this risk, to love and feel without defense or reserve.”

“To be an outlaw you must first have a base in law to reject and get out of, I never had such a base. I never had a place I could call home that meant any more than a key to a house, apartment or hotel room. … Am I alien? Alien from what exactly? Perhaps my home is my dream city, more real than my waking life precisely because it has no relation to waking life…”

“Fear of death is form of stasis horrors. The dead weight of time.”

“Nobody owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death.”

“If you can't fight and you can't flee, flow.”

“Life does not dole out suffering in equal rations, but knowing that makes the capriciousness of the universe no less painful.”

“A crude age. Peace is stabilized with cannon and bombers, humanity with concentration camps and pogroms. We're living in a time when all standards are turned upside-down, Kern. Today the aggressor is the shepherd of peace, and the beaten and hunted are the troublemakers of the world. What's more, there are whole races who believe it!”

“Time cannot put anything in your hands until you let go off the time.”

“God's pleasure--the beauty creation possesses in his regard--underlies the distinct being of creation, and so beauty is the first and truest word concerning all that appears within being; beauty is the showing of what is; God looked upon what he had wrought and saw that it was good.”

“Settle, for sure and universally, what conduct will promote the happiness of a rational being.”