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William S. Burroughs Quotes

Novelist

William S. Burroughs was an American novelist known for his unique writing style and his significant influence on postmodern literature. His works often involve social criticism, political satire, and surrealistic elements.

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All Ifs People Thinking Writing Knows Men Want Facts Firsts Cat Feels Giving Needs Whole Drug Humans Way World Addiction Book

Famous William S. Burroughs Quotes

“A paranoid is someone who has all the facts.”

Facts Knowledge Paranoid

Author:William S. Burroughs

“Revolution in America begins in books and music, then waits for political operatives to 'implement changes after the fact.'”

Book Facts America Political Waiting Revolution Books And Music

Author:William S. Burroughs

“A doctor is not criticized for describing the manifestations and symptoms of an illness, even though the symptoms may be disgusting. I feel that a writer has the right to the same freedom In fact, I think that the time has come for the line between literature and science, a purely arbitrary line, to be erased.”

Thinking Feels May Facts Literature Lines Doctors Illness Manifestation Disgusting Symptoms Arbitrary Describing

Author:William S. Burroughs

“Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not . . . true, not in accord with the facts of human perception.”

Writing Humans Facts Life Is Perception Paint Timeless Accord Vacuums

Author:William S. Burroughs

“Whether you like it or not, you are committed to the human endeavor. I cannot ally myself with such a purely negative goal as avoidance of suffering. Suffering is a chance you take by the fact of being alive.”

Humans Facts Suffering Goal Chance Alive Negative Committed Endeavor Allies Avoidance You Like It

Book:Letters to Allen Ginsberg, 1953-1957

Source: Letters to Allen Ginsberg, 1953-1957

“Artists to my mind are the real architects of change, and not the political legislators who implement change after the fact.”

Mind Art Real Facts Political Artist Change Architect Legislators

Author:William S. Burroughs

“Sometimes paranoia's just having all the facts.”

Sometimes Facts Paranoia

Author:William S. Burroughs

“Admittedly, a homosexual can be conditioned to react sexually to a woman, or to an old boot for that matter. In fact, both homo - and heterosexual experimental subjects have been conditioned to react sexually to an old boot, and you can save a lot of money that way.”

Way Love Life Has Beens Matter Facts Romance Sex Money Subjects Sexuality Boots Lots Of Money Homosexual Sexually

Book:The Adding Machine: Selected Essays

Source: The Adding Machine: Selected Essays

“Scientology is a model control system, a state in fact with its own courts, police, rewards and penalties.”

States Facts Models Police Court Rewards Penalties Scientology

Author:William S. Burroughs

“There is in fact something obscene and sinister about photography, a desire to imprison, to incorporate, a sexual intensity of pursuit.”

Facts Desire Photography Pursuit Intensity Sinister Obscene

Book:Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs Reader

Source: Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs Reader

“In deep sadness there is no place for sentimentality. It is as final as the mountains: a fact. There it is. When you realize it you cannot complain.”

Facts Realizing Sadness Mountain Finals Complaining Sentimentality Deep Sadness

Book:Queer: 25th Anniversary Edition

Source: Queer: 25th Anniversary Edition

“What are Americans? We've got everything from sharecroppers to atomic physicist here, and there's certainly no uniformity in their thought processes. There's very little they have in common. In fact, Americans should we say, have less in common than any other nationality.”

Should Littles Facts Process Common Physicist Here And There Nationality Uniformity Thought Process

Book:Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews of William S. Burroughs, 1960-1997

Source: Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews of William S. Burroughs, 1960-1997

“Madness is confusion of levels of fact. . . . Madness is not seeing visions but confusing levels.”

Facts Levels Vision Seeing Madness Confusion Confusing

Author:William S. Burroughs

“We must all face the fact that our leaders are certifiably insane or worse”

Facts Faces Leader Insane

Author:William S. Burroughs

“Truth is used to vitalize a statement rather than devitalize it. Truth implies more than a simple statement of fact. "I don't have any whiskey," may be a fact but it is not a truth.”

May Facts Used Simple Truth Is Statements Whiskey

Author:William S. Burroughs

“All writing is in fact cut-ups. A collage of words read heard overheard. What else?”

Writing Facts Artist Cutting Heard Stealing Collages

Book:Re/search #4/5: A Special Book Issue

Source: Re/search #4/5: A Special Book Issue

About the Author

Born: February 5, 1914
Died: August 2, 1997
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 436

Books & Sources

Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs ReaderRelated source material

Naked Lunch: The Restored TextRelated source material

Burroughs Live: The Collected Interviews of William S. Burroughs, 1960-1997Related source material

Last Words: The Final Journals of William S. BurroughsRelated source material

The Western LandsRelated source material

Naked lunchRelated source material

The Cat InsideRelated source material

Ah Pook is here, and other textsRelated source material

The Adding Machine: Selected EssaysRelated source material

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their TanksRelated source material

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