William S. Burroughs

Novelist American 1914 – 1997

American novelist known for experimental and controversial works.

375 quotes

"Adventure awaits those who seek it."
Adventure
"The true cost of anything is time."
Time
"Nature is the greatest artist."
Nature
"Faith is the foundation of meaning."
Faith
"Justice must be pursued relentlessly."
Justice
"Money is a tool, not a goal."
Money
"Hope is the last thing to die."
Hope
"Change is the only constant."
Change
"The best inspiration comes from living fully."
Inspiration
"Love is the ultimate rebellion."
Love
"Success is how you define it."
Success
"Family is everything."
Family
"Imagination is more powerful than knowledge."
Imagination
"The true measure of a man is not in how much he knows, but in how much he can forget and still function."
Wisdom
"Language is a virus from outer space."
Philosophy
"When you stop growing, you start dying."
Change
"The only way out is through."
Courage
"Junky is a good book because it is about junk, and junk is the ultimate American subject."
Literature
"Control is never as simple as we think it is, and attempts to exert control always produce unexpected results."
Power
"You can't fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal."
Truth
"Boredom is a dead thing in the mind."
Imagination
"The more you run from your shadow, the more it chases you."
Fear
"Time is money, but money can't buy time."
Time
"Writing is about seeing through surfaces into depths."
Art
"Simplicity is the greatest sophistication."
Wisdom
"Nothing is true; everything is permitted."
Freedom
"The cut-up method is the most direct way of expressing the truth."
Creativity
"You're either in or you're out."
Life
"Slept through the alarm clock's ringing, and woke up exhausted by the prospect of another day."
Motivation
"The only real love story in life is the one between a man and his craft."
Work