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Jack Kerouac Quotes - Page 18

All Quotes Adventure Age Art Childhood Children Confusion Country Darkness Drinking Earth Emptiness Eternity Feelings Fun Genius Giving Goodbye Hate Heart Heaven Hell Home Inspirational Journey Joy Kindness Language Leaving Life Literature Los Angeles Love Lying Madness Moon Morning Mountain Pain Passion Past Personality Pride Rain Running Sadness School Silence Sleep Sorrow Soul Travel Vision Waiting Walking Water Wine Winter Wisdom Worry Writing

He had never felt anything like that before - yet somehow he knew that from now on he would always feel like that, always, and something caught at his throat as he realized what a strange sad adventure life might get to

He had never felt anything like that before - yet somehow he knew that from now on he would always feel like that, always, and something caught at his throat as he realized what a strange sad adventure life might get to be, strange and sad and still much more beautiful and amazing than he could ever have imagined because it was so really, strangely sad.

Beautiful, Adventure, Might

Jack Kerouac (1959). “The Town and the City”

I clearly saw the skeleton underneath all this show of personality what is left of a man and all his pride but bones?

Pride, Men, Skeletons

"What do you want out of life?" I asked, and I used to ask that all the time of girls. "I don't know," she said. "Just wait on tables and try to get along." She yawned. I put my hand over her mouth and told her not to yawn. I tried to tell her how excited I was about life and the things we could do together; saying that, and planning to leave Denver in two days. She turned away wearily. We lay on our backs, looking at the ceiling and wondering what God had wrought when He made life so sad.

Girl, Hands, Two

"On the Road". Book by Jack Kerouac, 1957.

You were my last chance' she's said but don't all women say that? - But can it be by 'last chance' she doesn't mean mere marriage but some profoundly sad realization of something in me she really needs to go on living, at least that impression coming across anyway on the force of all the gloom we've shared -

Mean, Needs, Realization

And I realize the unbearable anguish of insanity: how uninformed people can be thinking insane people are "happy," O God, in fact it was Irwin Garden once warned me not to think the madhouses are full of "happy nuts." (p. 200)

Garden, Thinking, Nuts

and I shudder sometimes to think of all that stellar mystery of how she IS going to get me in a future lifetime, wow - And I seriously do believe that will be my salvation, too. A long way to go.

Believe, Thinking, Long

Jack Kerouac (2012). “Big Sur (Annotated)”, p.109, BookBaby

The bus roared through Indiana cornfields that night; the moon illuminated the ghostly gathered husks; it was almost Halloween. I made the acquaintance of a girl and we necked all the way to Indianapolis. She was nearsighted. When we got off to eat I had to lead her by the hand to the lunch counter. She bought my meals; my sandwiches were all gone. In exchange I told her long stories.

Girl, Halloween, Moon

Jack Kerouac (2007). “On the Road: The Original Scroll: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.197, Penguin

Last night I walked clear down to Times Square & just as I arrived I suddenly realized I was a ghost - it was my ghost walking on the sidewalk.

Night, Squares, Lasts

Jack Kerouac (1976). “On the Road”, p.130, Penguin

As early pioneers in the knowing, that when you lose your reason, you attain highest perfect knowing.

Knowing, Perfect, Pioneers

Jack Kerouac (1995). “Book of Blues”, p.109, Penguin

I'd rather be thin than famous but I'm fat paste that in your broadway show

Broadway, Fats, Shows

And you have been forever, and will be forever, and all the worrisome smashings of your foot on innocent cupboard doors it was only the Void pretending to be a man pretending not to know the Void.

Men, Doors, Feet

Jack Kerouac (1995). “Desolation Angels”, Riverhead Trade (Paperbacks)

Eager for bread and love.

Love, Age, And Love

Jack Kerouac (2007). “On the Road”, Viking Press

And there in the blue air I saw for the first time, far off, the great snowy tops of the Rocky Mountains. I had to get to Denver at once.

Air, Blue, Mountain

Jack Kerouac (2007). “On the Road”, Viking Press

Burroughs is the greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift. . . . The net result of Naked Lunch will be to make people shudder at their own lies, will be to make them open up and be straight with one another. Swift and Rabelais and Sterne accomplished a step in that direction, and Burroughs another.

Lying, Lunch, People

I swore I'd be in Chicago tomorrow, and made sure of that, taking a bus to Chicago, spending most of my money, and didn't give a damn, just as long as I'd be in Chicago tomorrow.

Cities, Long, Giving

Jack Kerouac (2007). “On the Road: The Original Scroll: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.121, Penguin

Hell man, I know very well you didn't come to me only to want to become a writer, and after all what do I really know about it except that you've got to stick to it with the energy of a benny addict.

Writing, Men, Energy

Jack Kerouac (1995). “The Portable Jack Kerouac”, Viking Adult

Whenever spring comes to New York I can't stand the suggestion of the land that come blowing over the river from New Jersey and I've got to go. So I went.

New York, Spring, Land

Jack Kerouac (2007). “On the Road: The Original Scroll: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.317, Penguin

In those days he really didn't know what he was talking about; that is to say, he was a young jailkid all hung-up on the wonderful possibilities of becoming a real intellectual, and he liked to talk in the tone and using the words, but in a jumbled way, that he had heard from 'real intellectuals.

Real, Talking, Intellectual

Jack Kerouac (2007). “On the Road: The Original Scroll: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.117, Penguin

And then we’ll all go off to sweet life, ‘cause now is the time and we all know time!

Sweet, Causes, Sweet Life

Jack Kerouac (1976). “On the Road”, p.92, Penguin

Aw I don't wanta go to no such thing, I just wanta drink in alleys.'... But you'll miss all that, just for some old wine.' There's wisdom in wine, goddam it!' I yelled. 'Have a shot!

Wine, Missing, Drink

Jack Kerouac (1971). “The Dharma Bums”, p.168, Penguin

She spoke of evenings in the country making popcorn on the porch. Once this would have gladdened my heart but because her heart was not glad when she said it I knew there was nothing in it but the idea of what one should do.

Country, Heart, Ideas

Jack Kerouac (2007). “Road Novels 1957-1960”

Things are so hard to figure out when you live from day to day in this feverish and silly world.

Wisdom, Silly, World

Jack Kerouac (2007). “On the Road: The Original Scroll: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.285, Penguin

It was my dream that screwed up, the stupid hearthside idea that it would be wonderful to follow one great red line across America instead of trying various roads and routes.

Dream, Stupid, Ideas

Jack Kerouac (2007). “On the Road: The Original Scroll: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.93, Penguin

And I said, 'That last thing is what you can't get, Carlo. Nobody can get to that last thing. We keep on living in hopes of catching it once and for all.

Honesty, Lasts, Said

Jack Kerouac (2011). “On the Road”, p.79, Penguin UK

Mankind is like dogs, not gods - as long as you don't get mad they'll bite you - but stay mad and you'll never be bitten. Dogs don't respect humility and sorrow.

Dog, Humility, Long

"Some of the Dharma". Book by Jack Kerouac, 1997.

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