Quotes by William S. Burroughs

About William S. Burroughs:

William Seward Burroughs II is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th century". His influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature. Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays. Five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, and made many appearances in films.
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Like all pure creatures, cats are practical.

William S. Burroughs

A cat's rage is beautiful, burning with pure cat flame, all its hair standing up and crackling blue sparks, eyes blazing and sputtering.

William S. Burroughs

The cat does not offer services. The cat offers itself. Of course he wants care and shelter. You don't buy love for nothing.

William S. Burroughs

Cat hate reflects an ugly, stupid, loutish, bigoted spirit. There can be no compromise with this Ugly Spirit.

William S. Burroughs

Last night I encountered a dream cat with a very long neck and a body like a human fetus, gray and transluscent. I don't know what it needs or how to provide for it. Another dream years ago of a human child with eyes on stalks. It is very small, but ...

William S. Burroughs

The cat does not offer services. The cat offers itself.

William S. Burroughs

And there are my cats, engaged in a ritual that goes back thousands of years, tranquilly licking themselves after the meal. Practical animals, they prefer to have others provide the food ... some of them do. There must have been a split between the c...

William S. Burroughs

There is a kidney-shaped fish pool outside the picture window. I cleaned it out and put in some large goldfish I bought in a bait store. The cats are always trying to catch the fish, with no success. One time the white cat leapt for a frog across the...

William S. Burroughs

May 4, 1985. I am packing for a short trip to New York to discuss the cat book with Brion. In the front room where the kittens are kept, Calico Jane is nursing one black kitten. I pick up my Tourister. It seems heavy. I look inside and there are her ...

William S. Burroughs

The white cat symbolizes the silvery moon prying into corners and cleansing the sky for the day to follow. The white cat is "the cleaner" or "the animal that cleans itself," described by the Sanskrit word Margaras, which means "the hunter who follows...

William S. Burroughs

We are the cats inside. We are the cats who cannot walk alone, and for us there is only one place.

William S. Burroughs

Evidence indicates that cats were first tamed in Egypt. The Egyptians stored grain, which attracted rodents, which attracted cats. (No evidence that such a thing happened with the Mayans, though a number of wild cats are native to the area.) I don't ...

William S. Burroughs

For the last four years of her life, Mother was in a nursing home called Chateins in St. Louis ... [S]ix months before she died I sent a Mother's Day card. There was a horrible, mushy poem in it. I remember feeling "vaguely guilty.

William S. Burroughs

Who was I? The stranger was footsteps in the snow a long time ago.

William S. Burroughs

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

William S. Burroughs

There are no innocent bystanders ... what are they doing there in the first place?

William S. Burroughs

Panic is the sudden realization that everything around you is alive.

William S. Burroughs

You must learn to exist with no religion, no country, no allies. You must learn to live alone in silence.

William S. Burroughs

As a young child I wanted to be a writer because writers were rich and famous. They lounged around Singapore and Rangoon smoking opium in a yellow pongee silk suit. They sniffed cocaine in Mayfair and they penetrated forbidden swamps with a faithful ...

William S. Burroughs

I see no reason why the artistic world can't absolutely merge with Madison Avenue. Pop art is a move in that direction. Why can't we have advertisements with beautiful words and beautiful images?

William S. Burroughs

Author Bio

  • NameWilliam S. Burroughs
  • DescriptionAmerican novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer
  • AliasesWilliam Seward Burroughs II
  • BornFebruary 5, 1914
  • DiedAugust 2, 1997
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionWriter; Poet; Novelist; Essayist; Painter
  • WorksNaked Lunch
  • AwardsChevalier Des Arts Et Des Lettres?