The 20 Best Hunter S. Thompson Quotes That Apply to Business
Hunter S. Thompson was a journalist and author who was born in Kentucky in 1937. He is best known for being the founder of the gonzo journalist movement. He became famous in 1967 when he spent a year living with the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang and wrote a book titled ‘Hell’s Angels’ about their lives and experiences. According to Wikipedia, he is also famous for writing ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, which was published in 1971. This book looked at the 1960s counterculture movement, which Thompson believed had failed. As a journalist, Thompson also wrote many controversial newspaper and magazine articles. He died in Colorado in 2005, but his words are still used to encourage people to look at things from new perspectives. Here are the 20 best Hunter S. Thompson quotes that apply to business.
20. On Self-Awareness
“He had come so far from himself that I don’t think he knew who he was anymore.”
Before you can become successful, you need to improve your self-awareness. This involves critiquing your own strengths and weaknesses. Admitting you have weaknesses is not a failure. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Everyone has weaknesses and identifying your own means that you know in which areas you need to improve.
19. On Choosing a Career Path You Enjoy
“Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.”
Listed by The Famous People, this Hunter S. Thompson quote is about choosing a career path that you enjoy. If it excites you and gets your blood racing, then it is a good option. On the other hand, a career that about which you feel ambiguous or you even dislike will lead to an unhappy working life. You must have a passion for what you do to stay motivated and enjoy your time at work.
18. On Using Creativity
“Yesterday’s weirdness is tomorrow’s reason.”
Although Thompson is talking about weirdness in this quote, you can use the same principle to apply to using creativity in your work. Using your imagination, getting creative, and looking at things from a different angle is a great way of moving forward in a different way to your competition and standing out in the marketplace.
17. On Recognizing Your Achievements
“Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond.”
Brainy Quote lists this quote as one of the best Hunter S. Thompson quotes that apply to business. Often, people in business are so wrapped up in working towards their goals and focusing on the next thing that they forget to stop and appreciate their successes and the goals they have already reached. Doing this will make you more positive and keep you motivated.
16. On Staying Grounded
“There is no fool like a careless gambler who starts taking victory for granted.”
When you are consistently successful, it is easy to start expecting success to land at your feet and to take it for granted. However, you should not get complacent as this will prevent you from keeping your eye on the ball. Stay on top of your game and continue to work hard rather than just expecting success to happen. Complacency can soon lead to failure.
15. On Making Informed Decisions
“I have been warned many times about the guaranteed dangers of betting with your heart instead of with your head.”
When you have decisions to make, it is crucial that you have as much information as possible on which you can form your decisions. This will allow you to make informed decisions that are more likely to have a positive outcome.
14. On the Importance of Learning
“As long as I’m learning, I figure I’m OK- it’s a decent day.”
Some people think that once their formal education has ended, their learning has also come to an end. This is far from the truth as learning is a lifelong process. Even if you have studied business at university and got the highest qualifications available, this is only the start of your learning journey. There are many things that you will not learn until you gain experience.
13. On Avoiding Failure
“One of the most basic factors in sports is that winning becomes a habit and losing is the same way. When failure starts to feel normal in your life or your work or even your darkest vices, you won’t have to go looking for trouble, because trouble will find you. Count on it.”
Even during the bad times, you should always try to succeed. This means that you need to continuously put in the effort, work hard, and remain motivated to achieve your goals. If you do not work hard to succeed, you may experience failures, and this can lead to a downward spiral.
12. On Getting Involved in All Aspects of Your Business
“The writer must be a participant in the scene… like a film director who writes his own scripts, does his own camera work, and somehow manages o film himself in action, as the protagonist or at least the main character.”
If you are a business leader, this does not mean that you get to sit in an office and let the rest of the team get on with all the work. You need to have some involvement in every aspect of your business to retain control of what is happening. This does not necessarily mean that you must actively participate in all aspects of a project. Delegating tasks to the right people is important as you cannot physically complete every task yourself. However, you need to maintain communication with everyone involved to make decisions, identify any issues, and carry the project forwards.
11. On Learning from Others
“No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.”
Learning is not something that you need to do alone. While you should take some responsibility for your learning opportunities, you can also learn from other people. Those in your industry who have a lot of experience have a lot to offer in terms of the things that you can learn from them. You can also learn from members of your team who have skills or knowledge in areas that you have identified as your weaknesses.
10. On Enjoying Your Life and Work
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a ride!’”
Work plays a big part in your life as it is something that you will do for many hours a day for a large proportion of your life. This is why it is so important that you enjoy your work. Those who do not enjoy their work will live a miserable life and struggle to keep motivated. Of course, you will face difficult times when your work becomes less enjoyable, and this is inevitable. However, enjoying your work most of the time is essential.
9. On Not Taking Things Too Seriously
“Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously.”
Business is often serious, and this can lead you to become a very serious person. Although you should take your business seriously, it is also important to have some fun for the sake of your mental health. Make sure you have a good work-life balance so that you get plenty of rest and have some opportunities for fun.
8. On Trying Your Best
“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”
This Hunter S. Thompson quote is included in a list on Burger Abroad. It is about always trying your best once you have decided to do something. If you are not willing to put your best effort into a task, then you might as well not bother doing it at all.
7. On Getting Through the Tough Times
“… if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well… maybe chalk it off to forced conscious expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.”
It is inevitable that you will face some difficult times in your business. Some examples of difficult times may include launching your business, a slow sales period, or the failure of a project. Although these are difficult situations, you can work through them step by step. Once you are through the difficult times, you can move forward to the good times.
6. On Taking Risks
“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived, or he who has stayed securely on the shore and merely existed?”
You can live a life without taking risks and following along the same path that you are already walking. However, if you want to take a different path and achieve greater success, then it may become necessary to take a few risks. When you are faced with a risky decision, it is important that you gather the information you need to make the risk a calculated one.
5. On Decision-Making
“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.”
This Hunter S. Thompson quote is listed by Whizzpast. It is about the importance of being able to make sound decisions. Spending too long procrastinating rather than making a decision will often mean that the decision is ultimately taken out of your hands.
4. On Facing Your Fears Head-On
“Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed”
Everyone has fears, but it is vital that you do not allow these to prevent you from living your life and achieving your potential. You should always face your fears head-on and take on any challenges that come your way.
3. On Learning from Your Experiences
“I was not proud of what I had learned, but I never doubted that it was worth knowing,”
There is only a limited amount that you can learn from books. Many things are only possible to learn through experience. This means that you will continue to learn throughout your business journey. On some occasions, it is negative experiences that can teach you the most. When you make mistakes, you can learn from them so that you do not make the same mistakes again. Instead, you will learn better ways of doing things.
2. On Having Self-Respect
“I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.”
For others to have respect for you, you must first have respect for yourself. Gaining the respect of your team is essential if you want them to work hard towards the goals that you set. An important part of having self-respect if valuing your achievements, recognizing your strengths and weaknesses, and representing yourself well in front of others.
1. On Having Passion for Your Work
“The greatest mania of all is passion: and I am a natural slave to passion.”
According to Goalcast, this is one of the best Hunter S. Thompson quotes that apply to business. You should always have a passion for your work. Otherwise, you will find it hard to motivate yourself and to give your business all that you can. If you are passionate, you will find your work enjoyable and you will want to try your best at all times.
