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“The cat does not offer services. The cat offers itself.” (William S. Burroughs, The Cat Inside)

“The price an artist pays for doing what he wants is that he has to do it.” (William S. Burroughs)

A functioning police state needs no police. (William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch)

“I did absolutely nothing. I could look at the end of my shoe for eight hours.” (William S. Burroughs, “The Naked Lunch”)

The old writer lived in a boxcar down by the river. [ LINK ]

“Panic is the sudden realization that everything around you is alive.” (William S. Burroughs)

“There is nothing more provocative than minding your own business.” (William S. Burroughs)

“It is to be remembered that all art is magical in origin – music, sculpture, writing, painting – and by magical I mean intended to produce very definite results. Paintings were originally formulae to make what is painted happen. Art is not an end in itself, any more than Einstein’s matter-into-energy formulae is an end in itself. Like all formulae, art was originally FUNCTIONAL, intended to make things happen, the way an atom bomb happens from Einstein’s formulae.” (William S. Burroughs)

“Writers, like elephants, have long, vicious memories. There are things I wish I could forget.” (William S. Burroughs)

“A junky runs on junk time. When his junk is cut off, the clock runs down and stops. All he can do is hang on and wait for non-junk time to start.” (William S. Burroughs)

“Happiness is a byproduct of function, purpose, and conflict; those who seek happiness for itself seek victory without war.” (William S. Burroughs)

“Never do business with a religious son-of-a-bitch. His word ain’t worth a shit — not with the Good Lord telling him how to fuck you on the deal.” (William S. Burroughs)

“A functioning police state needs no police.” (William S. Burroughs, fra “Naked Lunch”)

The Place of Dead Roads by William S. Burroughs, published in 1983, is the second book of the trilogy that begins with Cities of the Red Night and concludes with The Western Lands. It chronicles the story of a homosexual gunfighter in the American West, beginning with the gunfighter’s death in 1899, incorporates contrasting themes and time travel episodes, and makes use of Burroughs’ extensive knowledge of firearms. Non-linear in construction, it makes use of vivid imagery and repetition but does not employ the famous “cut-up” method of literary collage used in his earlier novels.

“Life is a killer.” (William S. Burroughs)

“A psychotic is a guy who’s just found out what’s going on.” (William S. Burroughs)

I first heard of the 23 Enigma from William S. Burroughs, author of Naked Lunch, Nova Express, etc. According to Burroughs, he had known a certain Captain Clark, around 1960 in Tangier, who once bragged that he had been sailing 23 years without an accident. That very day, Clark’s ship had an accident that killed him and everybody else aboard. Furthermore, while Burroughs was thinking about this crude example of the irony of the gods that evening, a bulletin on the radio announced the crash of an airliner in Florida, USA. The pilot was another Captain Clark and the flight was Flight 23. (Robert Anton Wilson)

The junk merchant doesn’t sell his product to the consumer, he sells the consumer to his product. He does not improve and simplify his merchandise. He degrades and simplifies the client. (William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch)

After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say “I want to see the manager.” (William S. Burroughs)