William S. Burroughs Quotes

In the magical universe there are no coincidences and there are no accidents. Nothing happens unless someone wills it to happen. The dogma of science is that the will cannot possibly affect external forces, and I think that’s just ridiculous. It’s as bad as the church. My viewpoint is the exact contrary of the scientific viewpoint. I believe that if you run into somebody in the street it’s for a reason.

William S. Burroughs

• Believe
• Thinking
• Running
• Church

• Previous
• Next

Quotes to Explore

• The sole ultimate factor in human decisions is physical force. This we must learn, however repugnant the idea may seem, if we are to protect ourselves and our institutions. Reliance on anything else is fallacious and ruinous.

  

  H. P. Lovecraft
  • May
  • Learn
  • Human

• I was a hot-dog stand lady, I was an orphan housemother, I was a waitress 3 or 4 times. All of those jobs did not have good bosses. They basically told you what to do, when to do and when to hop. And I just didn't like that very much.

  

  Barbara Corcoran
  • Good
  • You
  • Dog

• At 21 years old, I could produce 400 people like that.

  

  Eddie Perez
  • People
  • Years
  • Old

• I'm sort of contrary and stubborn sometimes. When everybody says, 'You have to read this book! You have to read this book!' I'm like 'Oh, I'll get around to it.'

  

  Viggo Mortensen
  • Book
  • Sometimes
  • Stubborn

• The Beduin could not look for God within him: he was too sure that he was within God.

  

  T. E. Lawrence
  • God
  • Look
  • Him

• I don't think there's a perfect time to have kids. I think first you have to find the perfect person.

  

  Irina Shayk
  • Time
  • Kids
  • Think

• Here in France, I've seen some very good young designers, but they don't have this ability to be good businessmen, too. I think America gives you this.

  

  Carine Roitfeld
  • Good
  • America
  • Think

• I'm no good with chords. I'm horrible with chords.

  

  B. B. King
  • Good
  • Horrible
  • Chords

• I grew up in a funeral home, born and raised, and everyone was always like, 'Well, what was that like?' and I was like, 'It was normal', because it's all I knew.

  

  Tamara Tunie
  • Up
  • Home
  • Born

• Give a man a free hand and he'll run it all over you.

  

  Mae West
  • Man
  • Free
  • Hand

• I think it is perfectly natural for any artist to admire intensely and love a young man. It is an incident in the life of almost every artist.

  

  Oscar Wilde
  • Life
  • Love
  • Artist

• I don't think it's possible to separate out the strands of a writer's history, circumstances, life events, and that writer's themes.

  

  Dani Shapiro
  • Life
  • History
  • Circumstances

• That was the first major social sciences conference at which social scientists from all cultures wanted to reach a consensus on whether we can continue to pursue a national course in the social sciences or whether we need a cosmopolitan path that also connects us in a new way.

  

  Ulrich Beck
  • Way
  • Path
  • Reach

• By doing, you become employable. It doesn't matter what the job is; by working, you learn new things, meet new people and are exposed to new ideas.

  

  Kate Reardon
  • People
  • Job
  • Ideas

• It's tricky, performing the show live. Because when you're in a big auditorium, in front of 700 people, the natural tendency is to want to talk louder. You want to project.

  

  Ira Glass
  • People
  • Live
  • Want

• We signed up for Showtime, which I think put us on a Homeland Security list somewhere.

  

  Kate Clinton
  • Up
  • Think
  • Security

• Faith Hill is a big role model.

  

  Taylor Swift
  • Faith
  • Model
  • Role Model

• As an actor, you look for roles that can constantly challenge you and you can learn from.

  

  Talisa Soto
  • Challenge
  • Learn
  • Look

• I like doing what I do, but I like having the opportunity to do different things, and obviously comedy would be a fun jump. I've just been lucky enough to stay working. In my case, playing intense roles or playing character roles is something that people will hire me for, but yeah, I'd like somebody to think I'm funny. I guess we all do, right?

  

  Jason Wiles
  • People
  • Different
  • Character

• On practical level I can't pick up the camera until I think I know what I want. I don't wander around. It's almost impossible for me to pick up a camera... it's really hard.

  

  Bill Henson
  • Camera
  • Wander
  • Pickup

• I was raised Catholic, but my father's people were Methodist, so we went to both churches.

  

  Aaron Neville
  • People
  • Father
  • Religion

• When High and Mighty people want to make us believe that they possess some good quality which they in fact do not have, it is dangerous to show that you doubt them; because, by removing their hope of deceiving the world, you also remove their desire to perform the good acts that might have arisen from their very pretensions.

  

  Madeleine de Souvre
  • People
  • World
  • Good

• In the magical universe there are no coincidences and there are no accidents. Nothing happens unless someone wills it to happen. The dogma of science is that the will cannot possibly affect external forces, and I think that’s just ridiculous. It’s as bad as the church. My viewpoint is the exact contrary of the scientific viewpoint. I believe that if you run into somebody in the street it’s for a reason.

  

  William S. Burroughs
  • Believe
  • Thinking
  • Running