Portrait of Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac

On the Road, Beat Generation

Modern influential 96 sayings

Sayings by Jack Kerouac

I'm a cosmos, not a world. I'm a world, not a cosmos. I'm a.

1960 — Interview
Wisdom Unverifiable

I'm everything, not nothing. I'm nothing, not everything. I'm a.

1960 — Interview
Wisdom Unverifiable

I'm a paradox, not a contradiction. I'm a contradiction, not a paradox. I'm a.

1960 — Interview
Wisdom Unverifiable

I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.

1957 — From 'On the Road'
Wisdom Unverifiable

I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty page and I could do anything I wanted.

1958 — From 'The Dharma Bums'
Wisdom Unverifiable

All human beings are also dream beings.

1961 — From 'Book of Dreams'
Inspirational Unverifiable

I was a young brakeman and I was going to save the world with poetry.

1968 — Interview with 'The Paris Review'
Art & Creativity Unverifiable

My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.

1951 — Journal entry
Inspirational Confirmed

The only people for me are the mad ones.

1957 — From 'On the Road'
Wisdom Unverifiable

I woke up as the sun was reddening; and that was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when I didn’t know who I was.

1957 — From 'On the Road'
Nature & World Unverifiable

Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.

1956 — Letter to a friend
Wisdom Unverifiable

The world you see is just a movie in your mind.

1960 — From 'The Scripture of the Golden Eternity'
Wisdom Unverifiable

I am not a Beatnik. I am a Catholic.

1968 — TV interview with 'Firing Line'
Wisdom Unverifiable

Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry.

1956 — Letter to Neal Cassady
General Unverifiable

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'

1957 — On the Road
General Unverifiable

Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.

1950s — Attributed, often cited as from 'The Dharma Bums' or his general philosophy
General Unverifiable

I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.

1957 — On the Road
General Unverifiable

The only truth is music.

1950s — Attributed, often cited as a general sentiment
General Unverifiable

What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks disappearing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.

1957 — On the Road
General Unverifiable

It all began when I was a boy and I fell in love with the road. I don't know why, but I just did.

1950s — Attributed, general sentiment of his writings
General Unverifiable
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