The Horror

“The profound ignorance of the world is Horrible. “The Horror” is why I’ll have to take refuge in the Apocalypse of the Fellaheen.”

Kerouac, Jack. « To Allen Ginsberg, December, 1954 », Selected Letters 1940-1956. Penguin Books, 1995, New York. Page 453.

Masturbatory

"Men everywhere sit on their own insignificant pot, they dandle the gland all doom."

Kerouac, Jack. « To Neal Cassady, Jan. 10, 1951 », Selected Letters 1940-1956. Penguin Books, 1995, New York. Page 304.

Jumble

“That’s right where I lost it – trying to remember how I got there, for then the onrushing memory of those events tangled with my own American or “real-life” memories and everything became jumbled just like a shortwave radio at midnight that brings sounds from all over the world in a discordant but definite MEDLEY. I’d been there; I knew I’d been there; and now I’d never know how, or when, or why, or what, and life was still a foolish hassle when the vision died down and I stood dreaming on the pavement.”

Kerouac, Jack. « To Neal Cassady, Jan. 8, 1951 », Selected Letters 1940-1956. Penguin Books, 1995, New York. Page 280.

Words

“I have nothing to offer but the words that spring from my heart and mind in this enormous story.”

Kerouac, Jack. « To Neal Cassady, Dec. 28, 1950 », Selected Letters 1940-1956. Penguin Books, 1995, New York. Page 261

Self

“It has suddenly been revealed to me the extent of our common madness, and I mean not only you or me, but all of us. Particularly since our madness sets itself no vital goal, but only a kind of sustained and unrelieved heaviness of personality. We don’t want to move, we are caught inert in the contrived intertwining stupidity of the common preconceived notion of ourselves.”

Kerouac, Jack. « To Allen Ginsberg, Nov. 13, 1945 », Selected Letters 1940-1956. Penguin Books, 1995, New York. Page 100.