---
title: "2 Borrowed Quotes By William S. Burroughs"
description: "2 Borrowed quotes by William S. Burroughs. Plus more from William S. Burroughs and more Borrowed sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/william-s-burroughs-528_age_i-awoke-from-the-sickness-at-the-age-of_848991.jpg"
---

> [I awoke from The Sickness at the age of forty-five, calm and sane, and in reasonably good health except for a weakened liver and the look of borrowed flesh common to all who survive The Sickness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-awoke-from-the-sickness-at-the-age-of-forty-five-calm-and-sane-and/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/william-s-burroughs-528_age_i-awoke-from-the-sickness-at-the-age-of_848991.jpg)

> [I awoke from The Sickness at the age of forty-five, calm and sane, and in reasonably good health except for a weakened liver and the look of borrowed flesh common to all who survive The Sickness... When I speak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-awoke-from-the-sickness-at-the-age-of-forty-five-calm-and-sane-and-2/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/william-s-burroughs-528_addiction_i-awoke-from-the-sickness-at-the-age-of_1487973.jpg)

## Other authors on Borrowed

## More by William S. Burroughs

> [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-one-look-at-this-planet-any-visitor-from-outer-space-would-say/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-seven-days-she-lay-in-bed-looking-sullenly-at-the-ceiling-as/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/you-need-a-good-bedside-manner-with-doctors-or-you-will-get-nowhere/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [There couldn't be a society of people who didn't dream. They'd be dead in two weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-couldn-t-be-a-society-of-people-who-didn-t-dream-they-d-be-dead/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [I prefer cats to people, for the most part. Most people aren't cute at all, and if they are cute they very rapidly outgrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-prefer-cats-to-people-for-the-most-part-most-people-aren-t-cute-at/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

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