--- title: "9 Mcmurphy Quotes By Ken Kesey" description: "9 Mcmurphy quotes by Ken Kesey. Plus more from Ken Kesey and more Mcmurphy sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/ken-kesey-1034_answers_there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-mcmurph_2341611.png" --- > [There’s no doubt in my mind that McMurphy’s won, but I’m not sure what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-mcmurphy-s-won-but-i-m-not-sure-what/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/ken-kesey-1034_answers_there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-mcmurph_2341611.png) > [But I tried, didn't I? Goddamnit, at least I did that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/but-i-tried-didn-t-i-goddamnit-at-least-i-did-that/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/ken-kesey-1034_attempting_but-i-tried-didn-t-i-goddamnit-at-least_2488586.png) > [“I will be a sonofabitch if he ain't in here at eleven-thirty at night, fartin' around in the dark with a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/i-will-be-a-sonofabitch-if-he-ain-t-in-here-at-eleven-thirty-at-night/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/ken-kesey-1034_chief-bromden_i-will-be-a-sonofabitch-if-he-ain-t-in-h_1306435.png) > [“I see he had his shorts on under the towel all along. I think for a fact that she'd rather he'd of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/i-see-he-had-his-shorts-on-under-the-towel-all-along-i-think-for-a/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/823/ken-kesey-1034_chief-bromden_i-see-he-had-his-shorts-on-under-the-tow_490327.jpg) > [She asked if we were calm enough for her to take off the cuffs, and McMurphy nodded. He had slumped over with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/she-asked-if-we-were-calm-enough-for-her-to-take-off-the-cuffs-and/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b8/ken-kesey-1034_calm_she-asked-if-we-were-calm-enough-for-her_1472118.jpg) > [Mr. Bibbit, you might warn this Mr. Harding that I'm so crazy I admit to voting for Eisenhower. Bibbit! You tell Mr.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/mr-bibbit-you-might-warn-this-mr-harding-that-i-m-so-crazy-i-admit-to/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/ken-kesey-1034_crazy_mr-bibbit-you-might-warn-this-mr-harding_1542838.jpg) > [“Okay, stand outa the way. Sometimes when I go to exertin' myself I use up all the air nearby and grown men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i-go-to-exertin-myself-i-use/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/ken-kesey-1034_faint_okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i_51574.jpg) > [Then—as he was talking—a set of tail-lights going past lit up McMurphy's face, and the windshield reflected an expression that was allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/then-as-he-was-talking-a-set-of-tail-lights-going-past-lit-up/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/ken-kesey-1034_car_then-as-he-was-talking-a-set-of-tail-lig_548485.jpg) > [ The most work he did on \[the urinals\] was to run a brush once or twice apiece, singing some song as loud… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-most-work-he-did-on-the-urinals-was-to-run-a-brush-once-or-twice/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7e/ken-kesey-1034_answers_the-most-work-he-did-on-the-urinals-was_1930616.png) ## More by Ken Kesey > [“Time overlaps itself. A breath breathed from a passing breeze is not the whole wind, neither is it just the last of what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/time-overlaps-itself-a-breath-breathed-from-a-passing-breeze-is-not/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The Grateful Dead are faster than light drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-grateful-dead-are-faster-than-light-drive/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“Okay, stand outa the way. Sometimes when I go to exertin' myself I use up all the air nearby and grown men faint from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i-go-to-exertin-myself-i-use/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The frontiers we broke into in the '60s are still largely unexplored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-frontiers-we-broke-into-in-the-60s-are-still-largely-unexplored/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [There's something about taking a plow and breaking new ground. It gives you energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/there-s-something-about-taking-a-plow-and-breaking-new-ground-it/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The best of all possible cages.' Ben stepped back to regard the job with a sad smile. 'What more can one ask?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-best-of-all-possible-cages-ben-stepped-back-to-regard-the-job/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [Your trouble is, you keep trying to unscrew the unscrutable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/your-trouble-is-you-keep-trying-to-unscrew-the-unscrutable/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [That ain't me, that ain't my face. It wasn't even me when I was trying to be that face. I wasn't even really me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/that-ain-t-me-that-ain-t-my-face-it-wasn-t-even-me-when-i-was-trying/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [But if the strength ain't real, I recall thinking the very last thing that day, before I finally passed out, then the weakness sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/but-if-the-strength-ain-t-real-i-recall-thinking-the-very-last-thing/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“They think they know the book by its cover, but the book knows what it is. Now he knew better; if the book never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/they-think-they-know-the-book-by-its-cover-but-the-book-knows-what-it/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [More was revealed in a human face than a human being can bear face to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/more-was-revealed-in-a-human-face-than-a-human-being-can-bear-face-to/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [If this glorious birth to death hassle is the only hassle we are ever to have ..if our grand exhilarating fight of life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/if-this-glorious-birth-to-death-hassle-is-the-only-hassle-we-are-ever/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“It's gonna burn me just that way, finally telling about all this, about the hospital, and her, and the guys- and about McMurphy. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/it-s-gonna-burn-me-just-that-way-finally-telling-about-all-this-about/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [When Shakespeare was writing, he wasn't writing for stuff to lie on the page; it was supposed to get up and move around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/when-shakespeare-was-writing-he-wasn-t-writing-for-stuff-to-lie-on/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“And then some guy wandering as lost as you would all of a sudden be right before your eyes, his face bigger and clearer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/and-then-some-guy-wandering-as-lost-as-you-would-all-of-a-sudden-be/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mcmurphy/ken-kesey/#itemlist", "name": "9 Mcmurphy Quotes By Ken Kesey", "numberOfItems": 9, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There’s no doubt in my mind that McMurphy’s won, but I’m not sure what.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-mcmurphy-s-won-but-i-m-not-sure-what/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/ken-kesey-1034_answers_there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-mcmurph_2341611.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/ken-kesey-1034_answers_there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-mcmurph_2341611.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/ken-kesey-1034_answers_there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-mcmurph_2341611.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There’s no doubt in my mind that McMurphy’s won, but I’m not sure what.” — Ken Kesey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But I tried, didn't I? 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He had slumped over with his head hung and his elbows between his knees and looked completely exhausted--it hadn't occurred to me that it was just as hard for him to stand straight as it was for me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/she-asked-if-we-were-calm-enough-for-her-to-take-off-the-cuffs-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b8/ken-kesey-1034_calm_she-asked-if-we-were-calm-enough-for-her_1472118.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b8/ken-kesey-1034_calm_she-asked-if-we-were-calm-enough-for-her_1472118.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b8/ken-kesey-1034_calm_she-asked-if-we-were-calm-enough-for-her_1472118.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“She asked if we were calm enough for her to take off the cuffs, and McMurphy nodded. He had slumped over…” — Ken Kesey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mr. Bibbit, you might warn this Mr. Harding that I'm so crazy I admit to voting for Eisenhower. Bibbit! You tell Mr. McMurphy I'm so crazy I voted for Eisenhower twice! And you tell Mr. Harding right back — he puts both hands on the table and leans down, his voice getting low — that I'm so crazy I plan to vote for Eisenhower again this November.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/mr-bibbit-you-might-warn-this-mr-harding-that-i-m-so-crazy-i-admit-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/ken-kesey-1034_crazy_mr-bibbit-you-might-warn-this-mr-harding_1542838.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/ken-kesey-1034_crazy_mr-bibbit-you-might-warn-this-mr-harding_1542838.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/ken-kesey-1034_crazy_mr-bibbit-you-might-warn-this-mr-harding_1542838.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mr. Bibbit, you might warn this Mr. Harding that I'm so crazy I admit to voting for Eisenhower. Bibbit! You…” — Ken Kesey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Okay, stand outa the way. Sometimes when I go to exertin' myself I use up all the air nearby and grown men faint from suffocation. Stand back. There's liable to be crackin' cement and flying steel. Get the women and kids someplace safe. Stand back. . . .”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i-go-to-exertin-myself-i-use/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/ken-kesey-1034_faint_okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i_51574.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/ken-kesey-1034_faint_okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i_51574.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/ken-kesey-1034_faint_okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i_51574.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Okay, stand outa the way. Sometimes when I go to exertin' myself I use up all the air nearby and grown men…” — Ken Kesey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Then—as he was talking—a set of tail-lights going past lit up McMurphy's face, and the windshield reflected an expression that was allowed only because he figured it'd be too dark for anybody in the car to see, dreadfully tired and strained and frantic, like there wasn't enough time left for something he had to do...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/then-as-he-was-talking-a-set-of-tail-lights-going-past-lit-up/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/ken-kesey-1034_car_then-as-he-was-talking-a-set-of-tail-lig_548485.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/ken-kesey-1034_car_then-as-he-was-talking-a-set-of-tail-lig_548485.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/ken-kesey-1034_car_then-as-he-was-talking-a-set-of-tail-lig_548485.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Then—as he was talking—a set of tail-lights going past lit up McMurphy's face, and the windshield reflected…” — Ken Kesey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The most work he did on [the urinals] was to run a brush once or twice apiece, singing some song as loud as he could in time to the swishing brush; then he'd splash in some Clorox and he'd be through. ... And when the Big Nurse...came in to check McMurphy's cleaning assignment personally, she brought a little compact mirror and she held it under the rim of the bowls. She walked along shaking her head and saying, \"Why, this is an outrage... an outrage...\" at every bowl. McMurphy sidled right along beside her, winking down his nose and saying in answer, \"No; that's a toilet bowl...a TOILET bowl.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-most-work-he-did-on-the-urinals-was-to-run-a-brush-once-or-twice/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7e/ken-kesey-1034_answers_the-most-work-he-did-on-the-urinals-was_1930616.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7e/ken-kesey-1034_answers_the-most-work-he-did-on-the-urinals-was_1930616.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7e/ken-kesey-1034_answers_the-most-work-he-did-on-the-urinals-was_1930616.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The most work he did on [the urinals] was to run a brush once or twice apiece, singing some song as loud as…” — Ken Kesey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mcmurphy/ken-kesey/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mcmurphy/ken-kesey/", "name": "Mcmurphy Quotes by Ken Kesey", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mcmurphy/ken-kesey/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/ken-kesey-1034_answers_there-s-no-doubt-in-my-mind-that-mcmurph_2341611.png" }, "description": "9 Mcmurphy quotes by Ken Kesey. 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