--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And that, I think, was the handle--that…" description: "\"And that, I think, was the handle--that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/hunter-s-thompson-278_beautiful_and-that-i-think-was-the-handle-that-sen_2989754.jpg" --- # And that, I think, was the handle--that sense of… ![“And that, I think, was the handle--that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting--on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of…” quote by Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/hunter-s-thompson-278_beautiful_and-that-i-think-was-the-handle-that-sen_2989754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/hunter-s-thompson-278_beautiful_and-that-i-think-was-the-handle-that-sen_2989754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/hunter-s-thompson-278_beautiful_and-that-i-think-was-the-handle-that-sen_2989754.jpg) > “And that, I think, was the handle--that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting--on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark--the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.” [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Victory comes from momentum and energy, not force; the wave of progress leaves a high‑water mark. **In simple terms:** Momentum, not fighting, leads to triumph. Key Takeaway Cultivate momentum to achieve goals. Themes victory momentum energy progress Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - business development - social movements - personal projects Key Concepts philosophical personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your personal momentum? - How do you maintain energy over time? A Different Perspective Momentum can wane without sustained effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Broke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broke/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Fear and loathing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-and-loathing/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Fighting on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting-on/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Gonzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gonzo/) [Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Inevitable Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable-victory-4692089/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Las vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/las-vegas/) [Loathing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loathing/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Momentum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/momentum/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [No point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-point/) [Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riding/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Steep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steep/) [Theirs Momentum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theirs-momentum-4692090/) [Think Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-handle-732934/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegas/) [Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave/) [Wave Finally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave-finally-2774608/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-was-madness-in-any-direction-at-any-hour-if-not-across-the-bay/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/so-now-less-than-five-years-later-you-can-go-up-on-a-steep-hill-in/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“It seems like a lifetime, or at least a Main Era — the kind of peak that never comes again. San Francisco in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/it-seems-like-a-lifetime-or-at-least-a-main-era-the-kind-of-peak-that/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run… but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/maybe-it-meant-something-maybe-not-in-the-long-run-but-no-explanation-2/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [We know that progress is not inevitable. But neither was victory upon these beaches. Now, as then, the inner voice tells us to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-know-that-progress-is-not-inevitable-but-neither-was-victory-upon/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I felt like a monster reincarnation of Horatio Alger: A man on the move, and just sick enough to be totally confident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/i-felt-like-a-monster-reincarnation-of-horatio-alger-a-man-on-the/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [The possibility of physical and mental collapse is very real now... but collapse is out of the question; as a solution or even a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-possibility-of-physical-and-mental-collapse-is-very-real-now-but/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-more-helpless-and-irresponsible-and-2/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [I was never idle long enough to do much thinking, but I felt somehow that my instincts were right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/i-was-never-idle-long-enough-to-do-much-thinking-but-i-felt-somehow-2/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“The press is a gang of cruel faggots. Journalism is not a profession or a trade. It is a cheap catch-all for fuckoffs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-press-is-a-gang-of-cruel-faggots-journalism-is-not-a-profession-2/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Too weird to live, and too rare to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/too-weird-to-live-and-too-rare-to-die/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-sympathy-for-the-devil-keep-that-in-mind-buy-the-ticket-take-the/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“I’ve spent enough time in jackrabbit country to know that most of them lead pretty dull lives . . . No wonder some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/i-ve-spent-enough-time-in-jackrabbit-country-to-know-that-most-of/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Few people understand the psychology of dealing with a highway traffic cop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/few-people-understand-the-psychology-of-dealing-with-a-highway/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. It makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-more-helpless-and-irresponsible-and/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) ## More by Hunter S. Thompson > [“There was also the fact that sending a penniless writer to get $135 worth of beer was — as Khrushchev said of Nixon —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-was-also-the-fact-that-sending-a-penniless-writer-to-get-135/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Cases of champagne and scotch lay broken in the street, and everyone I saw had a bottle. They were screaming and dancing, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/cases-of-champagne-and-scotch-lay-broken-in-the-street-and-everyone-i/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [No music + Bad TV = Bad mood & no pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-music-bad-tv-bad-mood-no-pages/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-one-holds-command-over-me-no-man-no-god-no-prince-what-is-a-claim/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb grey hairs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-person-who-doesn-t-scatter-the-morning-dew-will-not-comb-grey/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Hope rises and dreams flicker and die. Love plans for tomorrow and loneliness thinks of yesterday. Life is beautiful and living is pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/hope-rises-and-dreams-flicker-and-die-love-plans-for-tomorrow-and/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [If we get chased out of Iraq with our tail between our legs, that will be the fifth consecutive Third-world country with no hint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/if-we-get-chased-out-of-iraq-with-our-tail-between-our-legs-that-will/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [At age 22 I set what I insist is an all-time record for distance hitchhiking in Bermuda shorts: 3,700 miles in three weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/at-age-22-i-set-what-i-insist-is-an-all-time-record-for-distance/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Paranoia is just another mask for ignorance. The truth, when you finally chase it down is almost always far worse than your darkest visions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/paranoia-is-just-another-mask-for-ignorance-the-truth-when-you/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“No doubt they all Got What Was Coming To Them. All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-doubt-they-all-got-what-was-coming-to-them-all-those-pathetically/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [He wandered into the Newsroom and asked for a job the same way he’d walk into a barbershop and ask for a haircut, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/he-wandered-into-the-newsroom-and-asked-for-a-job-the-same-way-he-d/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [There's no point in getting into politics at all unless you plan to lash things around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-no-point-in-getting-into-politics-at-all-unless-you-plan-to/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [There’s a lot of things wrong with this country, but one of the few things still right with it is that a man can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-things-wrong-with-this-country-but-one-of-the-few/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) [Explore all 765 Hunter S. Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) ## More Beautiful quotes > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) [Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And that, I think, was the handle--that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting--on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. 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