--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jack Kerouac influenced me quite a bit as…" description: "\"Jack Kerouac influenced me quite a bit as a writer... in the Arab sense that the enemy of my enemy was my friend.\" — Hunter S. Thompson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/hunter-s-thompson-278_arab_jack-kerouac-influenced-me-quite-a-bit-a_1832055.jpg" --- # Jack Kerouac influenced me quite a bit as a writer... in… ![“Jack Kerouac influenced me quite a bit as a writer... in the Arab sense that the enemy of my enemy was my friend.” quote by Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/hunter-s-thompson-278_arab_jack-kerouac-influenced-me-quite-a-bit-a_1832055.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/hunter-s-thompson-278_arab_jack-kerouac-influenced-me-quite-a-bit-a_1832055.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/hunter-s-thompson-278_arab_jack-kerouac-influenced-me-quite-a-bit-a_1832055.jpg) > “Jack Kerouac influenced me quite a bit as a writer... in the Arab sense that the enemy of my enemy was my friend.” [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. Kerouac’s influence is likened to a strategic alliance where former enemies become allies against a common foe. **In simple terms:** Enemies can become allies against a shared enemy. Key Takeaway Seek unexpected alliances. Themes literature influence strategy Mood reflective strategic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political campaigns - creative collaborations - social movements Key Concepts counter‑intelligence friendship Questions to Reflect On - Who could be an unexpected ally? - What risks come with such alliances? A Different Perspective Alliances may be fragile. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Enemy Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-friend/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Influenced Quite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influenced-quite-2282063/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jack-kerouac/) [Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kerouac/) [Kerouac Influenced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kerouac-influenced-2282062/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ “I realized Jack \[Kerouac\] was deeply committed to writing. Kesey was just as deeply committed to living and experiencing the lives of others; for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-lord/i-realized-jack-kerouac-was-deeply-committed-to-writing-kesey-was/) [Sterling Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-lord/) > [“I just love crazy people like this,' Murphy said. 'Jack Kerouac people. Mad to live, mad to die, that kind of thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/i-just-love-crazy-people-like-this-murphy-said-jack-kerouac-people/) [Jodi Lynn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lynn-anderson/) > [Growing up in San Antonio, I was the dork at the Friday night football games with my head buried in a book - Jack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chozick/growing-up-in-san-antonio-i-was-the-dork-at-the-friday-night-football/) [Amy Chozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chozick/) > [Even Jack Kerouac, who famously said, "First thought, best thought," benefited from editing. His earliest works are the most edited, and they're the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-soehnlein/even-jack-kerouac-who-famously-said-first-thought-best-thought/) [K. M. Soehnlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-soehnlein/) > [“writers like Jack Kerouac (who called himself an "urban Thoreau") set forth to redefine and rediscover ways to live in America without slogging through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/writers-like-jack-kerouac-who-called-himself-an-urban-thoreau-set/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Most road trips in China these days are still more John Steinbeck than Jack Kerouac,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-road-trips-in-china-these-days-are-still-more-john-steinbeck/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jack Kerouac, like a sick refrigerator, worked too hard at keeping cool and died on his mama's lap from alcohol and infantilism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/jack-kerouac-like-a-sick-refrigerator-worked-too-hard-at-keeping-cool/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [ “Unable to forgive his own sins, unsatisfied with just the goodness of his heart, \[Kerouac\] would go on poisoning his body until it rotted… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-nicosia/unable-to-forgive-his-own-sins-unsatisfied-with-just-the-goodness-of/) [Gerald Nicosia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-nicosia/) > [ As a woman I have felt encouraged and fed by and nurtured by the work of \[Jack\] Kerouac and others. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/as-a-woman-i-have-felt-encouraged-and-fed-by-and-nurtured-by-the-work/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, Albert Camus, Graham Greene - they influenced my life to a profound extent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/henry-miller-jack-kerouac-albert-camus-graham-greene-they-influenced/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [To be able to play Jack Kerouac or Sal Paradise, it's mad to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-penry-jones/to-be-able-to-play-jack-kerouac-or-sal-paradise-it-s-mad-to-me/) [Rupert Penry-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-penry-jones/) > [My golden dream was to move to New York and live in the Village and become that cool rebel beatnik Jack Kerouac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/my-golden-dream-was-to-move-to-new-york-and-live-in-the-village-and/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [The truest form of any form of revolutionary left, whatever you want to call it, was Jack Kerouac, E.E. Cummings, and Allan Ginsberg's period.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/the-truest-form-of-any-form-of-revolutionary-left-whatever-you-want/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [ “I was impressed with Jack \[Kerouac\]’s commitment to serious writing at the expense of everything else in his life. At a time when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-lord/i-was-impressed-with-jack-kerouac-s-commitment-to-serious-writing-at/) [Sterling Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-lord/) > [Jack Kerouac was cool because he had no idea he was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/jack-kerouac-was-cool-because-he-had-no-idea-he-was/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) ## 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 Arab quotes > [We do not know which irresponsible Israeli prime minister will take office and decide to use nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordechai-vanunu/we-do-not-know-which-irresponsible-israeli-prime-minister-will-take/) [Mordechai Vanunu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordechai-vanunu/) > [Preemptive war is what Israel did in '67 with Arab armies on its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/preemptive-war-is-what-israel-did-in-67-with-arab-armies-on-its/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [The majority of Arab people would side with Russia and China, not with the West. 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Believers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-vincent/the-twin-causes-bin-laden-invokes-are-islam-and-arab-self/) [Norah Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-vincent/) > [Arab youth are taught to wonder, 'Since the Holocaust was a European affair, why are the Palestinians being forced to pay for the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bronfman-sr/arab-youth-are-taught-to-wonder-since-the-holocaust-was-a-european/) [Edgar Bronfman, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bronfman-sr/) > [The majority of Arab people see the United States and Israel (definitely not Iran or Syria) as the greatest danger to the world. 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