--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Edge...There is no honest way to…" description: "\"The Edge...There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. The others-the liv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/hunter-s-thompson-278_gone_the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-expla_1496444.jpg" --- # The Edge...There is no honest way to explain it because… ![“The Edge...There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. The others-the living-are those who pushed their control as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down, or did whatever they had to…” quote by Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/hunter-s-thompson-278_gone_the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-expla_1496444.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/hunter-s-thompson-278_gone_the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-expla_1496444.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/hunter-s-thompson-278_gone_the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-expla_1496444.jpg) > “The Edge...There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. The others-the living-are those who pushed their control as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down, or did whatever they had to when it came time to choose between Now and Later. But the edge is still Out there.” [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. The quote describes a mysterious boundary of experience that only those who have faced it truly understand, while others stay cautious and postpone confronting it. **In simple terms:** Only those who have faced the unknown truly grasp it. Key Takeaway Embrace the unknown when ready. Themes risk exploration self‑knowledge courage Mood intense reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - adventure sports - critical life decisions - creative risk‑taking - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism threshold theory human limits Questions to Reflect On - What personal “edge” are you avoiding? - How do you balance safety and daring? A Different Perspective The edge may be illusory, and pushing too far can cause harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Now and later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now-and-later/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“The Edge... There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson-2/the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-explain-it-because-the-only-people/) [hunter s thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson-2/) > [The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-explain-it-because-the-only-people-3/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Indeed ... but no sand this time, so the lever goes up into fourth, and now there's no sound except wind. Screw it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/indeed-but-no-sand-this-time-so-the-lever-goes-up-into-fourth-and-now/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“So it was always at night, like a werewolf, that I would take the thing out for an honest run down the coast. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/so-it-was-always-at-night-like-a-werewolf-that-i-would-take-the-thing/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“I just used a very simple way to explain what are deep ideas, and why can't that be literature?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mian-mian/i-just-used-a-very-simple-way-to-explain-what-are-deep-ideas-and-why/) [Mian Mian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mian-mian/) > [“I wish there was some way to explain how very uninterested I was in a normal human life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-wish-there-was-some-way-to-explain-how-very-uninterested-i-was-in-a/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/writing-is-the-only-way-i-have-to-explain-my-own-life-to-myself/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [If you're an artist, you're an artist; that's the only way I can explain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-bendjelloul/if-you-re-an-artist-you-re-an-artist-that-s-the-only-way-i-can/) [Malik Bendjelloul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-bendjelloul/) > [“Okay—there’s no easy way to explain this, so I’m just going to say it. We’re not human, Sophie. -Keeper of the Lost Cities ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-messenger/okay-there-s-no-easy-way-to-explain-this-so-i-m-just-going-to-say-it/) [Shannon Messenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-messenger/) > [There is no way to explain enlightenment. It is just a word to indicate something beyond, something very, very far beyond the normal human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-way-to-explain-enlightenment-it-is-just-a-word-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/a-good-solution-applied-with-vigor-now-is-better-than-a-perfect-2/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [“One reality and truth about life is that either you suffer now and become successful in the future... Or do what it pleases you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/onipede-ayomide/one-reality-and-truth-about-life-is-that-either-you-suffer-now-and/) [Onipede Ayomide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/onipede-ayomide/) > [“Now and Laters. Starbust, Pixie Stix. If she gets too bitchy, just feed her this crap. As long as the sugar high is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/now-and-laters-starbust-pixie-stix-if-she-gets-too-bitchy-just-feed/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [For the corporation executives, the military metaphysic often coincides with their interest in a stable and planned flow of profit; it enables them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/for-the-corporation-executives-the-military-metaphysic-often/) [C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/) > [Sometimes I believe that God wants to try me, both now and later on; I must become good through my own efforts, without examples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/sometimes-i-believe-that-god-wants-to-try-me-both-now-and-later-on-i/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) ## 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 Edge quotes > [I'm on the edge with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-m-on-the-edge-with-you/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [I've always liked artists like Chris Burden, who would take performances, put them in galleries, and then do things that were on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/i-ve-always-liked-artists-like-chris-burden-who-would-take/) [David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/) > [Touring is really about being on edge the whole time - you're like a racing horse: you've just got to be on. You've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lykke-li/touring-is-really-about-being-on-edge-the-whole-time-you-re-like-a/) [Lykke Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lykke-li/) > [I just like guys who have an edge to them. But it could go either way. Like, I have been into the surfer blond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-just-like-guys-who-have-an-edge-to-them-but-it-could-go-either-way/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [I always was kind of on the edge of the church when I was fully in it , cos I was always asking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/i-always-was-kind-of-on-the-edge-of-the-church-when-i-was-fully-in-it/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Even a cup of coffee tastes so much sweeter because you've come once again out of the, literally, out of the edge of death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-koch/even-a-cup-of-coffee-tastes-so-much-sweeter-because-you-ve-come-once/) [Christopher Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-koch/) > [“Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. Big, undreamed-of things—the people on the edge see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/out-on-the-edge-you-see-all-kinds-of-things-you-can-t-see-from-the/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [The financial world is at the cutting edge of high technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/the-financial-world-is-at-the-cutting-edge-of-high-technology/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Your goodness must have some edge to it -- else it is none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/your-goodness-must-have-some-edge-to-it-else-it-is-none/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I love The Edge's guitar style; it is unique. There is an ancient world resonating in his guitar sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludovico-einaudi/i-love-the-edge-s-guitar-style-it-is-unique-there-is-an-ancient-world/) [Ludovico Einaudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludovico-einaudi/) > [This is how it looks when I am standing on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red/this-is-how-it-looks-when-i-am-standing-on-the-edge/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red/) > [I spent 25 years clearly understanding that I'm not gonna meet Bono or the Edge. But then it happened at the Grammys when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-bush/i-spent-25-years-clearly-understanding-that-i-m-not-gonna-meet-bono/) [Kristian Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-bush/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [If people ask me to describe my look, I always say: 'Quite classic with an edge.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/if-people-ask-me-to-describe-my-look-i-always-say-quite-classic-with/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [We have an edge over the Asian countries because we are playing European and Indian style of hockey, but we need to perform consistently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-r-sreejesh/we-have-an-edge-over-the-asian-countries-because-we-are-playing/) [P. R. Sreejesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-r-sreejesh/) [Browse all 556 Edge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Edge...There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. The others-the living-are those who pushed their control as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down, or did whatever they had to when it came time to choose between Now and Later. But the edge is still Out there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hunter S. Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-explain-it-because-the-only-people-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Edge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-explain-it-because-the-only-people-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/hunter-s-thompson-278_gone_the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-expla_1496444.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/hunter-s-thompson-278_gone_the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-expla_1496444.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/909/hunter-s-thompson-278_gone_the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-expla_1496444.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Edge...There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the…” — Hunter S. Thompson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hunter S. Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Edge...There is no honest way...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-explain-it-because-the-only-people-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-edge-there-is-no-honest-way-to-explain-it-because-the-only-people-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```