---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jesus was a strange hobo who walked on…"
description: "\"“Jesus was a strange hobo who walked on water—”\" — Jack Kerouac"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/jack-kerouac-182_hobos_jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-w_1362650.jpg"
---

#  Jesus was a strange hobo who walked on water—

![“Jesus was a strange hobo who walked on water—” quote by Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/jack-kerouac-182_hobos_jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-w_1362650.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/jack-kerouac-182_hobos_jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-w_1362650.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/jack-kerouac-182_hobos_jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-w_1362650.jpg)

> ““Jesus was a strange hobo who walked on water—””

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A vivid, unconventional image of a spiritual figure, highlighting both admiration and alienation.

**In simple terms:** Jesus is portrayed as a strange wanderer with miraculous powers.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the mystery, question assumptions.

Themes

spirituality individualism contradiction

Mood

provocative reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- religious discourse
- personal reflection
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

mythology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this image reveal about your view of faith?
- How does the 'hobo' metaphor affect reverence?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex theology.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobo/) [Hobo Walked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobo-walked-1584888/) [Hobos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobos/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-strange-1584890/) [Strange Hobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-hobo-1584887/)

## Related quotes

> [“Jesus was a strange hobo who walked on water.- Buddha was also a hobo who paid no attention to the other hobo.- Chief Rain-In-The-Face,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-water-buddha-was-also-a-hobo/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I kind of like to look like a hobo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-kind-of-like-to-look-like-a-hobo/)

[Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/)

> [Maybe you'll end up like me, a hobo with a shotgun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-hauer/maybe-you-ll-end-up-like-me-a-hobo-with-a-shotgun/)

[Rutger Hauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-hauer/)

> [“Some people ate less food less often when they each had a home than they now do as hobos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-people-ate-less-food-less-often-when-they-each-had-a-home-than/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“Most human beings strongly believe that money is way less important than the life of a human being, but in reality five hundred, fifty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/most-human-beings-strongly-believe-that-money-is-way-less-important/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“A truly compassionate man gives a poor woman a portion of his meal before he eats, not after he has eaten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-truly-compassionate-man-gives-a-poor-woman-a-portion-of-his-meal/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“The hobo is... merely a belated frontiersman, a frontiersman at a time and in a place when the frontier is passing or no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ezra-park/the-hobo-is-merely-a-belated-frontiersman-a-frontiersman-at-a-time/)

[Robert Ezra Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ezra-park/)

> [I'm not a vagrant. I'm a hobo. Big difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/i-m-not-a-vagrant-i-m-a-hobo-big-difference/)

[Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/)

> [What's with the poverty Tourette's? Why do these two think we need a hobo for president?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/what-s-with-the-poverty-tourette-s-why-do-these-two-think-we-need-a/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [“I suddenly saw the little hobo standing under a sad street lamp with his thumb stuck out--poor forlorn man, poor lost sometime boy, now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-suddenly-saw-the-little-hobo-standing-under-a-sad-street-lamp-with/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [Nothing says romance like hobos, martyrs and decapitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/nothing-says-romance-like-hobos-martyrs-and-decapitations/)

[Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/)

> [I know the police cause you trouble They cause trouble everywhere But when you die and go to heaven You find no policeman there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-guthrie/i-know-the-police-cause-you-trouble-they-cause-trouble-everywhere-but/)

[Woody Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-guthrie/)

> [“hobos' (a slang term that combines the words 'hope' and 'bowl of beans given to me for free by a woman who then initiated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/hobos-a-slang-term-that-combines-the-words-hope-and-bowl-of-beans/)

[Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/)

> [“I don't do my work for any kind of group in particular, except for hobos, who just plain kick ass and light up my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhonen-vasquez/i-don-t-do-my-work-for-any-kind-of-group-in-particular-except-for/)

[Jhonen Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhonen-vasquez/)

> [You say the sweetest things. And that spaghetti perfume you're wearing is to die for. No hobo could resist." She snarled. Heh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/you-say-the-sweetest-things-and-that-spaghetti-perfume-you-re-wearing/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

## More by Jack Kerouac

> [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“For when you realized that God is Everything you know that you've got to love everything no matter how bad it is, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-when-you-realized-that-god-is-everything-you-know-that-you-ve-got/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“I'm an idealist who has outgrown my idealism I have nothing to do the rest of my life but do it and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-an-idealist-who-has-outgrown-my-idealism-i-have-nothing-to-do-the/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“Most of them were running away from something―usually the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/most-of-them-were-running-away-from-something-usually-the-law/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“Non lo so, non importa e non fa nessuna differenza.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/non-lo-so-non-importa-e-non-fa-nessuna-differenza/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“And in the flush of the first few days of joy I confidently tell myself (not expecting what I'll do in three weeks only)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-in-the-flush-of-the-first-few-days-of-joy-i-confidently-tell/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I want a blaze of light to flame in me forever in a timeless, dear love of everything. And why should I pretend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-want-a-blaze-of-light-to-flame-in-me-forever-in-a-timeless-dear/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“For the next week that was all I heard - manana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-the-next-week-that-was-all-i-heard-manana-a-lovely-word-and-one/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“O how wonderful life is, how miraculous, God made this and God made that", "how do you know he doesn't hate what He did:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/o-how-wonderful-life-is-how-miraculous-god-made-this-and-god-made/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [Notoriety and public confession in the literary form is a frazzler of the heart you were born with, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/notoriety-and-public-confession-in-the-literary-form-is-a-frazzler-of/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I promise I shall never give up, and that I'll die yelling &amp; laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-promise-i-shall-never-give-up-and-that-i-ll-die-yelling-laughing/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“The hot water pools are steaming, Fagan and Monsanto and the others are all sitting peacefully up to their necks, they're all naked, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-hot-water-pools-are-steaming-fagan-and-monsanto-and-the-others/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

[Explore all 936 Jack Kerouac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

## More Hobo quotes

> [I love to scream at hobo's because they get scared and run around looking stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/i-love-to-scream-at-hobo-s-because-they-get-scared-and-run-around/)

[Author Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-name/)

> [I'd rather look like a hobo and be super comfortable than wear something not comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-james-decker/i-d-rather-look-like-a-hobo-and-be-super-comfortable-than-wear/)

[Jessie James Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-james-decker/)

> [“If you try to leave me like this, I will haunt you until the end of your days. I will drop out of classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/if-you-try-to-leave-me-like-this-i-will-haunt-you-until-the-end-of/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“Perhaps the greatest charm of tramp-life is the absence of monotony. In Hobo Land the face of life is protean—an ever changing phantasmagoria, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/perhaps-the-greatest-charm-of-tramp-life-is-the-absence-of-monotony/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [“Anyone who saw Albert Einstein trudging along the sidewalks of Princeton University with a briar pipe hanging out of his mouth might have assumed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/anyone-who-saw-albert-einstein-trudging-along-the-sidewalks-of/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

> [Worker's comp? Do I look like a hobo to you? No, sir, I am not going on welfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-hill/worker-s-comp-do-i-look-like-a-hobo-to-you-no-sir-i-am-not-going-on/)

[Hank Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-hill/)

> [I grew up poor. I never had any money. I was a hobo, you know, ride the freights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-linkletter/i-grew-up-poor-i-never-had-any-money-i-was-a-hobo-you-know-ride-the/)

[Art Linkletter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-linkletter/)

> [“I suddenly saw the little hobo standing under a sad street lamp with his thumb stuck out--poor forlorn man, poor lost sometime boy, now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-suddenly-saw-the-little-hobo-standing-under-a-sad-street-lamp-with/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“What man doesn't have dress socks and shoes?" he asks pointedly. "You wanna grow up to be a hobo?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-reinhardt-steph-campbell/what-man-doesn-t-have-dress-socks-and-shoes-he-asks-pointedly-you/)

[Liz Reinhardt Steph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-reinhardt-steph-campbell/)

> [What's with the poverty Tourette's? Why do these two think we need a hobo for president?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/what-s-with-the-poverty-tourette-s-why-do-these-two-think-we-need-a/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [I wandered all around the town. Until I chanced to meet a hobo who was lookin' for a handout on the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-harris/i-wandered-all-around-the-town-until-i-chanced-to-meet-a-hobo-who-was/)

[Phil Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-harris/)

> [“I'm nobody I'm a tramp, a bum, a hobo I'm a boxcar and a jug of wine And a straight razor ...if you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-manson/i-m-nobody-i-m-a-tramp-a-bum-a-hobo-i-m-a-boxcar-and-a-jug-of-wine/)

[Charles Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-manson/)

> [“We took up a collection and sent a telegram to the authorities of that town. The text of the message was that eighty-five healthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/we-took-up-a-collection-and-sent-a-telegram-to-the-authorities-of/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [I always think I look like a bit of a hobo. I'm fine on the TV, but in real life I'm a bit dishevelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/i-always-think-i-look-like-a-bit-of-a-hobo-i-m-fine-on-the-tv-but-in/)

[Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/)

> [I'm not a vagrant. I'm a hobo. Big difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/i-m-not-a-vagrant-i-m-a-hobo-big-difference/)

[Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/)

[Browse all 35 Hobo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hobo/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Jesus was a strange hobo who walked on water—”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack Kerouac"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-water/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hobo"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-water/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/jack-kerouac-182_hobos_jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-w_1362650.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/jack-kerouac-182_hobos_jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-w_1362650.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/jack-kerouac-182_hobos_jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-w_1362650.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Jesus was a strange hobo who walked on water—” — Jack Kerouac",
                "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": "Jack Kerouac",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Jesus was a strange hobo who...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-water/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/jesus-was-a-strange-hobo-who-walked-on-water/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
