Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson (1937–2005) was an American journalist and author, best known as the founder of Gonzo journalism and for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. His writing combined personal narrative with investigative reporting; the quoted line highlights his attention to the limits of experience and risk.

Quotes by Hunter S. Thompson

Quotes: 1

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. — Hunter S. Thompson

Understanding the Edge: Limits, Experience, and Insight

Ultimately, Thompson suggests that irreversible experience confers a unique kind of wisdom. Those who have ‘gone over’ return—or sometimes do not—with insights that cannot be taught or fully shared. This idea calls to mind Plato’s ‘Allegory of the Cave’ in *Republic*, where only those who leave the darkness and witness the light can truly understand reality as it is. Thus, the edge stands as both a peril and a source of rare, unspeakable knowledge. [...]

Created on: 7/30/2025