Weekly Watering Hole #3

Here we are, gathered together by the watering hole for a third week in a row. Last time I wanted to change the topic from poems to all things poetry. Well, guess what! Now I want to change the topic from all things poetry to all things poetry and QUOTES.
...and on that note:

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."

- Jack Kerouac, On the Road

----

A note from good ol' Wikipedia:

[Jack Kerouac] is considered a literary iconoclast and...a pioneer of the Beat Generation. [He] is recognized for his method of spontaneous prose. Thematically, his work covers topics such as Catholic spirituality, jazz, promiscuity, Buddhism, drugs, poverty, and travel. He became an underground celebrity and, with other beats, a progenitor of the hippie movement, although he remained antagonistic toward some of its politically radical elements.

A note from me:

Kerouac was mad in his own right; a frequent bar-fighter and heavy drinker with a penchant for whiskey, he died an untimely and brutal death at age 47 while scribbling notes for his next book. A cirrhosis-induced internal hemorrhage caused him to buckle over in excruciating pain and vomit up blood until he essentially bled out (after being rushed to the hospital by his third wife), never regaining consciousness.

Enough about the author -- what do you think of the quote?!

Kerouac lived what he wrote. I found him to be a kindred spirit, especially in his other book, The Dharma Bums. He took joy where he could, sometimes in the most banal realizations.

Once he & his long time friend Japhy climbed a mountain; not a towering peak scaled by pitons and ropes - just a steep sloped hill tall enough to be called the Matterhorn of California. He was terrified going up while his friend was full of spirit. On the descent, as his friend took off running to make it down to a safer level before sunset, Jack suddenly realized his foolishness and celebrated this new found knowledge: "you can't fall off the mountain." The analogy to his exploration of Buddhism is unmistakeable but not in the least preachy.

This is a really poetic and interesting way to talk about someone who is passionate for life and everything in it. I don't find those people to be "mad", but I love the way it's read rather than crazy.

I strive to be a passionate woman on fire for life and everything we are able to experience. Then I get lazy, start yawning, and crawl into bed.

^ Then I get lazy, start yawning, and crawl into bed.

HA-ha! Don't we all eventually!

Well thanks moderators for responding to my threads every week, haha. Regular members, where are you?!

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."

^ Mad as in angry, or as in Crazy, or as simply Mad... ?

My thoughts:

Why did he narrowed down his scope of people to be with? Are the mad ones filled with optimism? Was he a mad type of people?

I like the quote. It's fun to be around people who are full of life, who aren't afraid to stand up for what they believe in... even if it's a common thing.

Thanks for sharing

I think Kerouac meant mad as in passionate. People who burn up their potential to the fullest. Risk-takers, outliers and movers. People who cannot work 9-5 jobs or be content to live life in the suburbs with a daily commute.
My opinion.