John Hunter Quotes

Happiness is something that just happens because of the arrangement of circumstances, but joy endures in spite of circumstances.

— John Hunter

“We have to accept that any action we take might promote an equal and opposite reaction that we do not want. We have to realize that even the most noble actions or most obviously correct course can have its dark side that we cannot control or reason our way out of. The fighter of the "just war" must understand that her actions will result in the deaths of other humans; many of whom may be innocent. The pacifist who refuses all war must realize that his inaction might likewise result in the deaths of the innocent. There are no actions without contradiction
and yet we must act, for not to act is also a contradictory action with both positive and negative effects.”

— John Hunter

The ability to overcome failure
to live through it and move on
is crucial. If we are not willing to face failure
if we don't have the skills to survive it
we have precluded any real creativity or risk. Failure may never become our friend, but if we are to do meaningful work, perhaps failure needs to be our companion.

— John Hunter

“The teacher calls on the first student whose hand went up, and everybody else understands that their participation is no longer required, and so they may immediately disengage.”

— John Hunter

“Where once there seemed to be room to wonder, to speculate, to not know, there now seems to be increasing pressure for instant answers, immediate solutions, and narrowly defined results.”

— John Hunter

“Time is the empty space that allows knowledge
let alone wisdom
to grow.”

— John Hunter

“Sometimes confusion is a necessary way to slow things down until we have within us the strength and courage to find the best and truest answer instead of settling for an easier, quicker one along the way.”

— John Hunter

“If I see myself only in terms of myself, I am always going to be wrong. To fully understand who I am and what I am capable of, I need to always see myself in terms of a community.”

— John Hunter

“Some physiologists will have it that the stomach is a mill; others, that it is a fermenting vat; others, again that it is a stew-pan; but in my view of the matter, it is neither a mill, a fermenting vat nor a stew-pan, but a stomach gentlemen, a stomach.”

— John Hunter

“Yeah, I was a local hero. It was great for me, 'cos I had a full house every night all night seven nights a week for five years that I played. The next five years I just played five days a week, but I still had a full house every night.”

— John Hunter

“I came from the country, and when I came to the city, I was ridin' high, you know. I was seeing more lights than I ever dreamed to shine in the world. 'Cos where I came from, there wasn't too many lights. Bugs made a lot of light, but after that there wasn't no lights.”

— John Hunter

“It's absolutely absurd to even consider voting on Sunday alcohol sales. I am opposed to alcohol period. It doesn't do anybody any good in the long run. It's a dangerous drug.”

— John Hunter

“Well, I don't know how they define that. But they have this Texas blues thing blown kinda out of proportion. I am a Long John Hunter blues, before and after, that's what I am.”

— John Hunter

I developed my style by pickin' a lot of cotton, plowin' that ole mule every day. I just got the rhythm, and any rhythm I need I know where it is; I know where to find it.

— John Hunter

“I just play to good people; they seem to like what I do, and the more they like it, the more I play.”

— John Hunter

“If they didn't have ten fights a night, it was a bad night.”

— John Hunter

“Most animals are built to withstand one bad year.”

— John Hunter

“We had every kind of audience you could name. Young, old, not-so-old, some older than old, some younger than young: they were there, they were there! There was everything.”

— John Hunter