WIST Quotations

Doyle, Arthur Conan -- Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 1, Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)

Dave — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:47:28 +0000

“Which is it to-day,” I asked, “morphine or cocaine?”
He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-letter volume which he had opened. “It is cocaine,” he said, “a seven-per-cent solution. Would you care to try it?”

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) British writer and physician
Story (1890-02), “The Sign of the Four,” ch. 1, Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 45 (US) / 1 (UK)
(Source)

Watson and Holmes.

The original publication, and Doyle's manuscript (along with many other iterations across media) use "The Sign of the Four" as the title, while others (including the first book publications) use "The Sign of Four." The five-word form is used most commonly in the story, but the four-word form does show up. (More info.)

Published in novel form as The Sign of Four (1890-10).

Fry, Stephen -- Moab Is My Washpot, “Joining In,” ch. 3 (1997)

Dave — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 23:31:08 +0000

LSD reveals the whatness of things, their quiddity, their essence. The wateriness of water is suddenly revealed to you, the carpetness of carpets, the woodness of wood, the yellowness of yellow, the fingernailness of fingernails, the allness of all, the nothingness of all, the allness of nothing. For me music gives access to every one of these essences of existence, but at a fraction of the social or financial cost of a drug and without the need to cry ‘Wow!’ all the time, which is one of LSD’s most distressing and least endearing side-effects.

Stephen Fry (b. 1957) British actor, writer, comedian
Moab Is My Washpot, “Joining In,” ch. 3 (1997)
(Source)

Warhol, Andy -- POPism: The Warhol Sixties, “1965” (1980) [with Pat Hackett]

Dave — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 23:54:45 +0000

When people are ready to, they change. They never do it before then, and sometimes they die before they get around to it. You can’t make them change if they don’t want to, just like when they do want to, you can’t stop them.

Andy Warhol (1928–1987) American artist, author
POPism: The Warhol Sixties, “1965” (1980) [with Pat Hackett]
(Source)

Regarding drug and alcohol use.

Bourdain, Anthony -- Medium Raw, ch. 5 (2010)

Dave — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 14:44:16 +0000

I’m extremely skeptical of the “language of addiction.” I never saw heroin or cocaine as “my illness.” I saw them as some very bad choices that I walked knowingly into. I fucked myself — and, eventually, had to work hard to get myself un-fucked.

And I’m not going to tell you here how to live your life.

I’m just saying, I guess, that I got very lucky.

And luck is not a business model.

Anthony Bourdain (1956–2018) American chef, author, travel documentarian
Medium Raw, ch. 5 (2010)
(Source)

Jillette, Penn -- Interview by Katherine Mangu-Ward, Reason (Jan 2017)

Dave — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 20:40:38 +0000

People say if you legalize drugs, you’re going to have a lot more junkies. And then the other side says, Oh no, no, no, we will have fewer junkies [and] they’ll be treated better. I don’t know! I just know that if you don’t have the right to put whatever you want into your own body, you’re not living in a free fucking country. Simple.

Penn Jillette (b. 1955) American stage magician, actor, musician, author
Interview by Katherine Mangu-Ward, Reason (Jan 2017)
(Source)

Artaud, Antonin -- “Sûreté générale: La liquidation de l’opium,” La Révolution Surréaliste (Jan 1925) [tr. L. Dejardin]

Dave — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 13:23:16 +0000

As long as we haven’t been able to abolish a single cause of human desperation, we do not have the right to try to suppress the means by which man tries to clean himself of desperation.

Antonin Artaud (1896–1948) French playwright, actor, director
“Sûreté générale: La liquidation de l’opium,” La Révolution Surréaliste (Jan 1925) [tr. L. Dejardin]
(Source)

Other translation: "So long as we have failed to eliminate any of the causes of human despair, we do not have the right to try to eliminate those means by which man tries to cleanse himself of despair." [tr. Weaver (1976)]

Conrad, Barnaby III -- “Martini Madness,” Cigar Aficionado (Spring 1996)

Dave — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 01:03:01 +0000

The Martini is to middle- and upper-class American society what peyote is to the Yaqui Indians: a sacred rite that affirms tribal identity, encourages fanciful thought and — let’s be honest here — delivers a whoppingly nice high.

Barnaby Conrad III (b. 1952) American author, artist, editor
“Martini Madness,” Cigar Aficionado (Spring 1996)
(Source)

Khomeini, Ruhollah -- Ramadan Speech (23 Jul 1979)

Dave — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 16:29:39 +0000

Music is no different from opium. Music affects the human mind in a way that makes people think of nothing but music and sensual matters. […] Music is a treason to the country, a treason to our youth, and we should cut out all this music and replace it with something instructive.

Ruhollah Khomeini (1902–1989) Iranian Shia Muslim religious leader, revolutionary, politician
Ramadan Speech (23 Jul 1979)

Lewis, C.S. -- Letter to Mrs. Ray Garrett (12 Sep 1960)

Dave — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 13:59:50 +0000

The whole lesson of my life has been that no ‘methods of stimulation’ are of any lasting use. They are indeed like drugs — a stronger dose is needed each time and soon no possible dose is effective. We must not bother about thrills at all. Do the present duty — bear the present pain — enjoy the present pleasure — and leave emotions and ‘experiences’ to look after themselves.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) English writer, literary scholar, lay theologian [Clive Staples Lewis]
Letter to Mrs. Ray Garrett (12 Sep 1960)

HIcks, Bill -- Performance, Pittsburgh (20 Jun 1991)

Dave — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 12:13:13 +0000

That’s what I hate about the war on drugs. All day long we see those commercials: “Here’s your brain, here’s your brain on drugs”, “Just Say No”, “Why do you think they call it dope?” … And then the next commercial is “This Bud’s for yooouuuu.” C’mon, everybody, let’s be hypocritical bastards. It’s okay to drink your drug. We meant those other drugs. Those untaxed drugs. Those are the ones that are bad for you.

Bill Hicks (1961–1994) American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, musician [William Melvin "Bill" Hicks]
Performance, Pittsburgh (20 Jun 1991)

Recorded in Flying Saucer Tour, Vol. 1 (2002)