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Meaning
The quote compares language to a virus and suggests it survives by integrating with people rather than being rejected. It implies that words can spread and persist by becoming part of ordinary human life. The line frames communication as something invasive but also mutually adapted to its host.
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Who It Was Said To
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Historical Context
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Source
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
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About William S. Burroughs
American writer and visual artist
William S. Burroughs was an American writer and visual artist, widely associated with the Beat Generation and postmodern literature. He became known for fiction that pushed against conventional form and voice. His work is often experimental, with unreliable narrators and semi-autobiographical material shaped by his experience of drug addiction. He also helped popularize the cut-up technique with Brion Gysin. Across his fiction and his life, recurring interests included mysticism, the occult, and magical themes.
More from William S. Burroughs (106 quotes) →Keep reading William S. Burroughs
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- “Nothing exists until or unless it is observed. An artist is making something exist by observing it. And his h…”William S. Burroughs
- “Thinking is not enough. There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any... thing.”William S. Burroughs
Explore Language
- “We switch to another language-- not our invented language or the language we've learned from our lives. As we…”David Levithan
- “As for the French language, it's probably one of the most beautiful in the world. I speak a little bit and I…”Charlene
- “Try repeating “man is an animal" a few times, just to notice how unconvincing it sounds. There seems to be no…”Ernest Becker
READ THE SOURCE
Books by William S. Burroughs
Naked Lunch
2001
Junky
1994
Queer
1986
Cities of the Red Night
1982
Nova Express
1964