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But with the throttle screwed on, there is only the barest margin, and no room at all for mistakes. It has to be done right... and that's when the strange music starts, when you stretch your luck so far that fear becomes exhilaration and vibrates along your arms. You can barely see at a hundred; the tears blow back so fast that they vaporize before they get to your ears. The only sounds are the wind and a dull roar floating back from the mufflers. You watch the white line and try to lean with it... howling through a turn to the right, then to the left, and down the long hill to Pacifica... letting off now, watching for cops, but only until the next dark stretch and another few seconds on the edge... 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. The others- the living- are those who pushed their luck as far as they felt they could handle it, and then pulled back, or slowed down, or did whatever they had to when it came time to choose between Now and Later. But the edge is still Out there. Or maybe it's In. The association of motorcycles with LSD is no accident of publicity. They are both a means to an end, to the place of definitions.

Hunter S. Thompson#18

FearExperienceRiskSpeed

About this quote

What does it mean?
The author describes the intense adrenaline and risk of driving fast, noting that true understanding comes from risking danger.
In plain terms
Driving very fast feels thrilling and scary, and only those who do it understand it.
What can you take from it?
Some experiences are only understood by risking oneself to reach the edge.

Where it applies

  • extreme sports
  • driving
  • personal risk

Putting it to work

  • push personal limits
  • understand fear

Questions to consider

  • When does fear turn to excitement?
  • What do you gain from taking risks?

Another view

Risking safety for sensation is not always a positive or rational choice.

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