Hunter S. Thompson refused to be bound by any conventions, especially in his writing. As a reporter in the 1960s and '70s, he made no attempts at objectivity and often anointed himself a main character in narratives he was dispatched to just observe. This quote derives from one of the last career-spanning interviews he granted, a 2003 conversation with “Salon.” Thompson was speaking not about how he emerged as gonzo journalism’s leading voice, but about complacency in general. Exercising our liberties is how we build a better world for ourselves, our communities, and future generations.