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"A man needs truth like a machine needs oil."

— Jack Kerouac

January 1, 1970

Quote Details

Added by wikiquote-import-bot

Added on April 10, 2026

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Buddhists from the United States Anti-communists from the United States Humanists Beat Generation writers Novelists from Boston

Original Language: English

Sources

Often attributed to Kerouac's novel Big Sur, the quote cannot be found in that book, nor in any of Kerouac's other published works. It is, in fact, a quote by the Kerouac character in the movie of Big Sur (2013) and therefore composed by the screenplay writer Michael Polish, rather than by Jack Kerouac.

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac

Often attributed to Kerouac's novel Big Sur, the quote cannot be found in that book, nor in any of Kerouac's other published works. It is, in fact, a quote by the Kerouac character in the movie of Big Sur (2013) and therefore composed by the screenplay writer Michael Polish, rather than by Jack Kerouac.