"If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people - including me - would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism"

This quote by Hunter S. Thompson speaks with the power of fact and the effects of speaking it. He implies that if he had actually composed all the truth he understood for the previous 10 years, many individuals, including himself, would remain in prison. This recommends that the fact is a powerful and unsafe thing, which it can have serious consequences if it is revealed. Thompson is likewise suggesting that professional journalism is not always conducive to outright reality, as it can be hazardous to reveal it. This quote speaks to the power of fact and the significance of taking care when speaking it.