# Origin of "Wow what a ride!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 29, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898 "2007-09-29T03:43:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![seenidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@seenidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seenidog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/1 "2007-09-29T03:43:42Z")
I was talking with one of my sons’ friends tonight, he seemed really down. He stopped by our house because he was feeling lonely. (My sons have moved away). He mentioned that things are always animated here, something going on, either a celebration or scrambling to deal with some crisis, (usually brought on by the celebration!). I really wanted to express to him to get out there and live a bit, not to wait for life to come to him. I remembered a few lines of text that I saw taped to a file cabinet at work a few years back. I am hoping one of the fellow dopers can identify the quote, and it’s source for me. I am paraphrasing very very loosely from memory. It went something like this: The goal of life is not to end up with a well preserved pretty body. The goal is to cross the finish line used up, burned out, skidding sideways and exclaiming “Wow! What a ride!” Any help in getting the original text, and identifying the source would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/2 "2007-09-29T03:46:46Z")
**Rick** uses it as his sig. > [@](#): > > Remember this motto to live by: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather one should aim to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, glass of Scotch in the other, your body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO! Man, what a ride!” ---
**Author:** ![seenidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@seenidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seenidog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/3 "2007-09-29T05:39:17Z")
That’s It! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/4 "2007-09-29T06:07:39Z")
Damn you Johnny, I came here to say that was my sig. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/5 "2007-09-29T08:41:05Z")
But who is the author of the quotation? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/6 "2007-09-29T13:53:02Z")
Beats me, I have seen it in many slightly different versions over the years. When I adopted it for my sig, I changed martini to scotch. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/7 "2007-09-29T14:33:56Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] Damn you Johnny [/QUOTE] [Igor (‘That’s “EYE-gor”!’)] Too late! [/Igor] ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/8 "2007-09-29T14:43:21Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] Beats me, I have seen it in many slightly different versions over the years. When I adopted it for my sig, I changed martini to scotch. [/QUOTE] That explains why I couldn’t find the whole quote! (Actually, when I put it in google with the double-quotes around the ‘woohoo’ part, I did get one hit: A sex toy site.) Anyway, taking just a bit of it I found[this](http://www.velatropa24.com/index.htm): > [@](#): > > “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!” > > Bill McKenna, professional motorcycle racer, Cycle magazine Feb. 1982 [This page](http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Awaken_to_Who_You_Are.html) says (emphasis mine): > [@](#): > > “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming – whoo hoo-- What a Ride!” **Attributed to Bill McKenna, Anonymous and in a Nissan ad.** ---
**Author:** ![DungeonInURMind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@DungeonInURMind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DungeonInURMind)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2015, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-wow-what-a-ride/420898/9 "2015-08-02T11:45:48Z")
Hunter S. Thompson for the full attribution see [goodreads.com](http://goodreads.com)