I can never drive my car over a bridge without thinking of suicide. I can never look at a lake or an ocean without thinking of suicide.
Charles BukowskiRead
Even though I write about the human race, the further away from them, the better I feel. Two miles is great; two thousand miles is beautiful.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses a sense of detachment from humanity that allows for greater personal comfort and artistic clarity.
Charles Bukowski's quote reflects a paradoxical relationship with society, where distance from the human race enhances his creative feelings and emotional well-being. It suggests that a certain level of detachment can foster clarity and beauty in one's artistic expression, implying that proximity to humanity can be burdensome while distance offers a refreshing perspective.
Themes
DetachmentHumanityDistanceCreativityArtistry
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on the emotional impact of detachment in art, this quote might highlight a crucial point.
More from Charles Bukowski
All quotes βwhen I am feeling low all i have to do is watch my cats and my courage returns
Charles BukowskiRead
The masses are always wrong...Wisdom is doing everything the crowd does not do. All you do is reverse the totality of their learning and you have the heaven they're looking for.
Charles BukowskiRead
I'm going to open another vottle. not a vottle, but a bottle. you open it and I'll drink it. and you try to write as much as I did without falling off of your chair.
Charles BukowskiRead
To experience real agony is something hard to write about, impossible to understand while it grips you; you're frightened out of your wits, canβt sit still, move, or even go decently insane.
Charles BukowskiRead
I lapsed into my pathetic cut-off period. Often with humans, both good and bad, my senses simply shut off, they get tired, I give up. I am polite. I nod. I pretend to understand because I donβt want anybody to be hurt. That is the one weakness that has lead me into the most trouble. Trying to be kind to others I often get my soul shredded into a kind of spiritual pasta. No matter. My brain shuts off. I listen. I respond. And they are too dumb to know that I am not there.
Charles BukowskiRead
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