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
You can forgive a fool because he only runs in one direction and doesn't deceive anybody. It's the deceivers who make you feel bad.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Forgiving those who act foolishly is easier than forgiving those who are deceptive.
This quote by Charles Bukowski reflects the idea that it is more understandable to forgive someone who is foolish but honest than it is to forgive those who intentionally mislead or deceive. The fool's simplicity often results in harmlessness, whereas deceivers cause conflict and emotional pain, making their actions harder to excuse and their effects more damaging.
Themes
ForgivenessFoolDeceptionHonestyWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about trust and relationships, one could mention this quote to highlight the difference between foolishness and deception.
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.
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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.
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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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