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
If I'm an ass, I should say so. If I don't, somebody else will. If I say it first, that disarms them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acknowledging one's flaws can take away the power from others to criticize you first.
This quote suggests that self-awareness and humility are powerful tools in dealing with criticism. By admitting our own shortcomings before others can point them out, we disarm potential criticism and maintain control over our self-image, which can lead to a more authentic and genuine interaction with others.
Themes
Self-AwarenessHumilityCriticismAuthenticitySelf-Acceptance
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of self-acknowledgment.
More from Charles Bukowski
All quotes βwhen I am feeling low all i have to do is watch my cats and my courage returns
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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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