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
So, that’s what they wanted: lies. Beautiful lies. That’s what they needed. People were fools. It was going to be easy for me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the allure of deception and how people often prefer comforting lies over harsh truths.
In this quote, Charles Bukowski highlights the human tendency to seek out beautiful lies instead of facing difficult realities. He suggests that people are easily deceived and that this desire for false comfort can make manipulation easier for those who are willing to exploit it. This statement offers a critical view of human nature and raises questions about the nature of truth and the consequences of living in a world built on deception.
Themes
LiesTruthDeceptionHuman NatureComfort
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of honesty in relationships.
More from Charles Bukowski
All quotes →when 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.
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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, can’t 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 don’t 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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