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
Writing is like going to bed with a beautiful woman and afterwards she gets up, goes to her purse and gives me a handful of money.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing is a rewarding experience, akin to a beautiful relationship that leaves one with both pleasure and tangible benefits.
In this quote, Bukowski employs vivid imagery to equate the act of writing to the pleasurable experience of being with a beautiful woman, highlighting both the joy and potential rewards of the creative process. Just as a romantic encounter may lead to unexpected rewards, writing can also produce both personal satisfaction and financial gain, revealing the dual nature of art as both emotionally fulfilling and materially beneficial.
Themes
WritingArtRewardBeautyCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, you might share this quote to illustrate the joys and rewards of creative expression.
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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Wayne ThiebaudRead