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
It was like a church in there as only the truly lost sit in bars on Tuesday mornings at 8:00 a.m.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote depicts a scene of loneliness and the search for solace in a bar during an unconventional time.
In this quote, Charles Bukowski paints a vivid scene of a bar that resembles a church, where the 'truly lost' congregate. This metaphor suggests that individuals who find themselves in bars at such early hours are seeking refuge from their pains and struggles, much like worshippers seek comfort and meaning in a church. The setting underscores themes of solitude, desperation, and the search for connection in a world that can often feel isolating.
Themes
LonelinessBarsSolaceDesperationConnection
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about coping mechanisms, one might bring up this quote to illustrate how people seek refuge in unlikely places.
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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, 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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