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
we drove on and on, past little villages and both good things and bad things were happening to the people in those villages too, but I still was nothing but arms and ears and eyes and maybe there'd be either some good luck for me or more death tomorrow.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the coexistence of good and bad experiences in life as one observes the world.
In this quote, Charles Bukowski captures the essence of human experience, emphasizing that amidst the continuous journey of life, individuals are mere observers of the multitude of events—both positive and negative—that unfold in the lives of others. The mention of being 'arms and ears and eyes' illustrates a sense of detachment and the struggle to find personal meaning or luck amidst the chaos of existence, highlighting the unpredictability of life where joy and sorrow are intertwined. The acknowledgment of potential outcomes, whether favorable or tragic, underscores the uncertainty that lingers over every moment.
Themes
LifeObservationGoodBadJourneyUncertainty
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about resilience in life, I shared this quote to illustrate how life continues with its ups and downs.
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.
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 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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