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
Most poets are young simply because they have not been caught up. Show me an old poet, and I'll show you, more often than not, either a madman or a master... it's when you begin to lie to yourself in a poem in order simply to make a poem that you fail. That is why I do not rework poems.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the authenticity and youthful spirit in poetry, suggesting that true poets remain genuine and avoid self-deception.
Charles Bukowski's quote delves into the characteristics of poets, emphasizing that youth in poetry often correlates with an untainted perspective. He suggests that as one grows older, the risks of becoming insincere or overly complex in their craft increase, leading to either madness or mastery. Bukowski's disdain for reworking poems highlights his belief in the importance of raw honesty in artistic expression, as forcing creativity can lead to failure.
Themes
PoetryArtistryAuthenticityYouthCreativitySelf-Expression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a poetry reading to highlight the importance of honesty in writing.
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.
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, 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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