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
I was fighting a small fight of my own which wasn't leading _x000D_ anywhere-but like a man with a bent spoon trying to dig through a cement wall I knew that a small fight was better than quitting: it _x000D_ kept the heart alive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Perseverance in the face of difficulties is essential for maintaining hope and vitality.
In this quote, Bukowski conveys the importance of persistence, even when the struggle seems unproductive or insignificant. The metaphor of a man with a bent spoon illustrates the futility of his efforts, yet he emphasizes that engaging in the fight, regardless of the outcome, is vital for keeping one's spirit alive and refusing to succumb to despair.
Themes
PerseveranceCourageStruggleHopeResilience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to inspire resilience in the face of personal challenges.
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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