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
They laughed. Things were funny. They weren't afraid to care. There was no sense to life, to the structure of things.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the absurdity of life while highlighting the importance of laughter and caring connections among people.
In this quote, Charles Bukowski emphasizes the juxtaposition of humor and existential uncertainty. He suggests that despite the lack of inherent meaning in life and the chaotic nature of existence, finding joy in laughter and the willingness to care for one another are what make life worth living. It invites us to embrace the absurd and seek connections that provide solace amidst the confusion.
Themes
LaughterLifeExistenceCareAbsurdityMeaning
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about embracing life's challenges, one might quote this to illustrate the importance of humor.
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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