Looking for thought-provoking quotes to spark new ideas in your life? Here are some Charles Bukowski quotes on life that will change your perspective in life.
I have recently been exposed to Charles Bukowski‘s poetry, these confessions are poison to my ears.
Some people call Charles Bukowski abused and misunderstood. Others say he’s a misogynistic, narcissistic, alcoholic asshole. I like to think of Bukowski as someone who has a little bit of everything bad and everything good. His pieces are some of the most honest, tragic, and beautiful of all the American writings I’ve ever experienced.
Here’s a compilation of Bukowski quotes you may have never seen before. (Some of these quotes are excerpted from poems, novels, and short stories; don’t hate me for separating them from their original contexts).
22+ Motivational Charles Bukowski Quotes For Success In Life
1. “The human heart, as of course, we all know is essentially good…”
Not all people in this world are born good. It’s just the circumstances and situations that surround them change them and become someone that is not good, and sometimes it’s hard to turn them back again.
2. “Sometimes solitude is one of the most beautiful things on earth”
Sometimes, being alone is the only thing that we need.
3. “We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus!…”
The thought that we will all die should be enough reason that we must live a meaningful life
4. “There are worse things than being alone…”
Sometimes, we thought that being alone is the worst thing that would ever happen to someone, however, there are other things that is worst than being alone.
5. If I had been born a woman I would certainly have been a prostitute…”
A man wants a good woman but also wants a few characteristics of a prostitute.
6. “Love breaks my bones and I laugh”
Love will not only break you emotionally, at times it can break you physically (when you get involved in a fight, etc.), and then eventually we can just laugh at it.
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7. “The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it…”
8. “People are strange: They are constantly angered by trivial things…”
People sometimes are hard to understand, we get mad at small things but we can’t notice the big things that destroy and wastes our lives.
9. “Drink from the well of your self and begin again”
If ever we feel weak and broken only ourselves can refuel our own strength.
10. “The less I needed, the better I felt”
It’s a great feeling that you don’t need someone or something that much. Sometimes, only a few things can make you truly happy.
11. “Something else is hurting you – that’s why you need a pot or whiskey…”
If we are in pain, sometimes drinking and distracting yourself are ways wherein you can forget your problems. Even just for a while.
12. “She’s mad but she’s magic. There’s no lie in her fire”
If a girl is mad, she is in her true self. No lies, only true feelings of anger.
13. “Once a woman turns against you, forget it…”
Beware of women, may seem vulnerable and fragile but once you give them something to turn against you, they can be as bad as hell.
14. “We must.. We must bring our own light to the darkness”
When you are facing a problem, only you can help yourself.
15. “I don’t hate people, I just feel better when they aren’t around”
There are people who just don’t want to be with other people. They just enjoy being alone.
16. “If you want to know who your friends are, get yourself a jail sentence”
Because true friends will stay with you and be with you whatever and wherever you are.
17. “what matters most is how well you walk through the fire”
No matter what you will go through, it’s how you handle it that matters.
18. “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts…”
This is the reality. But not on all people.
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19. “How the hell could a person enjoy being awakened at 6:30 AM by an alarm clock…”
Well, that’s life! However, let’s look at the brighter side.
20. “He asked, ‘What makes a man a writer?’…”
Being a writer is expressing yourself, most writers have been through a lot, and what makes a writer is by writing it on a paper or if not, you can just jump off the bridge.
21. “Find what you love and let it kill you”
There are things that will not be good for you but we just love to have it.
22. “Slavery was never abolished, it was only extended to include all the colors”
Slavery still continues, but now it is in different forms and it becomes worst.
23. According to Charles Bukowski, “Sadness is caused by intelligence…”
“Sadness is caused by intelligence, the more you understand certain things, the more you wish you didn’t understand them.” So it basically means dumb is happy!
24. The Intelligent People Are Full Of Doubts
The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.
25. What do you call, Freedom or Loneliness?
When nobody wakes you up in the morning When nobody waits for you at night When you can do whatever you want. What do you call, Freedom or Loneliness?
26. Too many people make me feel drained…
“People empty me. I have to get away to refill.”
27. Insane, intellectual, accepted; which one are you?
Some lose all mind and become soul, insane. Some lose all soul and become mind, intellectual. Some lose both and become accepted.
28. People Are The Best Show In The World
People are the best show in the world. And you don’t even pay for the ticket.
There you have it, Charles Bukowski Quotes. I’m sure you get a lot of words of wisdom from this famous poet. Do you have any other quotes by Charles Bukowski on love that can add up to our list? Send it to us and we will be happy to feature it for you.