30 Most Powerful Charles Bukowski Quotes About Life
Last updated on January 2nd, 2024 at 12:00 pm
“Charles Bukowski” By “Thierry Ehrmann“, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Henry Charles Bukowski, or Heinrich Karl Bukowski, was born on August 16, 1920, a German-American Poet, novelist and short story writer. His work addresses the routine lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women and the dullness of work. Bukowski’s writing was influenced by the cultural, social, and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles. He published more than 60 books and wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories, including six novels.
Bukowski’s work was subject to many controversies throughout his career, and he used to admire leaders with authoritarian personalities such as Adolf Hitler and Franklin D. Roosevelt. More than half of Bukowski’s collections have been published posthumously.
Charles Bukowski was also the inspiration behind the first chapter of Mark Manson‘s bestselling self-help book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. His problems with drugs, women and alcohol, despite being a bestselling writer was discussed in the chapter titled “Don’t Try” – a reference to the epitaph on the author’s gravestone.
Let’s check out some of the most powerful Charles Bukowski quotes on life, death and everything in between.
Charles Bukowski Quotes
“Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I’m not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you’ve felt that way.”
Charles Bukowski in His poem “Gamblers all“
“We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn’t. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing.“
Charles Bukowski in “The captain is out to lunch and the Sailors have taken over the Ship (1998)“
“You have to die a few times before you can really
live.“
Charles Bukowski in “The people look Like flowers at last“
“I wanted the whole world or nothing.“
Charles Bukowski in his novel “Post office“
“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.“
Charles Bukowski
“We are like roses that have never bothered to bloom when we should have bloomed and it is as if the sun has become disgusted with waiting.“
Charles Bukowski
“If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.“
Charles Bukowski
“Regret is mostly caused by not having
done anything.“
Charles Bukowski in his Poetry book “You get so alone at times that it just makes sense“
“We don’t even ask happiness, just a little less pain.“
Charles Bukowski
“I guess the only time most people think about injustice is when it happens to them.“
Charles Bukowski
“You begin saving the world by saving one man at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.“
Charles Bukowski in his short story collection “Tales of ordinary madness 1967“
“The less I needed, the better I felt.“
Charles Bukowski
“We must.. We must bring our own light to the darkness.“
Charles Bukowski
“The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don’t have to waste your time voting.”
Charles Bukowski in his collection of short stories “the most beautiful woman in town & other stories“
“Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others. Their fear is only their inability to face what is real, and I can’t vent any anger against them; I only feel this appalling sadness. Somewhere in their upbringing, they were shielded against the total facts of our existence.”
Charles Bukowski in his book “on writing“
“People with no morals often considered themselves more free, but mostly they lacked the ability to feel or love.”
Charles Bukowski in his novel “women“
“If you’re going to try, go all the way. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.“
Charles Bukowski
“Things get bad for all of us, almost continually, and what we do under the constant stress reveals who/what we are.“
Charles Bukowski
“What is terrible is not death but the lives people live or don’t live up until their death.“
Charles Bukowski in his collection of extracts from his journal titled “the captain is out to lunch“
“Nobody can save you but yourself and you’re worth saving. It’s a war not easily won but if anything is worth winning then this is it.”
Charles Bukowski excerpt from the book “Sunlight Here I Am – Interviews and Encounters 1963 – 1993” By “David stephen calonne“
“That’s when I first learned that it wasn’t enough to just do your job, you had to have an interest in it, even a passion for it.”
“Invent yourself and then reinvent yourself.”
Charles Bukowski in his book of poem titled “the pleasures of the damned : selected poems 1951-1993“
“Having been born into this strange life we must accept the wasted gamble of our days and take some satisfaction in the pleasure of leaving it all behind.”
Charles Bukowski in his book of poem titled “the pleasures of the damned : selected poems 1951-1993“
“Drinking is an emotional thing. It joggles you out of the standardism of everyday life, out of everything being the same.”
Charles Bukowski excerpt from the book “Sunlight Here I Am – Interviews and Encounters 1963 – 1993” By “David stephen calonne“
“There is nothing that teaches you more than regrouping after failure and moving on. Yet most people are stricken with fear. They fear failure so much that they fail. They are too conditioned, too used to being told what to do. It begins with the family, runs through school and goes into the business world.”
Charles Bukowski
As Charles Bukowski himself said that he is not like an ordinary world and lives in another dimension, these quotes certainly prove how extraordinary he was with his perspective towards life and everything in general. Charles Bukowski quotes are a combination of wit, humor, seriousness, and melancholy.
If you enjoyed reading these 30 Most Powerful Quotes By Charles Bukowski, you might also check out these 30 Memorable Virginia Woolf Quotes About Understanding Life!
Sahil Sangidwar
Sahil Sangidwar is a marketer who studied computer science. He loves marketing and keeps up with the changing tech world. Outside of work, he plays Battle Royale games, reads books, and really enjoys food. Sahil brings together his interest in technology and his personal hobbies.
