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 always started a job with the feeling that I'd soon quit or be fired, and this gave ma a relaxex manner that was mistaken for intelligence or some secret power.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the idea that an attitude of detachment and acceptance can lead to unexpected confidence and success.
Charles Bukowski's quote reflects a unique perspective on job performance and attitude. By approaching work with a mindset of impermanence—where quitting or being fired feels like an inevitable possibility—he found that this aloofness allowed him to perform with a relaxed confidence. This paradoxical approach, where perceived nonchalance is mistaken for competence, suggests that letting go of the fear of failure can sometimes enable individuals to perform better and navigate their roles more effectively.
Themes
AttitudeConfidenceDetachmentSuccessWork
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used to inspire employees during a team-building workshop.
More from Charles Bukowski
All quotes →when I am feeling low all i have to do is watch my cats and my courage returns
Charles BukowskiRead
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.
Charles BukowskiRead
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.
Charles BukowskiRead
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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