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 suppose like others I have come through fire and sword, love gone wrong, head-on crashes, drunk at sea, and I have listened to the simple sound of water running in tubs and wished to drown
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggles and conflicting experiences of life, juxtaposing turmoil with a yearning for peace.
In this quote, Charles Bukowski captures the essence of human experience through vivid imagery of suffering and resilience. He evokes the highs and lows of life, marked by hardship and love's disappointments, while contrasting these tumultuous events with a longing for tranquility and solace found in the simplicity of nature, represented by the sound of running water. Ultimately, it encapsulates the complexity of living and the simultaneous pursuit of peace amidst chaos.
Themes
StruggleLoveLifePeaceHuman Experience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a reflective session on overcoming 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
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.
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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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