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
The nine-to-five is one of the greatest atrocities sprung upon mankind. You give your life to a function that doesn't interest you. This situation so repelled me that I was driven to drink, starvation, and mad females, simply as an alternative.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote criticizes the conventional work routine, suggesting it robs people of their passion and purpose.
Charles Bukowski's quote expresses a deep disdain for the monotonous nine-to-five work model, which he views as a dehumanizing experience that compels individuals to sacrifice their passions and interests. He conveys that this oppressive routine can lead to destructive behaviors as people seek alternative means to cope with the stifling nature of their jobs, thereby highlighting the need for a more fulfilling approach to life and work.
Themes
Nine-To-FiveWorkPassionLifeDestruction
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a motivational speech about pursuing passion over conventional career paths.
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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