Charles Bukowski Quotes

A collection of quotes by Charles Bukowski.

Charles Bukowski, born Heinrich Karl Bukowski on August 16, 1920, in Andernach, Germany, was a renowned American poet, novelist, and short story writer. At the age of three, Bukowski immigrated to Los Angeles with his family, where he spent much of his life.

Growing up in a troubled and abusive environment, Bukowski's early experiences greatly influenced his work. He often explored themes of alcoholism, violence, poverty, and the everyday struggles of the working class. His writing style was raw, brutally honest, and uncompromisingly frank, earning him a reputation as a champion of "dirty realism" and a prominent figure in the underground literary scene.

Bukowski struggled with numerous odd jobs, poverty, and alcoholism for several years before publishing his first story in 1944. However, it wasn't until the 1960s and 1970s that his work gained significant recognition. His novels and poetry collections, such as "Post Office," "Factotum," and "Love is a Dog From Hell," resonated with a generation disillusioned by the American Dream and captivated readers with their gritty realism and dark humor.

While Bukowski lived an often tumultuous personal life, his writing explored themes of love, loneliness, and the human condition with a remarkable sense of empathy and understanding. He has been called one of the most influential poets of his generation, and his distinctive voice continues to inspire and captivate readers worldwide. Charles Bukowski passed away on March 9, 1994, leaving behind a lasting legacy and a body of work that continues to challenge and provoke readers today.

We're all going to die, all of us; what a circus! That alone

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

Frankly, I was horrified by life, at what a man had to do si

Frankly, I was horrified by life, at what a man had to do simply in order to eat, sleep, and keep himself clothed. So I stayed in bed and drank. When you drank the world was still out there, but for the moment it didn't have you by the throat.

Charles Bukowski

The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is tha

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

alone with everybodythe flesh covers the boneand they put a

alone with everybodythe flesh covers the boneand they put a mindin there andsometimes a soul,and the women breakvases against the wallsand them men drink toomuchand nobody finds theonebut they keeplookingcrawling in and outof beds.flesh coversthe bone and theflesh searchesfor more thanflesh.there's no chanceat all:we are all trappedby a singularfate.nobody ever findsthe one.the city dumps fillthe junkyards fillthe madhouses fillthe hospitals fillthe graveyards fillnothing elsefills.

Charles Bukowski

You begin saving the world by saving one man at a time; all

You begin saving the world by saving one man at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.

Charles Bukowski

People with no morals often considered themselves more free,

People with no morals often considered themselves more free, but mostly they lacked the ability to feel hate or love.

Charles Bukowski

Love People Ability

and when love came to us twice and lied to us twice we decid

and when love came to us twice and lied to us twice we decided to never love again that was fair fair to us and fair to love itself. we ask for no mercy or no miracles; we are strong enough to live and to die and to kill flies, attend the boxing matches, go to the racetrack, live on luck and skill, get alone, get alone often, and if you can't sleep alone be careful of the words you speak in your sleep; and ask for no mercy no miracles; and don't forget: time is meant to be wasted, love failsand death is useless.

Charles Bukowski

there are so many dayswhen living stops and pulls up and sit

there are so many dayswhen living stops and pulls up and sitsand waits like a train on the rails.

Charles Bukowski

Life Poetry Living Charles Bukowski Layover

be it peace or happinesslet it enfold you

be it peace or happinesslet it enfold you

Charles Bukowski

Inspirational Poem

Once a woman turns against you, forget it. They can love you

Once a woman turns against you, forget it. They can love you, then something turns in them. They can watch you dying in a gutter, run over by a car, and they'll spit on you.

Charles Bukowski

there is a place in the heart thatwill never be filleda spac

there is a place in the heart thatwill never be filleda spaceand even during thebest momentsandthe greatest timestimeswe will know itwe will know itmore thaneverthere is a place in the heart thatwill never be filledandwe will waitandwaitin that space.

Charles Bukowski

Death Inspirational

Love is a form of prejudice. You love what you need, you lov

Love is a form of prejudice. You love what you need, you love what makes you feel good, you love what is convenient. How can you say you love one person when there are ten thousand people in the world that you would love more if you ever met them? But you'll never meet them. All right, so we do the best we can. Granted. But we must still realize that love is just the result of a chance encounter. Most people make too much of it. On these grounds a good fuck is not to be entirely scorned. But that's the result of a chance meeting too. You're damned right. Drink up. We'll have another.

Charles Bukowski

Wisdom Life Love

When I begin to doubt my ability to work the word, I simply

When I begin to doubt my ability to work the word, I simply read another writer and know I have nothing to worry about. My contest is only with myself, to do it right, with power, and force, and delight, and gamble.

Charles Bukowski

Inspirational Writing

Find what you love and let it kill you.

Find what you love and let it kill you.

Charles Bukowski

The writer has no responsibility other than to jack off in b

The writer has no responsibility other than to jack off in bed alone and write a good page.

Charles Bukowski

Inspirational Writing

I drive around the streetsan inch away from weeping,ashamed

I drive around the streetsan inch away from weeping,ashamed of my sentimentality andpossible love.

Charles Bukowski

Love Weep Weeping Sentimentality

Life's as kind as you let it be.

Life's as kind as you let it be.

Charles Bukowski

Her violence frightened me. She always claimed that I was th

Her violence frightened me. She always claimed that I was the jealous one, and I was often jealous, but when I saw things working against me I simply became disgusted and withdrew. Lydia was different. She reacted. She was the Head Cheerleader at the Game of Violence.

Charles Bukowski

Love Relationships

The problem with the world is that the intelligent people ar

The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.

Charles Bukowski

Life Confidence Intelligent People Stupid People

The street to my left was backed up with traffic and I watch

The street to my left was backed up with traffic and I watched the people waiting patiently in the cars. The was almost always a man and a women, staring straight ahead, not talking. It was, finally, for everyone, a matter of witing. You waited and you waited- for the hospital, the doctor, the plumber, the madhouse, the jail, papa death himself. First the signal red, then the signal was green. The citizens of the world ate food and watched t.v. and worried about their jobs or lack of the same, while they waited.

Charles Bukowski