32 Charles Bukowski Quotes

Charles Bukowski, a prolific poet, novelist, and short story writer, has captivated readers with his raw and unapologetic voice. Known for his candid reflections on life, love, and the human condition, Bukowski’s work delves into the gritty realities of existence. His writings offer a wealth of wisdom, often wrapped in wit and unfiltered honesty. In this collection, we've gathered 32 of his most poignant quotes that encapsulate his unique perspective and enduring appeal. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to his work, these insights provide a glimpse into the mind of a literary icon whose reflections continue to resonate with readers today.

1. “And it seems people should not build houses anymoreit seems people should stop working and sit in small rooms on second floorsunder electric lightswithout shades;it seems there is a lot to forgetand a lot not to doand in drugstores, markets, bars,the people are tired, they do not want to move, and I stand there at nightand look through this house and the house does not want to be built” - Charles Bukowski

2. “La mayoría de la muerte de la gente es una farsa, no queda en ellos nada que pueda morir” - Charles Bukowski

3. “I never met another man I'd rather be. And even if that's a delusion, it's a lucky one.” - Charles Bukowski

4. “I didn't have any friends at school, didn't want any. I felt better being alone. I sat on a bench and watched the others play and they looked foolish to me.” - Charles Bukowski

5. “I wasn't a misanthrope and I wasn't a misogynist but I liked being alone. It felt good to sit alone in a small space and smoke and drink. I had always been good company for myself.” - Charles Bukowski

6. “The problem was you had to keep choosing between one evil or another, and no matter what you chose, they sliced a little bit more off you, until there was nothing left. At the age of 25 most people were finished. A whole god-damned nation of assholes driving automobiles, eating, having babies, doing everything in the worst way possible, like voting for the presidential candidates who reminded them most of themselves. I had no interests. I had no interest in anything. I had no idea how I was going to escape. At least the others had some taste for life. They seemed to understand something that I didn't understand. Maybe I was lacking. It was possible. I often felt inferior. I just wanted to get away from them. But there was no place to go.” - Charles Bukowski

7. “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

8. “that your power of commandwith simple language wasone of the magnificent things ofour century.(from the poem: result)” - Charles Bukowski

9. “some moments are nice, some arenicer, some are even worthwritingabout.” - Charles Bukowski

10. “Yes Yeswhen God created love he didn't help most when God created dogs He didn't help dogs when God created plants that was average when God created hate we had a standard utility when God created me He created me when God created the monkey He was asleep when He created the giraffe He was drunk when He created narcotics He was high and when He created suicide He was low when He created you lying in bed He knew what He was doing He was drunk and He was high and He created the mountains and the sea and fire at the same time He made some mistakes but when He created you lying in bed He came all over His Blessed Universe.” - Charles Bukowski

11. “There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. The writer who has to go into the streets is a writer who does not know the streets. . . when you leave your typewriter you leave your machine gun and the rats come pouring through.” - Charles Bukowski

12. “Her one drink had Cecelia giggling and talking and she was explaining that animals had souls too. Nobody challenged her opinion. It was possible, we knew. What we weren't sure of was if we had any.” - Charles Bukowski

13. “Oh, I don’t mean you’re handsome, not the way people think of handsome. Your face seems kind. But your eyes - they’re beautiful. They’re wild, crazy, like some animal peering out of a forest on fire.” - Charles Bukowski

14. “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

15. “where some god pissed a rain of reason to make things grow only to die,” - Charles Bukowski

16. “crawled like a blind slug into the web” - Charles Bukowski

17. “He fell off the table like a crab looking for the sea.” - Charles Bukowski

18. “I wasn’t lonely. I experienced no self-pity. I was just caught up in a life in which I could find no meaning.” - Charles Bukowski

19. “We don’t even ask happiness, just a little less pain.” - Charles Bukowski

20. “Tinha o cartão Gold Visa. Estava vivo. Talvez. Começava até a me sentir como Nick Belane. Cantalorei um trechinho de Coats. O Inferno era o que a gente fazia dele." (pág. 16)” - Charles Bukowski

21. “Why do we embroider everything we saywith special emphasis when all we really need to dois simply say whatneeds to he said?Of coursethe fact isthat there is very little that needsto be said.” - Charles Bukowski

22. “Basically, that's why I wrote: to save my ass, to save my ass from the madhouse, from the streets, from myself.” - Charles Bukowski

23. “I will remember your small room, the feel of you, the light in the window, your records, your books, our morning coffee, our noons, our nights, our bodies spilled together, sleeping, the tiny flowing currents, immediate and forever. Your leg, my leg, your arm, my arm, your smile and the warmth of you who made me laugh again.” - Chales Bukowski

24. “Writing was never work for me. It had been the same for as long as I could remember: turn on the radio to a classical music station, light a cigarette or a cigar, open the bottle. The typer did the rest. All I had to do was be there. The whole process allowed me to continue when life itself offered very little, when life itself was a horror show. There was always the typer to soothe me, to talk to me, to entertain me, to save my ass. Basically that's why I wrote: to save my ass, to save my ass from the madhouse, from the streets, from myself.” - Charles Bukowski

25. “To create art means to be crazy aloneforever.” - Charles Bukowski

26. “Hay cosas peores que estar solo pero a menudo toma décadas darse cuenta de ello y más a menudo cuando esto ocurre es demasiado tarde y no hay nada peor que un demasiado tarde.” - Charles Bukowski

27. “and if I have any advice to give to anybody it’s this: take up watercolor painting.” - Charles Bukowski

28. “The whole world is a sack of shit ripping open. I can´t save it.” - Charles Bukowski

29. “How are his poems?""He's not as good as he thinks he is, but then most of us feel that way.” - Charles Bukowski

30. “The centuries are sprinkled with rare magicwith divine creatureswho help us get past the common and extraordinary ills that beset us” - Charles Bukowski

31. “I have one problem, I don’t hate people. They disgust me and I want to get away from them. I do not have hatred. I have an escape mechanism.” - Charles Bukowski

32. “If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.” - Charles Bukowski