“You know the typical crowd, Wow, it’s Friday night, what are you going to do? Just sit there? Well, yeah. Because there’s nothing out there. It’s stupidity. Stupid people mingling with stupid people. Let them stupidify themselves. I’ve never been bothered with the need to rush out into the night. That’s all. Sorry for all the millions, but I’ve never been lonely. I like myself. I’m the best form of entertainment I have.”
In this quote, Charles Bukowski reflects on the typical Friday night scene where people feel the need to go out and socialize. He criticizes this behavior, dismissing it as "stupidity" and choosing instead to stay in and enjoy his own company. This quote highlights Bukowski's preference for solitude and self-awareness, emphasizing his contentment with being alone and finding fulfillment within himself.
In today's fast-paced world filled with social media and constant connectivity, Charles Bukowski's perspective on solitude and self-contentment may seem even more relevant. The pressure to constantly be out socializing and seeking external forms of entertainment can be overwhelming, but Bukowski's words remind us of the value of introspection and self-appreciation. In a society that oftentimes equates busyness with success, his words serve as a powerful reminder to prioritize self-care and personal happiness above all else.
In this quote from Charles Bukowski, he expresses his disinterest in the typical Friday night crowd and the need to rush out into the night. Bukowski values his own company and finds himself to be the best form of entertainment.
As we reflect on the words of Charles Bukowski, it's important to consider our own attitudes towards socializing and self-entertainment. Here are some questions to ponder:
Do you find yourself feeling pressured to go out and socialize on Friday nights, or are you comfortable with enjoying your own company?
Have you ever experienced feelings of loneliness or the need to constantly be surrounded by others? How do these feelings compare to Bukowski's perspective?
In what ways do you entertain yourself when you are alone? Do you feel fulfilled by these solo activities, or do you prioritize social interactions for entertainment?
How do you define self-love and self-entertainment, and how does this relate to Bukowski's assertion that he is the best form of entertainment he has?
Reflect on a time when you chose to spend a night alone rather than going out with others. How did you feel during that time, and did it contribute to your overall well-being and contentment?
“I've never been lonely. I've been in a room -- I've felt suicidal. I've been depressed. I've felt awful -- awful beyond all -- but I never felt that one other person could enter that room and cure what was bothering me...or that any number of people could enter that room. In other words, loneliness is something I've never been bothered with because I've always had this terrible itch for solitude. It's being at a party, or at a stadium full of people cheering for something, that I might feel loneliness. I'll quote Ibsen, "The strongest men are the most alone." I've never thought, "Well, some beautiful blonde will come in here and give me a fuck-job, rub my balls, and I'll feel good." No, that won't help. You know the typical crowd, "Wow, it's Friday night, what are you going to do? Just sit there?" Well, yeah. Because there's nothing out there. It's stupidity. Stupid people mingling with stupid people. Let them stupidify themselves. I've never been bothered with the need to rush out into the night. I hid in bars, because I didn't want to hide in factories. That's all. Sorry for all the millions, but I've never been lonely. I like myself. I'm the best form of entertainment I have. Let's drink more wine!”
“Why do you haggle your beauty?” I asked. “Why don’t you just live withit?” “Because people think it’s all I have. Beauty is nothing, beauty won’t stay. Youdon’t know how lucky you are to be ugly, because if people like you you know it’s forsomething else.”
“why don't we go back out there and tell them what happened?because nothing happened except that everybody has been driven insane and stupid by life. in this society there are only two things that count: don't be caught without money and don't get caught high on any kind of high.(Night Streets of Madness)”
“Beauty is nothing, beauty won’t stay. You don’t know how lucky you are to be ugly, because if people like you, you know it’s for something else.”
“So you want to be a writer if it doesn’t come bursting out of youin spite of everything,don’t do it.unless it comes unasked out of yourheart and your mind and your mouthand your gut,don’t do it.if you have to sit for hoursstaring at your computer screenor hunched over yourtypewritersearching for words,don’t do it.if you’re doing it for money orfame,don’t do it.if you’re doing it because you wantwomen in your bed,don’t do it.if you have to sit there andrewrite it again and again,don’t do it.if it’s hard work just thinking about doing it,don’t do it.if you’re trying to write like somebodyelse,forget about it.if you have to wait for it to roar out ofyou,then wait patiently.if it never does roar out of you,do something else.if you first have to read it to your wifeor your girlfriend or your boyfriendor your parents or to anybody at all,you’re not ready.don’t be like so many writers,don’t be like so many thousands ofpeople who call themselves writers,don’t be dull and boring andpretentious, don’t be consumed with self-love.the libraries of the world haveyawned themselves tosleepover your kind.don’t add to that.don’t do it.unless it comes out ofyour soul like a rocket,unless being still woulddrive you to madness orsuicide or murder,don’t do it.unless the sun inside you isburning your gut,don’t do it.when it is truly time,and if you have been chosen,it will do it byitself and it will keep on doing ituntil you die or it dies in you.there is no other way.and there never was.”
“Writing is something that you don't know how to do. You sit down and it's something that happens, or it may not happen. So, how can you teach anybody how to write? It's beyond me, because you yourself don't even know if you're going to be able to. I'm always worried, well, you know, every time I go upstairs with my wine bottle. Sometimes I'll sit at that typewriter for fifteen minutes, you know. I don't go up there to write. The typewriter's up there. If it doesn't start moving, I say, well this could be the night that I hit the dust.”