Quotes from Charles Bukowski

The life of the sane, average man was dull, worse than death. There seemed to be no possible alternative. Education also seemed to be a trap. The little education I had allowed myself had made me more suspicious. What were doctors, lawyers, scientists? They were just men who allowed themselves to be deprived of their freedom to think and act as individuals. I went back to my shack and drank ...

Most so-called brave people lack imagination. As though they can't conceive of what would happen if something went wrong. The truly brave overcome their imagination and do what they have to do.

There are still things to be handle; there will always be things to be handled. Nobody ever gets caught up and finished on what there is to do. And even if you do, for a moment, feel a central peace, there is always somebody walking behind you with a switchblade.

Truth changes as men change, and when truth becomes stable men will become dead, and the insect and the fire and the flood will become truth.

Beautiful lies. That's what they needed. People were fools. It was going to be easy for me.

I had decided against religion a couple of years back. If it were true, it made fools out of people, or it drew fools. And if it weren't true, the fools were all the more foolish. What I need is a good doctor, I thought. You either lived or died.

I'd rather stick my head up an elephant's cunt

I always had this certain contentment- I wouldn't call it happiness- it was more of an inner balance that settled for whatever was occurring

Manny, what are you doing working in auto parts?" "Resting. My ambition is handicapped by laziness.

DEATH COMES SLOWLY LIKE ANTS TO A FALLEN FIG

We live in an age when we are no longer surprised that people let us down the only surprise is that we are so constantly willing to allow ourselves to be deceived.

The first thing I remember my grandmother saying was, "I will bury all of you!

You can feel your life being pounded to a pulp by the useless waste of time.

There is nothing that teaches you more than regrouping after failure and moving on. Yet most people are stricken with fear. They fear failure so much that they fail.

We know God is dead, they've told us, but listening to you I wasn't sure.

I can taste her in the air, I can feel her at my fingertips, I can see sidewalks built for her feet to walk upon, I can see pillows for her head, I can feel my waiting laughter, I can see her petting a cat, I can see her sleeping, I can see her slippers on the floor. I know that she exists but where is she upon this earth.

The worst coffee I had ever tasted, but it was hot. I drank three cups and sat there an hour, until I was completely dry.

that boy was ready for his life to come, he would undoubtedly be highly successful, the lying little prick.

beware women grown old who were never anything but young

What's the easiest fucking thing to take?" I asked him. "Journalism. Those journalism majors don't do anything." "O.K., I'll be a journalist.

Your life is your life dont let it be clubed into dank submission

I don't know how he does it but every woman he meets is crazy. he will get rid of one crazy woman but he never gets any relief— another crazy moves right in with him. it's only after they move in and begin acting more than strange that they admit to him that they've done madhouse time or that their families have a long history of mental illness.

We are hardly ever as that which we create

the pleasures of the damned are limited to brief moments of happiness: like eyes in the look of a dog, like a square of wax, like a fire taking city hall, the county, the continent, like fire taking the hair of maidens and monsters; and hawks buzzing in peach trees, the sea running between their claws, Time drunk and damp, everything burning, everything wet, everything fine.