1,615 Quotes by Charles Bukowski

Women were meant to suffer; no wonder they asked for constant declarations of love

Her eyes always had a frantic, lost look. He could never cure her eyes of that.

The thought of being something didn't only appall me, it sickened me. The thought of being a lawyer or a councilman or an engineer, anything like that, seemed impossible to me. To get married, to have children, to get trapped in the family structure. To go someplace to work every day and to return. It was impossible. To do things, simple things, to be part of family picnics, Christmas, the 4th of July, Labor Day, Mother's Day. . . was a man born just to endure those things and then die?

the pleasures of the damnedare limited to brief momentsof 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 hairof maidens and monsters;and hawks buzzing in peach trees,the sea running between their claws,Timedrunk and damp,everything burning,everything wet,everything fine.

People are not good to each other. Perhaps if they were our deaths would not be so sad.

if you don't have much soul left and you know it, you still got soul.

A maioria das pessoas não está pronta para a morte, a sua ou a dos outros. Ela as choca, as apavora. É como uma grande surpresa. Diabos, não deveria ser nunca. Levo a morte em meu bolso esquerdo. Ás vezes, tiro-a do bolso e falo com ela: 'Oi, gata, como vai? Quando virá me buscar? Vou estar pronto'.

There wasn't even resignation on my part, only disgust, a disgust that this had happened to me, and a disgust with the doctors who couldn't do anything about it. They were helpless and I was helpless, the only difference being that I was the victim.

peace of mind and heartarriveswhen we accept what is:having beenborn into thisstrange lifewe must acceptthe wasted gamble of ourdaysand take some satisfaction inthe pleasure ofleaving it allbehind.