Three of Charles Bukowski Quotes that will blow your mind. Find out what one of history’s greatest poets has to teach you.

Good literature, in my opinion, is a form of psychoanalysis where the writer serves as both the therapist and the patient. Additionally, books such as novels, essays, and short tales are just reflection exercises in which the author rediscovers himself in fictitious circumstances. The writer, however, undergoes a transformation when he produces poetry; he ceases to be a psychologist who investigates himself and instead transforms into a shaman, a visionary who is able to comprehend both himself and the world and predict the future in his poems. It appears as though the poet makes a direct connection to the wisdom of humanity’s past, present, and future when he creates poetry. As a result, I want to share three quotes from one of my favourite cursed poets, Charles Bukowski, with you today that will alter the way you perceive the world. Let’s get started.

1. On routine

“It is not the big things that send a person to the madhouse. No. A continuous succession of small tragedies sends a person to the madhouse.”— Charles Bukowski.

Routine is my favourite thing since it is the only way to create something worthwhile. You never live the same day twice, the Zen masters say, so routine need not be boring. However, Bukowski is also correct in saying that if you are unable to recognise the small miracles that life bestows upon you, such as a child’s grin, a beautiful stranger’s “Hi,” or the good fortune of finding parking in front of your place of employment during rush hour, your life will inevitably turn into a living hell. You can become irrationally angry by becoming fixated on the day’s minor tragedies.

• When your date is late, your mind accuses you of being duped.
• When you finally stop eating salad and forgo your diet, you get that heartburn.
• You have to pay twice as much for your weekend getaway since you were caught by a speed camera and given a ticket.

At the worst possible time, the accumulation of tiny woes causes you to lose it over petty things. Because they have to wait five minutes too long for their Chai-latte, individuals become irrational in the Starbucks line when these small things accumulate. Lesson: Be thankful, appreciate the beauty around you, and never take anything for granted. If you are healthy now, you already have more than most people. You can prevent going mad if you realise this.

2. On Real Life

“There are people so tired, machine-gunned, and mutilated by love or non-love that buying a can of tuna on sale in a supermarket is their finest hour, their most significant victory.” — Charles Bukowski.

Bukowski mentions the adage “be kind; you never know what battles someone is facing” in this passage. Despite dying in 1994, it is still accurate. He never sees the social media reality, with all the happy selfies and other nonsense, but he foresees the biggest issue of the day: loneliness. No one can be trusted these days. Because people are alternatives, partnerships resemble temporary employment until you discover your dream position. No one is happy with anyone; everyone strives for more, including a more desirable mate, a partner with more resources, a partner who has more time to devote to the relationship, a partner in a better social position, and all that jazz.

Nobody gets too involved because of this. And when something breaks, instead of fixing it, we act like people in the consumer society: we toss the relationship away as if it were a broken appliance that would be more expensive to buy than to fix, and we visit the store (Tinder or wherever) to hunt for a new one. But we only have one heart, and it has been broken and rebuilt so frequently that we can no longer trust anyone. That’s why, in the words of Bukowski, we search for that can of tuna in the grocery store, which we define as “that which we can control and won’t go wrong.” And it is depressing. Lesson: It takes time and work to realise the benefits of compromise. Try it out: Compromise brings about loyalty, and loyalty is what makes a love partner into a member of your family.

3. On Death

“After many years, things start to repeat over and over again. You start to see the same substance, the same action-reaction. You begin to get tired of life. So when death comes, I will say, “Ok, babe, It’s time. It’s good.” — Charles Bukowski.

Charles Bukowski, like all people, was a contradictory person since in addition to the fatalistic adage, he also stated, “You can’t win death, but you can win death in life.” While battling the leukaemia that ultimately claimed his life, he tried to run. He therefore didn’t want to facilitate death. Because of this, he wasn’t as sick of “always the same” as he claimed. And it’s because of this that I realise most people don’t really care about dying. The people who fear it the most are ultimately the most emboldened. Bukowski, in my opinion, didn’t want to pass away; he preferred to continue alive, even if it meant portraying the cursed poet.

Because ultimately, we all have a change of heart. When we do, everything changes for the better. Additionally, the actions-reactions Bukowski is referring to are distinct. Lesson: Live a life that changes your perspective on mortality, one that makes you remark, “I don’t want to die, not now because I’m having so much fun.

Hello Everyone, finally published my new book “Focus”. In this book, I took a poetic licence in considering the spiritual aspect of focus, which has rarely been done. Other books focus on the practical aspect and tell you to do this and that, but in my book, I discuss how we can find focus within ourselves without relying on an action-oriented approach. Any purchases or KDP reads will be greatly appreciated. If you like my books, do leave a review. Here’s my author page on Amazon – https://amzn.eu/d/aKbYysx