Charles Bukowski
1920–1994
6 genuine quotes, each found in the text, and 2 wrongly credited to Bukowski.
German-born American poet and novelist of Los Angeles low life: drink, dead-end jobs, the racetrack, women and writing. His novels are narrated by Henry Chinaski, a thinly disguised alter ego, and his poems by an ‘I’ close to him, so many lines are a persona’s; the internet also credits him with a great many lines he never wrote.
EndpaperAn AI‑generated pattern made for this page, in the manner of underground comix (1968–1982).
Genuine Bukowski quotes
- People empty me. I have to get away to refill.
The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship (1998), Journal entry of 21 September 1991.
- A writer owes nothing except to his writing.
The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship (1998), Journal entry of 28 August 1991, 11:28 PM, final paragraph.
- All a guy needed was a chance. Somebody was always controlling who got a chance and who didn’t.
Ham on Rye (1982), Chapter 15, p. 62 in the HarperCollins e-book, said by Henry Chinaski.
- It began as a mistake.
Post Office (1971), Opening sentence; ‘Chapter One’ in the licensed publisher excerpt, said by Henry Chinaski.
- The subs themselves made Jonstone possible by obeying his impossible orders.
Post Office (1971), ‘Chapter Three’ in the licensed publisher excerpt, opening sentence, said by Henry Chinaski.
- There is a loneliness in this world so great that you can see it in the slow movement of the hands of a clock.
Love Is a Dog from Hell (1977), ‘the crunch’ (the poem begins on p. 162), said by the poem’s lyric speaker.
Quotes wrongly credited to Bukowski
- Find what you love and let it kill you.
Misattributed. Kinky Friedman wrote it, not Bukowski.
- The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.
Not found. The broad sentence has not been traced to a Bukowski source. A related 1989 interview remark concerns writers, while Russell expressed a similar thought in 1933; how the internet wording arose remains uncertain.
The works we hold
Quotes are looked up word for word in these texts. The number is how many genuine quotes here come from each.
| Work | Year | Genuine quotes |
|---|---|---|
| Post Office | 1971 | 2 |
| Love Is a Dog from Hell Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems 1974–1977 | 1977 | 1 |
| Ham on Rye | 1982 | 1 |
| The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship | 1998 | 2 |