Charles Bukowski

"Are people crazy? People waited all their lives. They waited to live, they waited to die. They waited in line to buy toilet paper. They waited in line for money. And if they didn't have any money they waited in longer lines. You waited to go to sleep and then you waited to awaken. You waited to get married and you waited to get divorced. You waited for it to rain, you waited for it to stop. You waited to eat and then you waited to eat again. You waited in a shrink's office with a bunch of psychos and you wondered if you were one."

64 likes

Source: The Meaning of Life: The Big Picture. Life Magazine, December 1988.

About the author

Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski

Poet, Novelist

Charles Bukowski was an American poet and novelist known for his raw, unfiltered portrayal of life, particularly in works like 'Ham on Rye' and 'Post Office.'

All quotes by Charles Bukowski →

Same author

More quotes by Charles Bukowski

See all →
Charles Bukowski Poet, Novelist

"People are strange: They are constantly angered by trivial things, but on a major matter like totally wasting their lives, they hardly seem to notice."

Read quote
Charles Bukowski Poet, Novelist

"The problem was you had to keep choosing between one evil or another, and no matter what you chose, they sliced a little more off you, until there was nothing left. At the age of 25 most people were finished. A whole goddamned nation of assholes driving automobiles, eating, having babies, doing everything in the worst way possible, like voting for the presidential candidate who reminded them most of themselves."

Read quote