Charles Bukowski Quotes

Ironically no one ever wants to hear what I have to say about anything. They usually argue with me to the point I want to put them through a wall. Hopefully you won’t be so dense. (Acheron)

When one is not understood one should as a rule lower one's voice, because when one really speaks loudly enough and is not heard, it is because people do not want to hear. One had better begin to mutter to oneself, then they get curious.

If someone tells me that I've hurt their feelings I'm still waiting to hear what your point is.

Rose, do you think I'd do anything that would hurt you.- Dimitri to Rose

As we ride the elevator Gale finally says “You're still angry.” “And you're still not sorry,” I reply. "I will stand by what I said. Do you want me to lie about it?” he asks. “No, I want you to rethink it and come up with the right opinion,” I tell him.

I don't want to be mean. I try not to be.

The only way on Earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.

Don't start. My mood stays better if you don't start.

I think more than anything, people just want to be understood.

With a polite smile, I decided she was insane.

Sorry for hurting you, she said right in my ear, but it wasn't really an apology, because you don't bite someone's earlobe to tell them you're sorry.

Be respectful. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Respect the lowest rank and the highest rank and you'll never get in trouble.

The truth is people are very nice. The other truth is, it's very annoying to be constantly interrupted. I don't love myself enough to want to share myself with everybody.

If a relationship is going to work, it will require compromise and, even then, it is not always going to end the way you want it to.

A good listener truly wants to know the speaker.

Never assume people's motives. It's the easiest way to find yourself upset over nothing or misjudging people

It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps I could say that most of my writing has been concerned with understanding between people. Whether of different races, or religions, or even in the same family I tried in my books... to deal with the subject of understanding the other fellow.

The most amiable people are those who least wound the self-love of others.

I've learned that hurting you feels infinitely worse than being hurt myself.

Real love amounts to withholding the truth, even when you're offered the perfect opportunity to hurt someone's feelings.

Okay, I don’t like it when you walk away from me, but other than that...(Arik) Yeah, I guess that makes sense. You transcend a dimension to come here and I brush you off. I can see where that might get annoying. (Geary)

Women are more attuned to feelings than men are, and if they’re not being truthful, more often than not it’s because they think truth might hurt your feelings. But it doesn’t mean they don’t love you.

I gave up trying to understand people long ago. Now I let them try to understand me!

If you want the cooperation of humans around you, you must make them feel they are important - and you do that by being genuine and humble.

It is far easier to write an angry letter than to go and say angry things to another person - because as soon as we look in one another's faces we can see the other point of view.