Charles Bukowski Quotes

Maybe I am just a jerk.

I'm a very open person, very self-deprecating. I accept my flaws.

If you're telling a story, and somebody is going to come out badly, it better be you.

I was not used to criticism.

Most of the worst things said about me, I've said myself.

When something's wrong, even though you're the one doing it, you shouldn't feel defensive about it. It's hard because you have to protect yourself as a person in your life, but you can't protect yourself as an actor. You have to just take criticism.

I have a hard time with any sort of criticism; not because I have some huge ego or anything like that.

I'm not very pious about anything, fortunately, but I'm skewering myself first. I'm skewering things that I care about and things that are important to me and then just my own foibles.

Nobody can make more fun of me than I already make of myself.

I think it's good to be a little more fearless in saying what you feel. In not being scared of the repercussions of that.

I think the currency of leadership is transparency. You've got to be truthful. I don't think you should be vulnerable every day, but there are moments where you've got to share your soul and conscience with people and show them who you are, and not be afraid of it.

People tend to scare you pointing out your shortfalls. If you voluntarily admit your faults, then people won't have anything to point out.

I'm very observant and very instinctive. In life, you have to have the vulnerability to accept when you are to blame. And I do have that, and I am open enough to say it.

At least I have the modesty to admit that lack of modesty is one of my failings.

I think comedy stems from being honest, often painfully so. I hope I can achieve that perspective in my own life and also have fun.

I worry that I can come off smarmy. I wonder if I was listening to myself if I'd want to kick my own ass.

I think I have great responsibility, and when I do my music, when I try to relate to my audience, I just try to do it in an honest fashion, you know, just try to be as earnest as possible and sometime it may be self-effacing. Sometimes it may be finger-pointing. Sometimes it may be beautiful, and sometime it may be ugly.

Editing yourself is like an irksome coin toss. You've got to strip yourself of super ego and operate from the id. Maybe I've got my Freud mixed up. It's just hard to trade a beauty shot for the performance with truth and a brightly lit zit.

Real men know how to listen, and real men know how to be honest.

I have never said anything critical about Ozzy that he didn't say about himself many times.

I'm very free with all my emotions, whether it's happy, sad, mad, glad, whatever.

I am, by nature, an honest person. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. There is no 'behind closed doors' with me.

I think I'm a pretty open book. We're all a work in progress, and I'm not ashamed to say that I don't have it all together - I don't really think anyone does.

You know, I always think of myself as sort of ready for every criticism.

I'm no saint. I'm no angel. I never proclaimed to be.