30 famous Charles Bukowski quotes about love to make you think

30 famous Charles Bukowski quotes about love to make you think

Charles Bukowski was a prolific author of books and poems that covered topics of relationships, life, the act of writing, and more. While some Charles Bukowski quotes about love make you feel magical, some force you to think. He makes you realize that love is much more than a passionate feeling that most people have been made to believe.

Charles Bukowski quotes
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The German-American writer was born on August 16, 1920. He did not have an easy time growing up as he had an abusive father. He addressed the way of living of poor Americans, relationships, alcohol, and women in his writings.

The poet, novelist and short story writer published his first novel in 1971. It was titled Post Office. Some of the other Charles Bukowski books include Women, Ham on Rye, and Notes of a Dirty Old Man among others.

His writings were bluntly honest. He was not afraid to tell the truth even if it meant putting a spotlight on people's shortcomings. He published over 60 books, which included hundreds of short stories and thousands of poems.

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Until his demise in 1994, his books were the subject of many academic critics. Despite having not received much attention during his lifetime, his writings on relationships were highly appreciated. Charles Bukowski poems and quotes have continued to influence how people view and understand affection.

Charles Bukowski quotes about love

Charles wrote about the love for oneself and others. Most of the Charles Bukowski love quotes are derived from his books: On Love, Women and Love is a Dog from Hell. Here are the most famous ones:

  • If you have the ability to love, love yourself first

You can only learn how to adore and care for someone when you do it for yourself. It begins with self-care and understanding your definition of love. Loving yourself will give you so much fulfillment.

  • We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death will tremble at us

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The purpose of life is to love and be happy. Try to find laughter and joy every single day when you still have breath.

  • Look, let me put it this way; with me, you’re number one, and there isn’t even a number two

If someone tells you this Charles Bukowski love quote, you will definitely feel special. It simply means that you are the only one they adore, and they are lucky to have you in their life.

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  • I will remember the kisses our lips raw with love and how you gave me everything you had and how I offered you what was left of me

The feeling of affection is genuinely felt when both parties are willing to give everything they have. Partners should be able to trust each other and open up fully.

  • Beauty is nothing; beauty won’t stay. You don’t know how lucky you are to be ugly, because if people like you, you know it’s for something else

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While the outward beauty is desirable, it is not enough. One should work on making their personalities attractive.

  • I was glad I wasn’t in love, that I wasn’t happy with the world. I like being at odds with everything. People in love often become edgy, dangerous. They lose their sense of perspective. They lose their sense of humor. They become a nervous psychotic bore. They even become killers

While caring deeply for someone can make you become a better person, it should not make you forget who you are. You should still be able to find your purpose and do the things you enjoy the most.

  • I’m going, she said. I love you, but you’re crazy, you are doomed

Sometimes staying with the person you cherish can be toxic. You should not feel obliged to stay in a dysfunctional relationship just for the feeling.

  • Nobody can save you but yourself and you're worth saving. It's a war not easily won but if anything is worth winning then this it

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At the end of the day, you are the one that matters. It is up to you to care and make life better for yourself

  • If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull book in the library of life

If you are passionate about something, you should pursue it with everything you have. Be willing to do whatever it takes, as it is worth every effort.

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  • I would have loved you more if I had sat in a small room rolling a cigarette and listened to you p*ss in the bathroom, but that didn’t happen

Simply as Charles Bukowski writes it, you appreciate someone more when they are in their natural element. They are attractive for just being themselves.

  • But what can I make of love when we are all born at a different time and place and only meet through a trick of centuries and a chance three steps to the left? You

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This quote appreciates the fact that someone is capable of defining affection for you. Having them in your life will make you understand what love is and how it is expressed

  • Love is kind of like when you see a fog in the morning when you wake up before the sun comes out. It’s just a little while, and then it burns away… Love is a fog that burns with the first daylight of beauty.

Charles did a great job of explaining what the feeling of affection is. He likened it to a fog that goes away after some time and comes back every morning.

  • When love becomes a command, hatred can become a pleasure

Loving someone is a choice. If both parties in a relationship do not make it a conscious decision, it often does not work.

  • She’s mad, but she’s magic. There is no lie in her fire

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In this quote, Charles referenced a woman who does not fear fully expressing herself. The crazy parts about someone are the most interesting as they make them unique and unforgettable. Let out your inner fiery soul and let people see it.

  • I loved you like a man loves a woman he never touches, only writes to, keeps little photographs of

Some moments are worth remembering. Make them memorable!

  • Oh, I don’t mean you’re handsome, not the way people think of handsome. Your face seems kind. But your eyes- they’re beautiful. They’re wild, crazy, like some animal peering out of a forest on fire

When someone says that they like you, most often, they do not mean your outward appearance. They mean they adore who you are as a person, crazy and wild. They appreciate that you are able to express yourself in front of them without feeling judged.

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  • Love is all right for those who can handle the psychic overload. It is like trying to carry a full garbage can on you back over a rushing river of p*ss

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Love is more than a fairytale. It requires you to sacrifice and persevere through the tough days. If you care for someone, you need to do so even on days that they are not so loveable.

  • I never met another man I’d rather be. And even if that’s a delusion, it is a lucky one

Everyone is unique in their own way. This quote by Bukowski should remind you to appreciate yourself because there is only one you!

  • God, love is more strange than numerals, more strange than grass on fire, more strange than the dead body of a child drowned in the bottom of a tub, we know so little, we know so much we don’t know enough

No matter how much you try, you cannot fully understand what love is. It is a feeling that is simple yet complicated.

  • People with no morals often considered themselves more free, but mostly they lacked the ability to feel or to love

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This is one of Charles Bukowski quotes that is brutally honest. Sometimes experiencing affection gives you a sense of morality. Be open to finding it.

  • Of course it’s possible to love a human being if you don’t know them too well
  • Find what you love and let it kill you

This simple Bukowski quote is a reminder to sacrifice for what you care about.

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  • I want to be with you, it is as simple and as complicated as it is

This quote speaks a lot. Tell it to someone you adore, and they will definitely feel appreciated.

  • Love breaks my bones, and I laugh

Some Charles Bukowski frases about the feeling of affection are short and true. This one quickly makes you break into a smile

  • It’s so nice to wake up in the morning all alone and not have to tell somebody you love them when you don’t love them anymore.

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  • It’s like an old movie - 35 years old - that nobody ever saw or understood but me and even though the critics would dub it ordinary, I like it very much.

Every person perceives life and love in a different and unique way. While you may not understand how the other person views it, you should be able to let them be.

  • You begin saving the world by saving one person at a time; all else is grandiose, romanticism or politics

It is impossible for you to say that you want to save the world when you cannot even care for that one person around you. By showing affection and treating the person close to you well, you will have made a step in making the world a better place.

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  • We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other, but it doesn’t. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing

The fact that we are mortal beings should make us want to live to the fullest and experience the beauty of love. This Bukowski quote is a reminder to find out what makes us happy and pursue it by all means.

  • The most intense thing about beauty is finding it gone

This quote reminds us that you cannot appreciate the beauty of loving and caring for someone until they are out of your life. Learn to appreciate them while they are still around for you to enjoy the beautiful feeling.

  • She wants me to write a love poem, but I think if people can’t love each other’s a**soles and farts and sh*ts and terrible parts just like they love the good parts, that ain't complete love.

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To say you cherish someone means that you accept their flaws and not so perfect actions. Beyond the perfect smile and romantic gestures, you should be able to recognize the silly things they do and still show affection to them.

Charles Bukowski quotes are truly inspiring. They give you a different perspective on love and life in general. Which ones are your favourite?

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Authors:
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Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com