There’s nothing to mourn about death any more than there is to mourn about the growing of a flower. What is terrible is not death but the lives people live or don’t live up until their death. They don’t honor their own lives, they piss on their lives. They shit them away. Dumb fuckers. They concentrate too much on fucking, movies, money, family, fucking. Their minds are full of cotton. They swallow God without thinking, they swallow country without thinking. Soon they forget how to think, they let others think for them. Their brains are stuffed with cotton. They look ugly, they talk ugly, they walk ugly. Play them the great music of the centuries and they can’t hear it. Most people’s deaths are a sham. There’s nothing left to die.
-The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors have taken over the Ship by Charles Bukowski
This discussion currently has 4 responses.
April 26, 2009
Fantastic.
April 26, 2009
I apologize for missing these past two weeks with quotes. It’s been busy, busy, busy. Have you read any or much Bukowski?
Also, I only have a few more stories and I’ll be finished with your book. It’s fucking fantastic though, Christian. I’ve loved reading along with your blog too, really enriches the stories. I also apologize for taking so long to get through it – I can’t wait to write up my review – but as you can imagine with this teaching, things have been pretty hectic.
April 27, 2009
No problem, Jonathan. This time of year is hell when it comes to teaching, so I understand. I’m glad you are enjoying it. That’s certainly good news. I’m looking forward to the review when it’s done.
April 29, 2009
i’ve watched Factotum and i really liked it. i’ve also heard of this author but have never written anything by him. this is a good quote though, i really like it. i may swing by the library and see if i can pick something of his up today.