Character Quote by Charles Bukowski
““Strangers when you meet, strangers when you part -a gymnasium of bodies namelessly masturbating each other. People with no morals often considered themselves more free, but mostly they lacked the ability to feel or to love. So they became swingers. The dead fucking the dead. There was no gamble or humor in their game -it was corpse fucking corpse. Morals were restrictive, but they were grounded on human experience down through the centuries. Some morals tended to keep people slaves in factories, in churches and true to the State. Other morals simply made good sense. It was like a garden filled with poisoned fruit and good fruit. You had to know which to pick and eat, which to leave alone.””
About This Quote
A bleak view of humanity where moral codes are both oppressive and protective, suggesting that without genuine feeling, people become detached, mechanistic participants in a nihilistic existence.
In simple terms: Moral ambiguity and existential emptiness.
Key Takeaway
Morals can be both shackles and safeguards.
Themes
existentialism
morality
nihilism
human alienation
freedom
Mood
cynical
somber
reflective
Type
philosophical
cautionary
dark
When to use this quote
- post‑industrial work environments
- radical subcultures
- philosophical debates on freedom
- artistic explorations of decadence
Key Concepts
ethical relativism
psychological detachment
societal control
Practical Applications
- critical essays on moral philosophy
- character development in dystopian fiction
Questions to Reflect On
- Do morals protect us or imprison us?
- Can a society thrive without empathy?
