Burden Quote by Charles Bukowski
““Thirty- eight years old and he was finished. He sipped at the coffee and remembered where he had gone wrong -- or right. He'd simply gotten tired -- of the insurance game, of the small offices and high glass partitions, the clients; he'd simply gotten tired of cheating on his wife, of squeezing secretaries in the elevator and in the halls; he'd gotten tired of Christmas parties and New Year's parties and birthdays, and payments on new cars and furniture payments -- light, gas, water -- the whole bleeding complex of necessities. He'd gotten tired and quit, that's all. The divorce came soon enough and the drinking came soon enough, and suddenly he was out of it. He had nothing, and he found out that having nothing was difficult too. It was another type of burden. If only there were some gentler road in between. It seemed a man only had two choices -- get in on the hustle or be a bum.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: “Post Office” (1971) or similar autobiographical prose
Exhaustion from relentless work, moral compromise, and material pressures leads to a crisis, revealing that both abundance and emptiness carry burdens, and escape feels limited to two stark choices.
In simple terms: Life’s pressures create a painful dead‑end.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when work and excess become toxic.
Themes
exhaustion
materialism
moral compromise
life choices
Mood
cynical
melancholic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- high‑stress jobs
- midlife crises
- financial strain
Key Concepts
existentialism
critique of capitalism
personal decay
Questions to Reflect On
- What would a gentler middle path look like?
- How can we find meaning beyond hustle or idleness?
A Different Perspective
Suggests only two extreme paths, ignoring nuanced alternatives.
