---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But they were all tricks.They were very…"
description: "\"“But they were all tricks.They were very dull. There were pages and pages of words that didn't say anything.Or if they did say something they took too ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/charles-bukowski-73_time_but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very_1756300.jpg"
---

#  But they were all tricks.They were very dull. There were…

![“But they were all tricks.They were very dull. There were pages and pages of words that didn't say anything.Or if they did say something they took too long to say it and by the time they said it you already were too tired to have it matter at all. you al re ady we re” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/charles-bukowski-73_time_but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very_1756300.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/charles-bukowski-73_time_but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very_1756300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/charles-bukowski-73_time_but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very_1756300.jpg)

> ““But they were all tricks.They were very dull. There were pages and pages of words that didn't say anything.Or if they did say something they took too long to say it and by the time they said it you already were too tired to have it matter at all. you al re ady we re””

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Excessive, meaningless text can exhaust readers, making the message lost before it’s heard.

**In simple terms:** Too many words can drown meaning.

Key Takeaway

Be concise.

Themes

communication literature overload

Mood

critical analytical

Type

literary critique writing advice

When to use this quote

- academic papers
- marketing copy
- novels

Key Concepts

information density reader fatigue

Questions to Reflect On

- How to balance depth and brevity?
- When is detail necessary?

A Different Perspective

Risk of oversimplification.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“I walked around the library looking for books. I pulled them off the shelves, one by one. But they were all tricks. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-walked-around-the-library-looking-for-books-i-pulled-them-off-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Rosa Parks was an unlikely person, but she became an instrument of the people's will in that community who were tired. They said she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/rosa-parks-was-an-unlikely-person-but-she-became-an-instrument-of-the/)

[Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/)

> [“The mind can create multiple possible scenarios from one thought and the majority of them won’t be true,’ she’d said. I’m too tired to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-jensen/the-mind-can-create-multiple-possible-scenarios-from-one-thought-and/)

Louise Jensen

> [“I'm tired of being cautious, I think,” she said, almost to herself. “I'm tired of hiding, and I am tired of tucking myself away.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-hunter/i-m-tired-of-being-cautious-i-think-she-said-almost-to-herself-i-m/)

Hazel Hunter

> [“You’re ready to get me out of the house, aren’t you?” I said. “You’re tired of looking at me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pratt/you-re-ready-to-get-me-out-of-the-house-aren-t-you-i-said-you-re/)

[Scott Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pratt/)

> [Would you believe me if I said I tired of this. Making me feel that I did not exist Dealing my days with hurting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/would-you-believe-me-if-i-said-i-tired-of-this-making-me-feel-that-i/)

Louaiq8

> [“The whole affair was the precise opposite of what I figured it would be: slow and patient and quiet and neither particularly painful nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-whole-affair-was-the-precise-opposite-of-what-i-figured-it-would/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“My eye is still used to searching for her in a crowd. My breath is still used to catching when I see her and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/my-eye-is-still-used-to-searching-for-her-in-a-crowd-my-breath-is/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [Man said, "I am tired of kings! Sons of the robber-chiefs of yore, They make me pay for their lust and their war; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/man-said-i-am-tired-of-kings-sons-of-the-robber-chiefs-of-yore-they/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [“—Shush sweet baby, I said, so tired, and mixed her gripe water with whiskey and dill weed, but it did no good, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-manning/shush-sweet-baby-i-said-so-tired-and-mixed-her-gripe-water-with/)

Kate Manning

> [All you did was sit there, he said. Why are you so tired? I sat very diligently, she said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/all-you-did-was-sit-there-he-said-why-are-you-so-tired-i-sat-very/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“Grey!” he said, his tired face brightening. “Wherever did you spring from?” “Zeus’s forehead, no doubt,” Grey said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/grey-he-said-his-tired-face-brightening-wherever-did-you-spring-from/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> ["And tired" always followed sick. Worst beating I ever got in my life, my mother said, "I am just sick..." And I said, "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/and-tired-always-followed-sick-worst-beating-i-ever-got-in-my-life-my/)

[Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/)

> [“I think it may truly said that if you are tired of San Francisco, you are tired of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-mccabe/i-think-it-may-truly-said-that-if-you-are-tired-of-san-francisco-you/)

Charles McCabe

> [“She said it again, "I'm tired." She wanted me to tell her it was all right, to get her spirit and go on, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/she-said-it-again-i-m-tired-she-wanted-me-to-tell-her-it-was-all/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

## More by Charles Bukowski

> [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [well, death says, as he walks by, I'm going to get you anyhow no matter what you've been: writer, cab-driver, pimp, butcher, sky-diver, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/well-death-says-as-he-walks-by-i-m-going-to-get-you-anyhow-no-matter/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. A writer who has to go into the streets is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-only-one-place-to-write-and-that-is-alone-at-a-typewriter-a/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“nerves twitching in the sheets -- to face the sunlight again, that's clearly trouble. I like the city better when the neon lights are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/nerves-twitching-in-the-sheets-to-face-the-sunlight-again-that-s/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“Their Love Is Average, Seeks Average But There Is Genius In Their Hatred”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/their-love-is-average-seeks-average-but-there-is-genius-in-their/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I climbed the stairway (there was no elevator) and put the key in. The door swung open. Somebody had changed all the furniture around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-climbed-the-stairway-there-was-no-elevator-and-put-the-key-in-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/strangers-when-you-meet-strangers-when-you-part-a-gymnasium-of-bodies/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I like to change liquor stores frequently because the clerks got to know your habits if you went in night and day and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-like-to-change-liquor-stores-frequently-because-the-clerks-got-to/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I was like a turd that drew flies instead of like a flower that butterflies and bees desired. I wanted to live alone,I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-like-a-turd-that-drew-flies-instead-of-like-a-flower-that/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [It's 4:30 in the morning, it's always 4:30 in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/it-s-4-30-in-the-morning-it-s-always-4-30-in-the-morning/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I had no feeling for the things so many others needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-no-feeling-for-the-things-so-many-others-needed/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I am sick with caring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-sick-with-caring/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I went home each night dizzy and sick. He was murdering me with the sound of his voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-went-home-each-night-dizzy-and-sick-he-was-murdering-me-with-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“the nights you fight best are when all the weapons are pointed at you, when all the voices hurl their insults while the dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-nights-you-fight-best-are-when-all-the-weapons-are-pointed-at-you/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

[Explore all 1,492 Charles Bukowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## More Dull quotes

> [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/)

[Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/)

> [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/)

[Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/)

> [Whether one is twenty, forty, or sixty; whether one has succeeded, failed or just muddled along; whether yesterday was full of sun or storm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-mitchell-hodges/whether-one-is-twenty-forty-or-sixty-whether-one-has-succeeded-failed/)

Leigh Mitchell Hodges

> [I am simply looking for a companion with whom to spend my days, a companion who will cherish as much as I the stupidity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-julavits/i-am-simply-looking-for-a-companion-with-whom-to-spend-my-days-a/)

[Heidi Julavits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-julavits/)

> [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Soothing words can become just another drug we swallow to dull our pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/soothing-words-can-become-just-another-drug-we-swallow-to-dull-our/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [Perhaps it is this theory of all work and no play that has made the Marxist such a very dull boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/perhaps-it-is-this-theory-of-all-work-and-no-play-that-has-made-the/)

[Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/)

> ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [The most fascinating powers don't mean a thing if the guy's poorly motivated or dull, and the most generic powers won't hurt a well-motivated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-most-fascinating-powers-don-t-mean-a-thing-if-the-guy-s-poorly/)

[Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/)

> [Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [A good movie can take you out of your dull funk and the hopelessness that so often goes with slipping into a theatre; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/a-good-movie-can-take-you-out-of-your-dull-funk-and-the-hopelessness/)

[Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/)

> [A thrumming of piano-strings beyond the gardens and through the elms. At length the melody steals into my being. I know not when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-thrumming-of-piano-strings-beyond-the-gardens-and-through-the-elms/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

Browse all 1,407 Dull quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But they were all tricks.They were very dull. There were pages and pages of words that didn't say anything.Or if they did say something they took too long to say it and by the time they said it you already were too tired to have it matter at all. you al re ady we re”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Bukowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very-dull-there-were-pages-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dull"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very-dull-there-were-pages-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/charles-bukowski-73_time_but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very_1756300.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/charles-bukowski-73_time_but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very_1756300.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/charles-bukowski-73_time_but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very_1756300.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But they were all tricks.They were very dull. There were pages and pages of words that didn't say…” — Charles Bukowski",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Bukowski",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But they were all tricks.They were...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very-dull-there-were-pages-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very-dull-there-were-pages-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
