---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had noticed that both in the very poor…"
description: "\"I had noticed that both in the very poor and very rich extremes of society the mad were often allowed to mingle freely.\" — Charles Bukowski"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/charles-bukowski-73_extremes_i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor_2880664.jpg"
---

#  I had noticed that both in the very poor and very rich…

![“I had noticed that both in the very poor and very rich extremes of society the mad were often allowed to mingle freely.” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/charles-bukowski-73_extremes_i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor_2880664.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/charles-bukowski-73_extremes_i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor_2880664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/charles-bukowski-73_extremes_i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor_2880664.jpg)

> “I had noticed that both in the very poor and very rich extremes of society the mad were often allowed to mingle freely.”

[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.

The quote observes that both extreme poverty and extreme wealth allow the mentally unstable to mix freely, highlighting social indifference to mental health across classes.

**In simple terms:** Rich and poor both let the mad roam unchecked.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address mental health neglect everywhere.

Themes

social inequality mental health class disparity indifference social critique

Mood

cynical observational

Type

critical reflective

When to use this quote

- public policy
- healthcare reform
- community support
- education programs

Key Concepts

social commentary human behavior class critique

Questions to Reflect On

- Why does society ignore the mad?
- How can we protect vulnerable minds across classes?

A Different Perspective

Economic status does not guarantee mental health care.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Poor rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-rich/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/)

## Related quotes

> [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“You can't change things. That's life. Poor stays poor, rich says rich, and those two, they will never meet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-michaelis/you-can-t-change-things-that-s-life-poor-stays-poor-rich-says-rich/)

[Antonia Michaelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-michaelis/)

> [“Human beings are neither poor nor rich, they just humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asherry-magalla/human-beings-are-neither-poor-nor-rich-they-just-humans/)

[Asherry Magalla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asherry-magalla/)

> [No one is so poor that they cannot give, and no one is so rich that they cannot receive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-clarkson/no-one-is-so-poor-that-they-cannot-give-and-no-one-is-so-rich-that/)

[Adrienne Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-clarkson/)

> [Old among the young, poor among the rich, I adopt an air of indefinable superiority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/old-among-the-young-poor-among-the-rich-i-adopt-an-air-of-indefinable/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Economy is for the poor; the rich may dispense with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/economy-is-for-the-poor-the-rich-may-dispense-with-it/)

[Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/)

> [Everywhere, and at all times, economic progress has meant far more to the poor than to the rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/everywhere-and-at-all-times-economic-progress-has-meant-far-more-to/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [Wealth protects the rich;Poverty destroys the poor.But the rich and the poor have this in common:The lord made them both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wealth-protects-the-rich-poverty-destroys-the-poor-but-the-rich-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I take from the poor and give to the rich. They just happen to be the same individuals. Poor and stupid before they learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/i-take-from-the-poor-and-give-to-the-rich-they-just-happen-to-be-the/)

[Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/)

> [I'm not poor, but I'm not rich, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-m-not-poor-but-i-m-not-rich-either/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [Cheerful poor is rich with a smile, sulky rich is poor with a bullion of gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/cheerful-poor-is-rich-with-a-smile-sulky-rich-is-poor-with-a-bullion/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [All of us, poor &amp; rich alike, have been conditioned by our upbringings. Impoverished men &amp; women may become lulled into a state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/all-of-us-poor-rich-alike-have-been-conditioned-by-our-upbringings/)

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

> [“Populace above, populace below! What are "poor" and "rich"...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/populace-above-populace-below-what-are-poor-and-rich/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Before you can transform your wallet from poor to rich, you've got to transform your spirit from poor to rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/before-you-can-transform-your-wallet-from-poor-to-rich-you-ve-got-to/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [I am poor, but I am rich. I have my children, I have a garden with roses, and I have my faith and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-mu-oz-ryan/i-am-poor-but-i-am-rich-i-have-my-children-i-have-a-garden-with-roses/)

[Pam Muñoz Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-mu-oz-ryan/)

## 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 Extremes quotes

> [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/)

[Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/)

> [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [One should try to locate power at the extreme of its exercise, where it is always less legal in character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/one-should-try-to-locate-power-at-the-extreme-of-its-exercise-where/)

[Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/)

> [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme-measure-that-a-player-should/)

[Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/)

> [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [My childhood was extreme.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/my-childhood-was-extreme/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/)

[Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/)

> [An excessive preponderance of an idealistic mood is harmful to society: it creates daydreaming, political Don Quixotism, hope for heavenly intervention. This is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-sienkiewicz/an-excessive-preponderance-of-an-idealistic-mood-is-harmful-to/)

[Henryk Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-sienkiewicz/)

> [I think that for thousands of years people have made the observation that there are certain kinds of extreme depressive states that seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-think-that-for-thousands-of-years-people-have-made-the-observation/)

[Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/)

> [I find that Americans are all in the middle somewhere, except for the extreme nuts, and extreme nuts on both sides are the loudest.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/i-find-that-americans-are-all-in-the-middle-somewhere-except-for-the/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [I have what I call an iron prescription that helps me keep sane when I naturally drift toward preferring one ideology over another and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-have-what-i-call-an-iron-prescription-that-helps-me-keep-sane-when/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [I think the only real referent for anybody writing drama is probably Hamlet. You have the most extreme tragic drama, this sort of blood-boltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-think-the-only-real-referent-for-anybody-writing-drama-is-probably/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

[Browse all 1,963 Extremes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had noticed that both in the very poor and very rich extremes of society the mad were often allowed to mingle freely.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Bukowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor-and-very-rich-extremes-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Extremes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor-and-very-rich-extremes-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/charles-bukowski-73_extremes_i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor_2880664.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/charles-bukowski-73_extremes_i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor_2880664.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/charles-bukowski-73_extremes_i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor_2880664.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had noticed that both in the very poor and very rich extremes of society the mad were often allowed to…” — 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": "I had noticed that both in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor-and-very-rich-extremes-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-noticed-that-both-in-the-very-poor-and-very-rich-extremes-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
