---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was laying in bed one night and I…"
description: "\"I was laying in bed one night and I thought 'I'll just quit - to hell with it.' And another little voice inside me said 'Don't quit - save that tiny li..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/charles-bukowski-73_bed_i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thou_634488.jpg"
---

#  I was laying in bed one night and I thought 'I'll just…

![“I was laying in bed one night and I thought 'I'll just quit - to hell with it.' And another little voice inside me said 'Don't quit - save that tiny little ember of spark.' And never give them that spark because as long as you have that spark, you can start the greatest fire again.” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/charles-bukowski-73_bed_i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thou_634488.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/charles-bukowski-73_bed_i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thou_634488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/charles-bukowski-73_bed_i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thou_634488.jpg)

> “I was laying in bed one night and I thought 'I'll just quit - to hell with it.' And another little voice inside me said 'Don't quit - save that tiny little ember of spark.' And never give them that spark because as long as you have that spark, you can start the greatest fire again.”

[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.

When despair urges you to quit, an inner voice reminds you to preserve a small spark of hope, which can reignite great passion.

**In simple terms:** Don’t quit; keep a tiny hope alive to fuel future fire.

Key Takeaway

Hold onto hope, even when you want to give up.

Themes

resilience hope inner voice motivation

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- creative block
- addiction recovery
- career setbacks

Key Concepts

spark fire perseverance self‑talk

Questions to Reflect On

- What small hope can you nurture today?
- How do you differentiate between healthy persistence and harmful stubbornness?

A Different Perspective

The spark may be too faint to notice, and clinging to it can delay necessary change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/)

## Related quotes

> [“My friend Tony Keppelman snapped me out of it by asking if I was gonna quit. Hell, no! "Then be happy. You're where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/my-friend-tony-keppelman-snapped-me-out-of-it-by-asking-if-i-was/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [When 'Deadwood' ended, I thought, 'I'll never have this again, ever.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-earl-brown/when-deadwood-ended-i-thought-i-ll-never-have-this-again-ever/)

[W. Earl Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-earl-brown/)

> [“thought . . . I’ll never compete with that. No matter how much pain I’m in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/thought-i-ll-never-compete-with-that-no-matter-how-much-pain-i-m-in/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“You know," he said, "now that I've got used to the idea, I think I'd rather have it this way. We've all got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/you-know-he-said-now-that-i-ve-got-used-to-the-idea-i-think-i-d/)

[Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/)

> [“Oh Christ, he understood more than he wanted to right now. Give me a chance, Louis thought, and I’ll understand myself right into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/oh-christ-he-understood-more-than-he-wanted-to-right-now-give-me-a/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [How could this be I really thought you were right for me and I use to tell myself you will be there for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-hayes/how-could-this-be-i-really-thought-you-were-right-for-me-and-i-use-to/)

[Justin Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-hayes/)

> [I don't think in terms of legacy or that kind of stuff. I've always thought that'll take care of itself if I did everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-donovan/i-don-t-think-in-terms-of-legacy-or-that-kind-of-stuff-i-ve-always/)

[Landon Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-donovan/)

> [“Domestic If, when studying road atlases while taking, as you call it, your morning dump, you shout down to me names like Miami City,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-phillips/domestic-if-when-studying-road-atlases-while-taking-as-you-call-it/)

[Carl Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-phillips/)

> [I woke up last night and thought: 'I must call somebody in my next novel Casablanca.' It's such a great name. I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-collins/i-woke-up-last-night-and-thought-i-must-call-somebody-in-my-next/)

[Jackie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-collins/)

> [Its so hard to sleep at night when there are so many thought going through your head~~~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-so-hard-to-sleep-at-night-when-there-are-so-many-thought-going/)

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

> [We sat around one night and thought that people are going to look back and say, I can't imagine there was a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-mcauliffe/we-sat-around-one-night-and-thought-that-people-are-going-to-look/)

[Christa McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-mcauliffe/)

> [“Hopeless of the future, I wished but this- that my Maker had that night thought good to require my soul of me while I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/hopeless-of-the-future-i-wished-but-this-that-my-maker-had-that-night/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [When you can't sleep at night have you ever thought that maybe it's God who is trying to speak to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-can-t-sleep-at-night-have-you-ever-thought-that-maybe-it-s/)

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

> [When you cannot sleep at night, have you even thought maybe it's God sayin' We need to talk and know you have time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-cannot-sleep-at-night-have-you-even-thought-maybe-it-s-god/)

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

> [When you cannot sleep at night. Have you ever thought maybe it's god saying WE NEED TO TALK AND YOU NOW HAVE TIME](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spiritual-inspiration-tumblr/when-you-cannot-sleep-at-night-have-you-ever-thought-maybe-it-s-god/)

Spiritual Inspiration Tumblr

## 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 Bed quotes

> [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/)

[Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/)

> [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/)

[Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

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

> [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/)

[Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/)

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/)

[Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/)

[Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/)

[June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/)

Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was laying in bed one night and I thought 'I'll just quit - to hell with it.' And another little voice inside me said 'Don't quit - save that tiny little ember of spark.' And never give them that spark because as long as you have that spark, you can start the greatest fire again.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Bukowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thought-i-ll-just-quit-to-hell/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thought-i-ll-just-quit-to-hell/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/charles-bukowski-73_bed_i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thou_634488.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/charles-bukowski-73_bed_i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thou_634488.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/charles-bukowski-73_bed_i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thou_634488.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was laying in bed one night and I thought 'I'll just quit - to hell with it.' And another little voice…” — 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 was laying in bed one...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thought-i-ll-just-quit-to-hell/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-laying-in-bed-one-night-and-i-thought-i-ll-just-quit-to-hell/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
