---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was settled into nothingness; a kind of…"
description: "\"“I was settled into nothingness; a kind of non-being, and I accepted it. It didn't make for an interesting person. I didn't want to be interesting, it ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/charles-bukowski-73_left-alone_i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of_1673319.jpg"
---

#  I was settled into nothingness; a kind of non-being, and I…

![“I was settled into nothingness; a kind of non-being, and I accepted it. It didn't make for an interesting person. I didn't want to be interesting, it was too hard. What I really wanted was only a soft, hazy space to live in, and to be left alone.” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/charles-bukowski-73_left-alone_i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of_1673319.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/charles-bukowski-73_left-alone_i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of_1673319.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/charles-bukowski-73_left-alone_i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of_1673319.jpg)

> ““I was settled into nothingness; a kind of non-being, and I accepted it. It didn't make for an interesting person. I didn't want to be interesting, it was too hard. What I really wanted was only a soft, hazy space to live in, and to be left alone.””

[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 speaker embraces a void of identity, rejecting the effort to be interesting, preferring isolation and simplicity.

**In simple terms:** He prefers a quiet, unremarkable existence over being interesting.

Key Takeaway

Accept simplicity, avoid unnecessary complexity.

Themes

loneliness identity simplicity

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

literary personal

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- creative writing
- mental health
- social withdrawal

Key Concepts

existentialism self‑acceptance

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “interesting” mean to you?
- How does solitude affect your creativity?

A Different Perspective

Isolation can hinder personal growth and connection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness/)

## Related quotes

> [I was drawn to all the wrong things: I liked to drink, I was lazy, I didn't have a god, politics, ideas, ideals. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-drawn-to-all-the-wrong-things-i-liked-to-drink-i-was-lazy-i-2/)

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

> [In the face of entropy and nothingness, you kind of have to pretend it's not there if you want to keep writing good code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lehenbauer/in-the-face-of-entropy-and-nothingness-you-kind-of-have-to-pretend-it/)

[Karl Lehenbauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lehenbauer/)

> [“I was drawn to all the wrong things: I liked to drink, I was lazy, I didn't have a god, politics, ideas, ideals. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-drawn-to-all-the-wrong-things-i-liked-to-drink-i-was-lazy-i-3/)

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

> [as a child i suppose i was not quite normal. my happiest times were when i was left alone in the house on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/as-a-child-i-suppose-i-was-not-quite-normal-my-happiest-times-were/)

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

> [“So where do you go? Back to the bottle And back to a tiny room somewhere. And wait. And wait, and wait. That's all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/so-where-do-you-go-back-to-the-bottle-and-back-to-a-tiny-room/)

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

> [“Women wanted men who made money, women wanted men of mark. How many classy women were living with skid row bums? Well, I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/women-wanted-men-who-made-money-women-wanted-men-of-mark-how-many/)

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

> [“When you stopped moving, that’s when the trouble settled in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-squires/when-you-stopped-moving-that-s-when-the-trouble-settled-in/)

[Megan Squires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-squires/)

> [“It is the only thing between us that doesn’t feel settled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-sloan/it-is-the-only-thing-between-us-that-doesn-t-feel-settled/)

[Harper Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-sloan/)

> [My wife is very interested in fashion. I am absolutely not. I couldn't give a toss. Fashion is a perfectly valid thing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/my-wife-is-very-interested-in-fashion-i-am-absolutely-not-i-couldn-t/)

[Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/)

> [Man was not intended to live alone... marriage is the best cure for that wretched lingering over one's work. I think I must feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-everett-millais/man-was-not-intended-to-live-alone-marriage-is-the-best-cure-for-that/)

John Everett Millais

> [When are you ever settled enough to have kids?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/when-are-you-ever-settled-enough-to-have-kids/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [I do think you can change the past and the present somehow. Even if something has already happened, it doesn't mean it's settled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gallagher/i-do-think-you-can-change-the-past-and-the-present-somehow-even-if/)

[Ellen Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gallagher/)

> [I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-already-settled-it-for-myself-so-flattery-and-criticism-go/)

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

> [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/)

[Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/)

> [The trick is to be there when it's settled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-trick-is-to-be-there-when-it-s-settled/)

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

## 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 Left alone quotes

> [“When left alone, corporate cultures and values will erode over time. It can happen when companies or divisions are sold. It can happen when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission/when-left-alone-corporate-cultures-and-values-will-erode-over-time-it/)

[Becca Spradlin, Lead On Mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission/)

> [To the newcomer to the south, hearing that a coworker plans a weekend visit to 'mama and them's' (the correct plural possessive, don'tchaknow), might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-rivenbark/to-the-newcomer-to-the-south-hearing-that-a-coworker-plans-a-weekend/)

[Celia Rivenbark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-rivenbark/)

> [In nine months, a group of children left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/in-nine-months-a-group-of-children-left-alone-with-a-computer-in-any/)

[Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/)

> [Personally, I think that children should be left alone, they should be given an opportunity to grow up, to become aware of themselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/personally-i-think-that-children-should-be-left-alone-they-should-be/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [When I'm away from basketball, I'm the biggest kid. I do a good job of keeping myself sane. But on the other hand, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-duncan/when-i-m-away-from-basketball-i-m-the-biggest-kid-i-do-a-good-job-of/)

[Tim Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-duncan/)

> [I thought she was the 1 but actually she was 2 be left alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/i-thought-she-was-the-1-but-actually-she-was-2-be-left-alone/)

[Kevin Mccarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/)

> [“I didn't want to be left alone with Timothy, not because I was afraid of him but because I was afraid that somebody would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/i-didn-t-want-to-be-left-alone-with-timothy-not-because-i-was-afraid/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Some womans had cause the addition of a new element to the PERIODIC TABLE: Name: Women Symbol: Wmn ATOMIC WEIGHT: Don't even dare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-womans-had-cause-the-addition-of-a-new-element-to-the-periodic/)

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

> [I've always been more afraid of being left alone or left out than of things that go bump in the night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-gidding/i-ve-always-been-more-afraid-of-being-left-alone-or-left-out-than-of/)

Nelson Gidding

> [“I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create red in a world that often appears black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-make-peace-with-the-things-i-cannot-control-i-write-to/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [“She just wanted to be left alone to lick her wounds, like a puppy that had been kicked repeatedly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/she-just-wanted-to-be-left-alone-to-lick-her-wounds-like-a-puppy-that/)

[Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/)

> [“You know, I’ve never understood it. They make a deal with the devil herself and then expect me to bail them out of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-know-i-ve-never-understood-it-they-make-a-deal-with-the-devil/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“That Jones shall worship the god within him turns out ultimately to mean that Jones shall worship Jones. Let Jones worship the sun or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/that-jones-shall-worship-the-god-within-him-turns-out-ultimately-to/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Every town has ‘THAT house’: the one that once held dark secrets. You know the house… the one no one will purchase? The one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-caskey/every-town-has-that-house-the-one-that-once-held-dark-secrets-you/)

[James Caskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-caskey/)

> [I loathed every day and regret every day I spent in school. I like to be taught to read and write and add and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-loathed-every-day-and-regret-every-day-i-spent-in-school-i-like-to/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

Browse all 632 Left alone quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I was settled into nothingness; a kind of non-being, and I accepted it. It didn't make for an interesting person. I didn't want to be interesting, it was too hard. What I really wanted was only a soft, hazy space to live in, and to be left alone.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Bukowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of-non-being-and-i-accepted-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Left alone"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of-non-being-and-i-accepted-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/charles-bukowski-73_left-alone_i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of_1673319.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/charles-bukowski-73_left-alone_i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of_1673319.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c63/charles-bukowski-73_left-alone_i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of_1673319.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was settled into nothingness; a kind of non-being, and I accepted it. It didn't make for an interesting…” — 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 settled into nothingness; a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of-non-being-and-i-accepted-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-settled-into-nothingness-a-kind-of-non-being-and-i-accepted-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
