--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If something burns your soul with purpose…" description: "\"If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/charles-bukowski-73_ashes_if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpos_2709377.jpg" --- # If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s… ![“If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull book in the library of life.” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/charles-bukowski-73_ashes_if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpos_2709377.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/charles-bukowski-73_ashes_if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpos_2709377.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/charles-bukowski-73_ashes_if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpos_2709377.jpg) > “If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull book in the library of life.” [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. Passion that ignites the soul demands total commitment, otherwise life feels empty and meaningless. **In simple terms:** Follow your burning passion or life feels dull. Key Takeaway Commit fully to your purpose. Themes purpose passion existence Mood intense reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career choices - creative projects - personal crises Key Concepts authenticity self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - What purpose fuels your deepest drive? - Are you willing to risk everything for it? A Different Perspective Obsessive focus can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Burns Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burns-soul-2563725/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-duty-507973/) [Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-dull-2796698/) [Existentialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialism/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-purpose/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Your soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-soul/) ## Related quotes > [“There is a fire that burns in soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/there-is-a-fire-that-burns-in-soul/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“First, our common desire and duty as Christians must be to enter into the full purpose of God for us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-w-stott/first-our-common-desire-and-duty-as-christians-must-be-to-enter-into/) [John R.W. Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-w-stott/) > [Let others laugh when you sacrifice desire to duty, if they will. You have time and eternity to rejoice in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/let-others-laugh-when-you-sacrifice-desire-to-duty-if-they-will-you/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [I have one thing that counts, and that is my heart; it burns in my soul, it aches in my flesh, and it ignites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evita-peron/i-have-one-thing-that-counts-and-that-is-my-heart-it-burns-in-my-soul/) [Evita Peron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evita-peron/) > [A light, shines in your eyes, & it burns through my soul to my heart is a fire, tonight, love is we'll ever know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon/a-light-shines-in-your-eyes-it-burns-through-my-soul-to-my-heart-is-a/) [Brandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon/) > [“I didn't grasp that desire and duty could rival each other, least of all that they most often did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-choi/i-didn-t-grasp-that-desire-and-duty-could-rival-each-other-least-of/) [Susan Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-choi/) > [“Let me reassure you that you can rejuvenate & heal yourself on all levels simply by beginning to look at things, situations, places &…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-goyal-2/let-me-reassure-you-that-you-can-rejuvenate-heal-yourself-on-all/) [Rajesh Goyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-goyal-2/) > [“Not accomplishing your Life Plan is a tragic act of free will. It is akin to charting an elaborate vacation itinerary before arriving at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/not-accomplishing-your-life-plan-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will-it-is/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [“What do you really want? Did you know that every single one of your desires is an expression of your soul's longing to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-nordby/what-do-you-really-want-did-you-know-that-every-single-one-of-your/) [Jacob Nordby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-nordby/) > [“Intuition goes before you, showing you the way. Emotion follows behind, to let you know when you go astray. Listen to your inner voice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/intuition-goes-before-you-showing-you-the-way-emotion-follows-behind/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [We live that our souls may grow. The development of the soul is the purpose of existence. God Almighty is trying to obtain some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-g-lake/we-live-that-our-souls-may-grow-the-development-of-the-soul-is-the/) [John G. Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-g-lake/) > [“I have this excellent notion that we each have our own soul's purpose. We aren't meant to be in a spiritual pissing contest. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mishi-mccoy/i-have-this-excellent-notion-that-we-each-have-our-own-soul-s-purpose/) [Mishi McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mishi-mccoy/) > [Living a lie - pretending everything is fine when we are actually discontented - is hard work and, in the long run, even bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristiane-backer/living-a-lie-pretending-everything-is-fine-when-we-are-actually/) [Kristiane Backer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristiane-backer/) > [“There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/there-are-two-kinds-of-guilt-the-kind-that-drowns-you-until-you-re/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) ## 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 Ashes quotes > [You can flush my ashes down the toilet, for all I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-flush-my-ashes-down-the-toilet-for-all-i-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-is-gold-does-not-glitter-not-all-those-who-wander-are-lost/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want to have a gravestone. I want to have all my friends burn me and then snort the ashes. I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-want-to-have-a-gravestone-i-want-to-have-all-my-friends-burn/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [He said that he will never let you cry,he will always be there for you no matter how hard the situation is,that he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhra/he-said-that-he-will-never-let-you-cry-he-will-always-be-there-for/) [Zhra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhra/) > [“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-past-is-to-be-learned-from-but-not-lived-in-we-look-back-to-claim/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-any-civilization-is-dust-and-ashes-he-said-art-is-all-that-s/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“Bury us, and mark our names above. Let us be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/bury-us-and-mark-our-names-above-let-us-be-free/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [There is nothing quite like an Ashes trip Down Under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anderson/there-is-nothing-quite-like-an-ashes-trip-down-under/) [James Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anderson/) > [I think momentum is huge in sport, especially in a series like the Ashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/i-think-momentum-is-huge-in-sport-especially-in-a-series-like-the/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man-yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/mark-how-fleeting-and-paltry-is-the-estate-of-man-yesterday-in-embryo/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“When you burn a bridge, you have to be prepared to live with some ashes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-coppernoll/when-you-burn-a-bridge-you-have-to-be-prepared-to-live-with-some-ashes/) [Chris Coppernoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-coppernoll/) > [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) [Browse all 900 Ashes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull book in the library of life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Bukowski" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpose-and-desire-it-s-your-duty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ashes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpose-and-desire-it-s-your-duty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/charles-bukowski-73_ashes_if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpos_2709377.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/charles-bukowski-73_ashes_if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpos_2709377.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/charles-bukowski-73_ashes_if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpos_2709377.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other…” — 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": "If something burns your soul with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpose-and-desire-it-s-your-duty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/if-something-burns-your-soul-with-purpose-and-desire-it-s-your-duty/#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 } } ] } ```