--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe I'd be a bank robber. Some…" description: "\"“Maybe I'd be a bank robber. Some god-damned thing. Something with flare, fire. You only had one shot. Why be a window washer?”\" — Charles Bukowski" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/charles-bukowski-73_robber_maybe-i-d-be-a-bank-robber-some-god-damn_3202563.jpg" --- # Maybe I'd be a bank robber. Some god-damned thing… ![“Maybe I'd be a bank robber. Some god-damned thing. Something with flare, fire. You only had one shot. Why be a window washer?” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/charles-bukowski-73_robber_maybe-i-d-be-a-bank-robber-some-god-damn_3202563.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/charles-bukowski-73_robber_maybe-i-d-be-a-bank-robber-some-god-damn_3202563.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e4/charles-bukowski-73_robber_maybe-i-d-be-a-bank-robber-some-god-damn_3202563.jpg) > ““Maybe I'd be a bank robber. Some god-damned thing. Something with flare, fire. You only had one shot. Why be a window washer?”” [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. Desire for a dramatic, meaningful life can make ordinary work feel suffocating, prompting fantasies of bold rebellion. **In simple terms:** Feeling trapped can spark wild fantasies. Key Takeaway Find meaning in everyday actions. Themes existential crisis rebellion identity mundane work Mood cynical defiant Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career change - creative pursuits - personal risk assessment Key Concepts psychology existentialism self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - What gives your daily life purpose? - How can you channel rebellion constructively? A Different Perspective Romanticizing rebellion may ignore practical consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“You only had one shot. Why be a window-washer?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/you-only-had-one-shot-why-be-a-window-washer/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [The image of the bank robber I had in mind was more in the European tradition where you'd rob banks and give to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-shafrazi/the-image-of-the-bank-robber-i-had-in-mind-was-more-in-the-european/) [Tony Shafrazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-shafrazi/) > [For all I know, my grandfather was a bank robber in Kilsyth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/for-all-i-know-my-grandfather-was-a-bank-robber-in-kilsyth/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I've always known I'd be a bank robber. So judge all you want, ladies and gentlemen. Because you never did become an astronaut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-ve-always-known-i-d-be-a-bank-robber-so-judge-all-you-want-ladies/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [A bank robber in Los Angeles told the clerk not to give him cash, but to deposit the money in his checking account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/a-bank-robber-in-los-angeles-told-the-clerk-not-to-give-him-cash-but/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Redemption isn't giving a bank robber a job as a teller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/redemption-isn-t-giving-a-bank-robber-a-job-as-a-teller/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [“For instance, if you are a bank robber - although I hope you aren't - you might go to the bank a few days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/for-instance-if-you-are-a-bank-robber-although-i-hope-you-aren-t-you/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [“Masked by a pair of pink cotton panties, the man looks like some sort of deranged bank robber.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-lundy/masked-by-a-pair-of-pink-cotton-panties-the-man-looks-like-some-sort/) Dave Lundy > [“He ignored her apology. “Jayne? For once, could you drive like you didn’t just knock over a bank?” Jayne laughed. “Sorry, boss. Old habits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/he-ignored-her-apology-jayne-for-once-could-you-drive-like-you-didn-t/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [They say the average bank robber lives within say about 20 miles of the bank that he robs There's this little bank not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-snider/they-say-the-average-bank-robber-lives-within-say-about-20-miles-of/) [Todd Snider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-snider/) > [All my life I wanted to be a bank robber. Carry a gun and wear a mask. Now that it's happened I guess I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dillinger/all-my-life-i-wanted-to-be-a-bank-robber-carry-a-gun-and-wear-a-mask/) [John Dillinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dillinger/) > [“I had shaved my beard for her-a huge disappointment, because I’d enjoyed my three weeks looking like a bank robber.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/i-had-shaved-my-beard-for-her-a-huge-disappointment-because-i-d/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [I feel about New York as a child whose father is a bank robber. Not perfect, but I still love him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-feel-about-new-york-as-a-child-whose-father-is-a-bank-robber-not/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“If a bank robber tapes over the lens of a surveillance camera, that’s MO. If he feels a need to tear his clothes off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/if-a-bank-robber-tapes-over-the-lens-of-a-surveillance-camera-that-s/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“Not one spark of spirit, not one symptom of resistance, would they have shown till the hand of the Corsican bandit had grasped that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/not-one-spark-of-spirit-not-one-symptom-of-resistance-would-they-have/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) ## 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 Robber quotes > [“Not one spark of spirit, not one symptom of resistance, would they have shown till the hand of the Corsican bandit had grasped that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/not-one-spark-of-spirit-not-one-symptom-of-resistance-would-they-have/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“The one thing I learned in my youth as a grave robber was that everyone looks the same when they're dead. We're all equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/the-one-thing-i-learned-in-my-youth-as-a-grave-robber-was-that/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [They say the average bank robber lives within say about 20 miles of the bank that he robs There's this little bank not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-snider/they-say-the-average-bank-robber-lives-within-say-about-20-miles-of/) [Todd Snider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-snider/) > [“Well, what you do with your farm is none of my business,” said Hooper. “It darn sure isn’t!” yelled Ben. “Because your business is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-berenstain/well-what-you-do-with-your-farm-is-none-of-my-business-said-hooper-it/) [Stan Berenstain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-berenstain/) > [They sent me to the pen for five years for a crime that was never committed. I aint no bank robber but that five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-dre/they-sent-me-to-the-pen-for-five-years-for-a-crime-that-was-never/) [Mac Dre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-dre/) > [“Brand a man as a thief and no one will ever hire him for honest labour – he will be a hardened robber within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/brand-a-man-as-a-thief-and-no-one-will-ever-hire-him-for-honest/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [I was known as the chief grave robber of my state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/i-was-known-as-the-chief-grave-robber-of-my-state/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [“He ignored her apology. “Jayne? For once, could you drive like you didn’t just knock over a bank?” Jayne laughed. “Sorry, boss. Old habits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/he-ignored-her-apology-jayne-for-once-could-you-drive-like-you-didn-t/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Ye are a scoundrel, a black-hearted robber and a rogue,' Stubble said cheerily to the grumbling captain. It was his usual way of haggling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-livingstone/ye-are-a-scoundrel-a-black-hearted-robber-and-a-rogue-stubble-said/) [Ian Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-livingstone/) > [I pray like a robber asking alms at the door of a farmhouse to which he is ready to set fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-on-bloy/i-pray-like-a-robber-asking-alms-at-the-door-of-a-farmhouse-to-which/) [Leon Bloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-on-bloy/) > [I've always been, in games, the bad guy. If there was ever cops and robbers I was always a robber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-m-johnson/i-ve-always-been-in-games-the-bad-guy-if-there-was-ever-cops-and/) [Jake M. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-m-johnson/) > [“Of all the times - Time be the recorder, Of all the things - Time be the robber, Of all the sorrows - Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munindra-munnan-misra/of-all-the-times-time-be-the-recorder-of-all-the-things-time-be-the/) [Munindra (Munnan) Misra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munindra-munnan-misra/) > [“A deaf man lived next door to a known robber and one day decided to help himself to the spoils of the latest bank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-ann-walker/a-deaf-man-lived-next-door-to-a-known-robber-and-one-day-decided-to/) [Lou Ann Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-ann-walker/) > [ \[When I die\] if I leave behind me ten pounds...you and all mankind \[may\] bear witness against me, that I have lived and died… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/when-i-die-if-i-leave-behind-me-ten-pounds-you-and-all-mankind-may/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) Browse all 60 Robber quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Maybe I'd be a bank robber. 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