--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the psyche has been burned and left us…" description: "\"the psyche has been burned and left us senseless, the world has been darker than lights-out in a closet full of hungry bats, and the whiskey and wine e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/charles-bukowski-73_bats_the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-s_1358905.jpg" --- # the psyche has been burned and left us senseless, the… ![“the psyche has been burned and left us senseless, the world has been darker than lights-out in a closet full of hungry bats, and the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/charles-bukowski-73_bats_the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-s_1358905.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/charles-bukowski-73_bats_the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-s_1358905.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/charles-bukowski-73_bats_the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-s_1358905.jpg) > “the psyche has been burned and left us senseless, the world has been darker than lights-out in a closet full of hungry bats, and the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on” [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. Despair and numbness overwhelm, making life feel trapped and dark, while alcohol is used as a temporary escape. **In simple terms:** Darkness and escape through drink. Key Takeaway Seek help before reliance deepens. Themes despair addiction darkness Mood melancholic introspective Type literary poetic When to use this quote - personal crisis - substance use - mental health struggles Key Concepts existential crisis coping mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - What healthier coping could replace the drink? - How does numbness affect decision making? A Different Perspective Alcohol only masks pain, not heals it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Whiskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whiskey/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Most people are chained to their own fear and stupidity and haven’t the sense to level a cold eye at just what is wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/most-people-are-chained-to-their-own-fear-and-stupidity-and-haven-t-2/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [The fury inside me, has grown to un-imaginable ferocity. But I am weak. weak from lack of blood, and weak from anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fury-inside-me-has-grown-to-un-imaginable-ferocity-but-i-am-weak/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If that's the case.. Go deeper. 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And, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-bell/i-feel-like-when-i-arrive-at-the-hospital-i-want-a-glass-of-whiskey-i/) [Kristen Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-bell/) > [You can steal my women but don't play with my whiskey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/you-can-steal-my-women-but-don-t-play-with-my-whiskey/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“To ask them to legalize pot is something like asking them to put butter on the handcuffs before they place them on you: something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/to-ask-them-to-legalize-pot-is-something-like-asking-them-to-put/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I still have a little whiskey left and therefore a chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-still-have-a-little-whiskey-left-and-therefore-a-chance/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [whiskey makes the heart beat faster but it sure doesn't help the mind and isn't it funny how you can ache just from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/whiskey-makes-the-heart-beat-faster-but-it-sure-doesn-t-help-the-mind/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [There's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke and the whores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-s-a-bluebird-in-my-heart-that-wants-to-get-out-but-i-pour/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) ## 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. 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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 Bats quotes > [Some people enjoy taking a light stroll in the morning and that gives them relief and that sort of feeling. 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I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Went out again to the harbour in sydney... and saw some bats that were probably bigger than meowingtons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-zimmerman/went-out-again-to-the-harbour-in-sydney-and-saw-some-bats-that-were/) [Joel Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-zimmerman/) > [Isn't it odd? A guy bats .301 and has 35 homers. Then everybody starts to tell him what a good fielder he has become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-stuart/isn-t-it-odd-a-guy-bats-301-and-has-35-homers-then-everybody-starts/) Dick Stuart > [The beanball is one of the meanest things on Earth and no decent fellow would use it. The beanball is a potential murderer. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/the-beanball-is-one-of-the-meanest-things-on-earth-and-no-decent/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [Pro-rated at 500 at-bats a year that means that for two years out of the fourteen I played, I never even touched the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-cash/pro-rated-at-500-at-bats-a-year-that-means-that-for-two-years-out-of/) Norm Cash > [(At the back of the cave, Phoebe placed her hand against one of the stones where a spring release opened an elevator door. Chris…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/at-the-back-of-the-cave-phoebe-placed-her-hand-against-one-of-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [A failure becomes just one time at bat if you refuse to let it defeat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marv-levy/a-failure-becomes-just-one-time-at-bat-if-you-refuse-to-let-it-defeat/) [Marv Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marv-levy/) > [Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-pick-on-your-sister-when-she-s-holding-a-baseball-bat/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [The fans know that I don't give at-bats away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ortiz/the-fans-know-that-i-don-t-give-at-bats-away/) [David Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ortiz/) > [I grew up in the '60s, which was a creative time, so it wasn't that big of a stretch to go from a baseball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/i-grew-up-in-the-60s-which-was-a-creative-time-so-it-wasn-t-that-big/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) Browse all 576 Bats quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "the psyche has been burned and left us senseless, the world has been darker than lights-out in a closet full of hungry bats, and the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Bukowski" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-senseless-the-world-has-been/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bats" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-senseless-the-world-has-been/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/charles-bukowski-73_bats_the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-s_1358905.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/charles-bukowski-73_bats_the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-s_1358905.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/charles-bukowski-73_bats_the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-s_1358905.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“the psyche has been burned and left us senseless, the world has been darker than lights-out in a closet full…” — 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": "the psyche has been burned and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-senseless-the-world-has-been/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-psyche-has-been-burned-and-left-us-senseless-the-world-has-been/#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 } } ] } ```