--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was no compassion or courtesy…" description: "\"“There was no compassion or courtesy: fender jammed against fender, they drove on. I understood it: anybody who gave an inch would cause a traffic jam,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/charles-bukowski-73_compassion_there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fend_230005.jpg" --- # There was no compassion or courtesy: fender jammed against… ![“There was no compassion or courtesy: fender jammed against fender, they drove on. I understood it: anybody who gave an inch would cause a traffic jam, a disturbance, a murder. Traffic flowed endlessly like turds in a sewer. It was marvelous to see, and none of the drivers were angry, they were…” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/charles-bukowski-73_compassion_there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fend_230005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/charles-bukowski-73_compassion_there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fend_230005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/charles-bukowski-73_compassion_there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fend_230005.jpg) > ““There was no compassion or courtesy: fender jammed against fender, they drove on. I understood it: anybody who gave an inch would cause a traffic jam, a disturbance, a murder. Traffic flowed endlessly like turds in a sewer. It was marvelous to see, and none of the drivers were angry, they were simply resigned to the facts.”” [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 passage depicts traffic as a chaotic, indifferent system where drivers accept aggression and congestion as inevitable. **In simple terms:** Drivers accept relentless traffic aggression without anger. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge passive acceptance of hostile environments. Themes urban life aggression resignation social behavior Mood cynical observational Type sociological reflective When to use this quote - commuting - city planning - psychology studies - traffic management seminars Key Concepts traffic dynamics human behavior urban stress Questions to Reflect On - How does aggression affect driver stress? - What alternatives exist to reduce traffic hostility? A Different Perspective The analogy may exaggerate driver attitudes; not all drivers are resigned. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Courtesy Fender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courtesy-fender-2330080/) [Fender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fender/) [Fender Drove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fender-drove-2330077/) [Fender Jammed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fender-jammed-2330078/) [Jammed Fender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jammed-fender-2330079/) [Traffic jam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traffic-jam/) ## Related quotes > [I guess everybody saw it. It's a deal where I'd been racing cars a long time and I knew going around the track the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-marlin/i-guess-everybody-saw-it-it-s-a-deal-where-i-d-been-racing-cars-a/) [Sterling Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-marlin/) > [I've been playing a Fender since 1963, and before that it was my dream guitar. I can't endorse it more than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-gallagher/i-ve-been-playing-a-fender-since-1963-and-before-that-it-was-my-dream/) [Rory Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-gallagher/) > [One of the key guitars in my career has been an early-Seventies Fender Telecaster Deluxe that I had before Sonic Youth started and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ranaldo/one-of-the-key-guitars-in-my-career-has-been-an-early-seventies/) [Lee Ranaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ranaldo/) > [I go through about two Fender mediums a night because I don't pick straight down; it's sort of sideways, and it shaves them off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-trower/i-go-through-about-two-fender-mediums-a-night-because-i-don-t-pick/) [Robin Trower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-trower/) > [The first guitar I ever picked up was an acoustic black Fender, so it makes perfect sense that Elias plays Fender guitars. As far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias/the-first-guitar-i-ever-picked-up-was-an-acoustic-black-fender-so-it/) [Elias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias/) > [You could have knocked me down with a fender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-ace/you-could-have-knocked-me-down-with-a-fender/) [Jane Ace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-ace/) > [My brother was the first in Lancaster to have a Fender Stratocaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waite/my-brother-was-the-first-in-lancaster-to-have-a-fender-stratocaster/) [John Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waite/) > [When I first played the guitar without plugging it into an amplifier, the people at Fender were blown away. They couldn't believe the sound.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/when-i-first-played-the-guitar-without-plugging-it-into-an-amplifier/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [I have an electric Fender and a Telecaster. I have a Taylor and a Martin. I want to get more guitars for more sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-lynch/i-have-an-electric-fender-and-a-telecaster-i-have-a-taylor-and-a/) [Ross Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-lynch/) > [Without the Fender bass, there'd be no rock n' roll or no Motown. The electric guitar had been waiting 'round since 1939 for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/without-the-fender-bass-there-d-be-no-rock-n-roll-or-no-motown-the/) [Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/) > [I don't really play overseas stuff. I'm a bit of a dinosaur in that way. You gonna improve on a Les Paul or Fender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stallone/i-don-t-really-play-overseas-stuff-i-m-a-bit-of-a-dinosaur-in-that/) [Frank Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stallone/) > [There are a couple records that really helped aid the imagery of 'Stick Season,' Sam Fender's 'Seventeen Going Under,' for one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-kahan/there-are-a-couple-records-that-really-helped-aid-the-imagery-of/) [Noah Kahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-kahan/) > [It's not too hard to play Fender Rhodes keyboard if you get the right one, with some good action on the keys. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-angelo/it-s-not-too-hard-to-play-fender-rhodes-keyboard-if-you-get-the-right/) [D'Angelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-angelo/) > [Ever since I was a kid, I've been a Fender connoisseur. And to have my name associated with greatness like that, it's amazing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-5/ever-since-i-was-a-kid-i-ve-been-a-fender-connoisseur-and-to-have-my/) [John 5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-5/) > [When I play live, I use a Fender Super Reverb and I have Derek's old, well, actually it's Eric Clapton's old Beano Les Paul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-tedeschi/when-i-play-live-i-use-a-fender-super-reverb-and-i-have-derek-s-old/) [Susan Tedeschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-tedeschi/) ## 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 Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) [Segun Magbagbeola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segun-magbagbeola/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) [Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There was no compassion or courtesy: fender jammed against fender, they drove on. I understood it: anybody who gave an inch would cause a traffic jam, a disturbance, a murder. Traffic flowed endlessly like turds in a sewer. It was marvelous to see, and none of the drivers were angry, they were simply resigned to the facts.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Bukowski" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fender-jammed-against-fender-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compassion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fender-jammed-against-fender-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/charles-bukowski-73_compassion_there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fend_230005.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/charles-bukowski-73_compassion_there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fend_230005.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/charles-bukowski-73_compassion_there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fend_230005.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was no compassion or courtesy: fender jammed against fender, they drove on. I understood it: anybody…” — 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": "“There was no compassion or courtesy:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fender-jammed-against-fender-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-was-no-compassion-or-courtesy-fender-jammed-against-fender-they/#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 } } ] } ```