The 20 Best Charles Bukowski Quotes That Apply to Business
Charles Bukowski was a poet, novelist, and short-story writer who was born in Prussia, Germany, in 1920, but his family relocated to Los Angeles in 1930. His work was influenced by the economic, cultural, and social ambiance of Los Angeles, although his work was more appreciated in Europe than in America. Despite writing more than 60 books and contributing to many publications, his work attracted little attention during his lifetime. However, since his death in 1994, his work has been the subject of many critical articles. From his writings, there are many quotes that are either motivational or inspirational. Here are the 20 best Charles Bukowski quotes that apply to business.
20. On Overcoming Challenges
“All our days are marked with unexpected affronts- some disastrous, others less so, but the process is wearing and continuous.”
Any person in business will face challenges, and these are something that you must work your way through. Some problems are minor, and some are bigger issues. Regardless of the extent of the problem, you need to face it head-on and find a solution.
19. On Looking at Things from a Different Perspective
“A rational mind must harbor thoughts from the other perspective but not get deeply attached to his own.”
It is easy to become set in your beliefs and to look at every situation in the same way, regardless of the type of problem you are encountering. Sometimes, you need to look at situations from a different perspective, as this is the only way to find a solution. If you are having trouble thinking outside the box, then asking for someone else’s opinion is a good idea as it is a way of seeing things from a different perspective.
18. On Never Giving Up
“Who put this brain inside of me? It cries, it demands, it says there is a chance. It will not say no.”
Achieving success requires a positive mindset. If you believe that you can do something and never give up, you are giving yourself the best chance to achieve things. No matter how hard things seem, you should keep going. Giving up too easily can lead to you living a life filled with regrets, as you will never know what you had the potential to achieve.
17. On Making Choices About Your Life
“People had to find things to do while waiting to die. I guess it was nice to have a choice.”
How you want your life to turn out, and the career path you wish to take is your decision and nobody else’s. It is your right to make your own choices and decisions in life, without the input of other people telling you what they expect from you. By doing so, you can live life the way you want, both personally and professionally.
16. On Facing the Unknown
“Nobody is ever sure of what they will do. You aren’t sure of what you might do.”
According to Good Reads, this is one of the best Charles Bukowski quotes. It is about how the future holds many unknowns, and this is something that applies to everyone’s life. In business, it is the fear of the unknown that can sometimes hold people back and prevent them from launching a business or from expanding. However, it is vital to remember that the future holds both positive and negative things, and you are preventing yourself from enjoying the good times if you let your fears overcome you.
15. On Using Challenges as Motivation
“Having nothing to struggle against, they have nothing to struggle for.”
Challenges are often positive, although people often think that they are negative. Facing challenges can keep you motivated, as it gives you something to work through. It is by working through these challenges that you will make progress. It can also motivate you to do things differently next time to achieve better outcomes.
14. On Making Sure You Have No Regrets
“Regret is mostly caused by not having done anything,”
Many people have regrets in life, and these often focus on the things that they have not done rather than the things that they have done. One of the biggest regrets you may face in business is not taking action and turning your business ideas into reality. The only way to avoid suffering these regrets is to put your ideas into action.
13. On Self-Belief
“If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.”
Learning to love yourself and having self-belief is vital in business. Acknowledge the strengths that you have that can benefit your business. Having self-belief will not only keep you motivated, but it will also impact on the belief that others have in you.
12. On Facing Your Fears Head-On
“Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others. Their fear is only their inability to face what is real, and I can’t vent any anger against them; I only feel this appalling sadness. Somewhere in their upbringing, they were shielded against the total facts of our existence.”
Brainy Quote lists this as one of the best Charles Bukowski quotes, and it is about facing your fears head-on. Everyone has fears, and two of the most common in business are the fear of the unknown and the fear of failure. It is crucial that you can overcome these fears and not let them take over your life, as this will prevent you from reaching your full potential.
11. On Reaching Your Full Potential
“To not have wasted one’s life seems to be a worthy accomplishment, if only for myself.”
No matter your potential in life, if you can achieve it, you have lived a worthwhile life. Only you know what your potential is in life, and it is down to you to make sure you take the necessary steps to get there.
10. On Working Effectively
“When I write, when I’m going hot, I don’t want to write for more than four hours in a row. After that, you’re pushing it.”
Bukowski preferred to work in short bursts and rest in between as he believed he worked more effectively as a writer. Rest is vital if you want to work productively, says Purple Mermaid Media, and this not only applies to those working as writers, but also to any business. IF you are not getting enough rest, then you will find it hard to focus and work productively and effectively.
9. On Riding the Highs and Lows
“My days, my years, my life has seen ups and downs, lights, and darknesses. If I wrote only and continually of the light and never mentioned the other, then as an artist, I would be a liar.”
This Charles Bukowski quote is listed by Quote Ambition. It explains how life and business are full of highs and lows. Although you will want to experience more highs than lows, you cannot fully appreciate the good times without going through a few bad times for comparison.
8. On the Importance of Having a Life Away from Work
“This is very important- to take leisure time. Pace is the essence. Without stopping entirely and doing nothing at all for great periods, you’re gonna lose everything… just to do nothing at all, very, very important. And how many people do this in modern society? Very few. That’s why they’re all totally mad, frustrated, angry, and hateful.”
It is vital that you get a good work-life balance. Many people make the mistake of focusing solely on their work and do not leave themselves enough time to enjoy leisure activities or family life. Time away from work is beneficial to your professional life. It can help you regain focus, remain motivated, and enjoy your personal and professional life. The latter is essential to your emotional wellbeing.
7. On Drawing Positives from Negatives
“Goodness can be found sometimes in the middle of hell.”
When your business is going through bad times, it can feel hard to find any positives from the situation. However, you may later realize that there are some positives that have come from the situation. Sometimes, the positive is that the experience has taught you how not to do things in the future. Another potential positive you can draw from your negative experiences is that they make you a stronger person.
6. On Keeping Communication Simple
“Genius might be the ability to say a profound thing in a simple way, or even to say a simple thing in a simpler way.”
Clear communication is key to business. Making sure that the lines of communication are open and that the way you communicate with your team is vital. Without good communication within a team, people will lack clarity about their roles and your expectations of them, and it is also possible that people will make unnecessary mistakes.
5. On Having Big Ambitions
“I wanted the whole world or nothing.”
Boo Riot lists this as one of the best quotes that apply to business. If you want to achieve something better than the average person, then you need bigger ambitions. In turn, you will then need to set yourself challenging goals. If you do not aim high, then you will only achieve the same level of success as the average person.
4. On Putting Your Ideas into Action
“A spark can set a whole forest on fire. Just a spark. Save it.”
All it takes is the spark of an idea to start a business. That one idea has the potential to become the starting point of something fantastic in your life. However, your business will not grow on your own, and without you taking steps to make it happen. It will simply remain an idea in your brain until you are willing or have enough courage to do something about it. You will never find out if your idea will work unless you take this brave step.
3. On Having Passion for Your Work
“Find what you love and let it kill you.”
Enjoying your work is crucial, or you will live a very unhappy life. You spend too many hours of your life working to do something that makes you miserable. It is always better to do something about which you feel passionate, as this will not only keep you motivated, but your enthusiasm will also pass on to your team and to customers. If you find something that ignites your passion, then focus on this until the end of your working life.
2. On How You Handle the Hard Times
“What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.”
Experiencing difficulties in your professional life is almost inevitable. It is difficult to avoid every obstacle, problem, and challenge. Going through these bad times does not mean that you have failed. In many cases, they can even make you a better person. It is not going through these times that matters, but how you deal with them. Face your challenges courageously, and work through them until you find the best solution to get you back on track. Giving up is not an option.
1. On Giving Your Business Your Best Effort
“If you are going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start.”
According to Motivation Grid, this is one of the best Charles Bukowski quotes that apply to business. It refers to how there is no point in starting something if you are not going to try. This principle applies to starting a business, as if you are not willing to give your business your best effort, then there is no point in launching it in the first place. Running a business is hard work, so you must commit yourself fully or not bother at all.
