"and when love came to us twice and lied to us twice we decided to never love again that was fair fair to us and fair to love itself. we ask for no mercy or no miracles; we are strong enough to live and to die and to kill flies, attend the boxing matches, go to the racetrack, live on luck and skill, get alone, get alone often, and if you can't sleep alone be careful of the words you speak in your sleep; and ask for no mercy no miracles; and don't forget: time is meant to be wasted, love fails and death is useless"
About this Quote
The ranting inventory that follows - flies, boxing, the racetrack - is Bukowski's working-class litany of distractions, the masculine theater of endurance. These are cheap, physical rituals where you can lose and still call it skill, where pain is legible and therefore tolerable. Love isn't. Love is the arena where you can't control the odds, and Bukowski can't stand any game he can't rig with cynicism. Even sleep becomes compromised: if you can't sleep alone, watch what you confess unconsciously. Intimacy is framed as surveillance; tenderness is a liability.
The repetition of "no mercy no miracles" reads like AA-meets-stoicism: don't ask the universe for special treatment, don't flatter yourself with redemption arcs. It's also a preemptive strike against disappointment. By refusing miracles, he refuses hope, and calls that strength.
Then the final triad lands like a barstool philosophy turned into a death sentence: "time is meant to be wasted, love fails and death is useless". He doesn't just reject meaning; he rejects the very bargain art usually offers - that suffering can be alchemized into purpose. The intent isn't nihilism for style. It's a survival tactic that keeps the heart from asking for what it already suspects it won't get.
Quote Details
| Topic | Heartbreak |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bukowski, Charles. (2026, February 10). and when love came to us twice and lied to us twice we decided to never love again that was fair fair to us and fair to love itself. we ask for no mercy or no miracles; we are strong enough to live and to die and to kill flies, attend the boxing matches, go to the racetrack, live on luck and skill, get alone, get alone often, and if you can't sleep alone be careful of the words you speak in your sleep; and ask for no mercy no miracles; and don't forget: time is meant to be wasted, love fails and death is useless. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-when-love-came-to-us-twice-and-lied-to-us-185200/
Chicago Style
Bukowski, Charles. "and when love came to us twice and lied to us twice we decided to never love again that was fair fair to us and fair to love itself. we ask for no mercy or no miracles; we are strong enough to live and to die and to kill flies, attend the boxing matches, go to the racetrack, live on luck and skill, get alone, get alone often, and if you can't sleep alone be careful of the words you speak in your sleep; and ask for no mercy no miracles; and don't forget: time is meant to be wasted, love fails and death is useless." FixQuotes. February 10, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-when-love-came-to-us-twice-and-lied-to-us-185200/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"and when love came to us twice and lied to us twice we decided to never love again that was fair fair to us and fair to love itself. we ask for no mercy or no miracles; we are strong enough to live and to die and to kill flies, attend the boxing matches, go to the racetrack, live on luck and skill, get alone, get alone often, and if you can't sleep alone be careful of the words you speak in your sleep; and ask for no mercy no miracles; and don't forget: time is meant to be wasted, love fails and death is useless." FixQuotes, 10 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-when-love-came-to-us-twice-and-lied-to-us-185200/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
