"Find what you love and let it kill you"
- Thread starter hangman
- Start date
Saw this on a quote investigator website
Kinky Friedman was profiled by the paper because he had branched out into a new field. Friedman had recently authored his first mystery novel, and while discussing his colorful career he employed the adage. Interestingly, the expression contained the word “like” instead of “love”. Boldface has been added to excerpts:
“I did it on my own, without AA or Jesus; but, then, I think we all have to find the Jesus of our choosing. I’ve always said: Find what you like, and let it kill you.“
The saying with the word “love” has been credited to Charles Bukowski in recent years, but QI has located no substantive evidence to support this ascription.
Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.
In 1991 a collection of interviews titled “Songwriters On Songwriting” was published, and one of the interviewees was the composer Van Dyke Parks who was a friend of Kinky Friedman. Parks reported that Friedman used a version of the jocular injunction with the word “like”:
Kinky Friedman was profiled by the paper because he had branched out into a new field. Friedman had recently authored his first mystery novel, and while discussing his colorful career he employed the adage. Interestingly, the expression contained the word “like” instead of “love”. Boldface has been added to excerpts:
“I did it on my own, without AA or Jesus; but, then, I think we all have to find the Jesus of our choosing. I’ve always said: Find what you like, and let it kill you.“
The saying with the word “love” has been credited to Charles Bukowski in recent years, but QI has located no substantive evidence to support this ascription.
Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.
In 1991 a collection of interviews titled “Songwriters On Songwriting” was published, and one of the interviewees was the composer Van Dyke Parks who was a friend of Kinky Friedman. Parks reported that Friedman used a version of the jocular injunction with the word “like”:
Interviewer: So songwriting for you is a daily activity?
Van Dyke Parks: There are months that go by that I don’t write songs. I go out and take care of the garden; I take care of the realities. I get the house reroofed and painted and stuff. Pick the kid up from school—both kids, if I’m lucky. And in the meantime I stay plastered to the news.
Interviewer: So to connect with those realities beyond everyday life you stay aware of this reality.
Van Dyke Parks: Yes. I find something that moves me. Kinky Friedman said, “Find what you like and let it kill you.”[Laughs]
Van Dyke Parks: There are months that go by that I don’t write songs. I go out and take care of the garden; I take care of the realities. I get the house reroofed and painted and stuff. Pick the kid up from school—both kids, if I’m lucky. And in the meantime I stay plastered to the news.
Interviewer: So to connect with those realities beyond everyday life you stay aware of this reality.
Van Dyke Parks: Yes. I find something that moves me. Kinky Friedman said, “Find what you like and let it kill you.”[Laughs]
PhillyDave
“The essential doesn't change.” Beckett
I think i have the above mentioned book. I guess I'll look it up tonight.
If you do, take a picture, would be good finally seeing the source of the quote.
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/05/29/find-love/ the link if you wanna read it all
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/05/29/find-love/ the link if you wanna read it all
Maybe we should all make an image with the quote, quote it to the appropriate source and spread it around the web with the hastags #notbukowski #bukowskididntsaythis
That'll work, right?
That'll work, right?
I saw this quote & it inspired me to read Bukowski, I've finished all of his novels & have been steadily working through poetry, it's all changed my life for sure. It makes me laugh to find out the quote that led to me reading all of this wasn't actually his, oh well, I'm glad is was incorrectly attributed & led me here with you fine folks.
Found this on a random search
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3CoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=van dyke parks find what you love and let it kill you&source=bl&ots=-Nnae9wiwM&sig=cQ3x17PFVu690B1
About 3/4's down the page has the quote....could this be proof it's kinky via van dyke??? (Never though I'd write that sentence in my life!)
Oh and by the way...I know google is not always an accurate source of truth but hey people kept saying they wanted a picture!
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3CoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=van dyke parks find what you love and let it kill you&source=bl&ots=-Nnae9wiwM&sig=cQ3x17PFVu690B1
About 3/4's down the page has the quote....could this be proof it's kinky via van dyke??? (Never though I'd write that sentence in my life!)
Oh and by the way...I know google is not always an accurate source of truth but hey people kept saying they wanted a picture!
Google books is credible, its scans of the actual pages
Although it still doesn't prove that Kinky Friedman didn't steal it from Bukowski !! Ha!
I find it incredibly odd that a quote that's suppose to be Bukowski only surfaced online in November 2012, with nothing at all mentioned before then.
I did wonder that too. I am all for reading "inspirational" quotes / memes but I would much rather they just say "unknown" than attributing the message to someone whose body of work can be searched easily or has been researched / followed as intensely as Bukowski.
They'll be saying it was in a letter from Shakespeare next.
They'll be saying it was in a letter from Shakespeare next.
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There's a little good in everything.
Hosh
hoshomccreesh.com
"They'll be saying it was in a letter from Shakespeare next." -- Bukowski
*Let them have some fun with that!
Your house looks great, mjp.
mjp
Founding member
Thanks, I did all the electrical work myself.
Black Swan
Abord the Yorikke!
great! the reflection of the neon in the glass of the lower piece of art is soothing.
I just found this quote in one of NIETZSCHE's notebooks from 1873:
"... stecke Dir selber Ziele, hohe und edle Ziele und gehe an ihnen zu Grunde!"
(KSA 7,651 / Notizbuch Sommer-Herbst 1873: 29[54])
which would translate like:
"... find yourself high and noble aims and let them destroy you."
of course I've quoted out of context and translated a bit deliberate, but still...
another thing:
because in the database they're listed seperately.
"... stecke Dir selber Ziele, hohe und edle Ziele und gehe an ihnen zu Grunde!"
(KSA 7,651 / Notizbuch Sommer-Herbst 1873: 29[54])
which would translate like:
"... find yourself high and noble aims and let them destroy you."
of course I've quoted out of context and translated a bit deliberate, but still...
another thing:
are these different from the poem in 'Whoreson Dog #1' (1993)?
because in the database they're listed seperately.
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Don't have time to browse thru this whole thread, but just in case...
http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/di...ind-what-you-love-and-let-it-kill-you-6376127
http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/di...ind-what-you-love-and-let-it-kill-you-6376127
miles to go clothing also gets it wrong.
Pogue Mahone
Officials say drugs may have played a part
It's a different poem. I'm not sure if this is the complete poem, but here's the first page:
