“If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even
start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe
even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It
could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean
derision. It could mean mockery–isolation. Isolation is the gift. All
the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to
do it. And, you’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it
will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you’re going to
try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be
alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride
life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.”

— Charles Bukowski, Factotum