Don't Try
Tier list
Ranking what 'Don't Try' really means
Bukowski's gravestone says 'Don't try.' Let's rank the readings, worst to best.
Quick check · tap an answer to continue
Lesson notes
Explain why Manson opens with Bukowski and what "Don't try" on his gravestone signals about honest acceptance
Key points
- Give up on everything: C tier: Bukowski kept writing through decades of rejection, so quitting misses the point.
- Be lazy and coast: C tier again: laziness is not the lesson, and examiners give no marks for it.
- Stop chasing approval: B tier: closer, he stopped writing to impress publishers and critics.
- Stop forcing success: A tier: he kept working but stopped straining to be someone he was not.
- Honest self-acceptance: S tier: he wrote honestly about his failures, and that honesty finally found readers.
Takeaway: 'Don't try' means stop forcing it, not stop working.
Quick check: What does 'Don't try' on Bukowski's grave signal in Manson's reading?
- Give up working
- Honest self-acceptance
- Chase fame harder
It means stop forcing success and be honest about who you are, not quit.
Charles Bukowski"Don't try"
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