We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.

Source: "The Meaning of Life: The Big Picture", Life Magazine (December 1988) Additional Information: This quote is an excerpt taken from a December 1988 interview with Bukowski by Life Magazine. The poet was saying here that people who don't believe in God (such as himself) live life for the sake of enjoying it and without fear of death. Here is a longer excerpt from the interview containing the quote:

For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stonewritten. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.