--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He suddenly began to look wretched, much…" description: "\"“He suddenly began to look wretched, much as I had seen him look as a schoolboy: lonely: awkward: unpopular: odd; no longer the self-confident business..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f6/anthony-powell-2659_awkward_he-suddenly-began-to-look-wretched-much_1761648.jpg" --- # He suddenly began to look wretched, much as I had seen him… ![“He suddenly began to look wretched, much as I had seen him look as a schoolboy: lonely: awkward: unpopular: odd; no longer the self-confident businessman into which he had grown. His face now brought back the days when one used to watch him plodding off through the drizzle to undertake the long…” quote by Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f6/anthony-powell-2659_awkward_he-suddenly-began-to-look-wretched-much_1761648.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f6/anthony-powell-2659_awkward_he-suddenly-began-to-look-wretched-much_1761648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f6/anthony-powell-2659_awkward_he-suddenly-began-to-look-wretched-much_1761648.jpg) > ““He suddenly began to look wretched, much as I had seen him look as a schoolboy: lonely: awkward: unpopular: odd; no longer the self-confident businessman into which he had grown. His face now brought back the days when one used to watch him plodding off through the drizzle to undertake the long, solitary runs across the dismal fields beyond the sewage farms: runs which were to train him for teams in which he was never included.”” [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A former confident businessman feels alienated and isolated, reflecting on how past confidence can erode under social exclusion. **In simple terms:** Confidence can fade with isolation. Key Takeaway Recognize and address social alienation. Themes identity isolation confidence loss Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - workplace exclusion - mental health support - team integration - career counseling Key Concepts social dynamics psychology career decline Questions to Reflect On - What factors contribute to feeling left out? - How can organizations foster inclusion? A Different Perspective May overlook systemic causes of exclusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awkward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkward/) [Businessman Grown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/businessman-grown-1697731/) [Look Schoolboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-schoolboy-1697732/) [Look Wretched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-wretched-1697729/) [Schoolboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schoolboy/) [Schoolboy Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schoolboy-lonely-1697730/) [Socially-inept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socially-inept-173372/) [Unpopularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpopularity/) ## Related quotes > [“He feels spikes everywhere and rushes to impale himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/he-feels-spikes-everywhere-and-rushes-to-impale-himself/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [“When walking into a room, worry not. Everyone else is afraid. 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