--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On bad days the orange walls held hands…" description: "\"“On bad days the orange walls held hands and bent over him, inspecting him, like malevolent doctors, slowly, deliberately, squeezing the breath out of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cf/arundhati-roy-346_bad-day_on-bad-days-the-orange-walls-held-hands_691531.jpg" --- # On bad days the orange walls held hands and bent over him… ![“On bad days the orange walls held hands and bent over him, inspecting him, like malevolent doctors, slowly, deliberately, squeezing the breath out of him and making him scream. Sometimes they receded of their own accord, and the room he lay in grew impossibly large, terrorizing him with the…” quote by Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cf/arundhati-roy-346_bad-day_on-bad-days-the-orange-walls-held-hands_691531.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cf/arundhati-roy-346_bad-day_on-bad-days-the-orange-walls-held-hands_691531.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cf/arundhati-roy-346_bad-day_on-bad-days-the-orange-walls-held-hands_691531.jpg) > ““On bad days the orange walls held hands and bent over him, inspecting him, like malevolent doctors, slowly, deliberately, squeezing the breath out of him and making him scream. Sometimes they receded of their own accord, and the room he lay in grew impossibly large, terrorizing him with the specter of his own insignificance. That too made him cry out.”” [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage portrays how oppressive environments can amplify personal anguish, making one feel insignificant and trapped, yet moments of relief can expand perception and expose inner terror. **In simple terms:** Harsh settings intensify suffering; occasional relief reveals deeper fear. Key Takeaway Recognize how surroundings affect emotional health. Themes oppression insignificance relief Mood anxious reflective Type literary emotional psychological When to use this quote - hospitalization - mental health crisis - creative writing - personal trauma - therapy sessions Key Concepts existential dread environmental influence Questions to Reflect On - How do physical spaces shape your emotional state? - What strategies can you use when feeling overwhelmed by surroundings? A Different Perspective Even when the environment eases, the lingering sense of insignificance may persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-day/) [Bad days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-days/) [Malevolent Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malevolent-doctors-5492984/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Orange Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orange-walls-5492985/) [Terrorizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorizing-916100/) [Walls Held](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walls-held-5492986/) ## Related quotes > [For instance, why are we terrorizing this country, leading with murder and mayhem, when crime is actually on the decline, as somebody, as somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/for-instance-why-are-we-terrorizing-this-country-leading-with-murder/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [It's frustrating; terrorism is rare and largely ineffectual, yet we regularly magnify the effects of both their successes and failures by terrorizing ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-s-frustrating-terrorism-is-rare-and-largely-ineffectual-yet-we/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [“Just as terrorizing people is part of conquest, so is forcing someone else to administer the terror.\*”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/just-as-terrorizing-people-is-part-of-conquest-so-is-forcing-someone/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“The dirty little secret of the intelligence-gathering job is that information doesn’t just want to be free—it wants to hang out on street corners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/the-dirty-little-secret-of-the-intelligence-gathering-job-is-that/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Our troops are terrorizing women and children in the dark of night in Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/our-troops-are-terrorizing-women-and-children-in-the-dark-of-night-in/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Rincewind tried to force the memory out of his mind, but it was rather enjoying itself there, terrorizing the other occupants and kicking over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/rincewind-tried-to-force-the-memory-out-of-his-mind-but-it-was-rather/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Still, they were two thorns from the same thistle. Their tactics in terrorizing innocent ladies were identical. Their behavior was downright sinful, but what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-garwood/still-they-were-two-thorns-from-the-same-thistle-their-tactics-in/) [Julie Garwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-garwood/) > [People who practice freedom of expression are terrorizing our grammatical way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benson-bruno/people-who-practice-freedom-of-expression-are-terrorizing-our/) [Benson Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benson-bruno/) > [“Look, man, I don’t know who you are, but that crocodile has been terrorizing Long Island for weeks. I take that kind of personal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/look-man-i-don-t-know-who-you-are-but-that-crocodile-has-been/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“I’m surrounded by morons,” I muttered, making certain both the accused in question could hear me, before I began hopping away from them. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/i-m-surrounded-by-morons-i-muttered-making-certain-both-the-accused/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I have a very clear idea of what the Freedom Caucus has done to this country by terrorizing both the Republican Party and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/i-have-a-very-clear-idea-of-what-the-freedom-caucus-has-done-to-this/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [“My mum always taught me the value of knowing, recognizing and acknowledging when you had a good day. There are so many bad days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/my-mum-always-taught-me-the-value-of-knowing-recognizing-and/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/) [Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/) > [“When you have a bad day, a really bad day, try and treat the world better than it treated you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/when-you-have-a-bad-day-a-really-bad-day-try-and-treat-the-world/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) ## More by Arundhati Roy > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-and-non-fiction-are-only-different-techniques-of-story/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ngos-have-a-complicated-space-in-neoliberal-politics-they-are/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I've never been that person who thought that because I've written one novel, I should write another and another. It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-is-such-a-supreme-folly-to-believe-that-nuclear-weapons-are-deadly/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think one of the saddest things that's happening to literature is that it's getting over-simplified by this diet of simple political ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-think-one-of-the-saddest-things-that-s-happening-to-literature-is/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-only-dream-worth-having-i-told-her-is-to-dream-that-you-will-live/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Truly, there's no alternative to stupidity. Cretinism is the mother of fascism. I have no defence against it, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/truly-there-s-no-alternative-to-stupidity-cretinism-is-the-mother-of/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-secret-of-the-great-stories-is-that-they-have-no-secrets-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“stilts, the ground floors given over to parking. It’s a good idea in this car-maddened city,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/stilts-the-ground-floors-given-over-to-parking-it-s-a-good-idea-in/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/perhaps-it-s-true-that-things-can-change-in-a-day-that-a-few-dozen/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) [Explore all 628 Arundhati Roy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More Bad day quotes > [“When you have a bad day, a really bad day, try and treat the world better than it treated you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/when-you-have-a-bad-day-a-really-bad-day-try-and-treat-the-world/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/) [Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/) > [“My mum always taught me the value of knowing, recognizing and acknowledging when you had a good day. There are so many bad days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/my-mum-always-taught-me-the-value-of-knowing-recognizing-and/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [Today I will do my best.If I have a good day,i will be pruod of myself.If I have a bad day,I will not dwell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-mae/today-i-will-do-my-best-if-i-have-a-good-day-i-will-be-pruod-of/) [Nix Mae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix-mae/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [Remember, success is not measured by heights attained but by obstacles overcome. We're going to pass through many obstacles in our lives: good days,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-jenner/remember-success-is-not-measured-by-heights-attained-but-by-obstacles/) [Bruce Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-jenner/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [“Thus in the bad days, in the dark swampy times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/thus-in-the-bad-days-in-the-dark-swampy-times/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [Take a deep breath. It,s just a bad day not a bad life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-a-deep-breath-it-s-just-a-bad-day-not-a-bad-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/to-be-tested-is-good-the-challenged-life-may-be-the-best-therapist/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [But just remember, the next time you see a person, do not judge whats on the outside, we could be having a bad day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/but-just-remember-the-next-time-you-see-a-person-do-not-judge-whats/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [Every night I go to sleep smiling, even when I have a bad day. I'm just thankful that God allowed me to live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-night-i-go-to-sleep-smiling-even-when-i-have-a-bad-day-i-m-just/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you have a bad day,pray. If you have a good day,pray. Pray for the best. Pray with the best. Prayer is the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-you-have-a-bad-day-pray-if-you-have-a-good-day-pray-pray-for-the/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) [Browse all 1,054 Bad day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-day/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On bad days the orange walls held hands and bent over him, inspecting him, like malevolent doctors, slowly, deliberately, squeezing the breath out of him and making him scream. Sometimes they receded of their own accord, and the room he lay in grew impossibly large, terrorizing him with the specter of his own insignificance. 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