--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dating is like pushing your tray along in…" description: "\"Dating is like pushing your tray along in a cafeteria. Nothing looks good, but you know you have to pick something by the time you reach the cashier.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/caprice-crane-17057_cafeteria_dating-is-like-pushing-your-tray-along-i_2185940.jpg" --- # Dating is like pushing your tray along in a cafeteria… ![“Dating is like pushing your tray along in a cafeteria. Nothing looks good, but you know you have to pick something by the time you reach the cashier.” quote by Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/caprice-crane-17057_cafeteria_dating-is-like-pushing-your-tray-along-i_2185940.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/caprice-crane-17057_cafeteria_dating-is-like-pushing-your-tray-along-i_2185940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/caprice-crane-17057_cafeteria_dating-is-like-pushing-your-tray-along-i_2185940.jpg) > “Dating is like pushing your tray along in a cafeteria. Nothing looks good, but you know you have to pick something by the time you reach the cashier.” [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a partner is like navigating limited options under time pressure, requiring compromise. **In simple terms:** Dating forces choices under constraints. Key Takeaway Accept imperfect options and act decisively. Themes choice compromise time pressure Mood anxious thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - first dates - online matchmaking - career moves Key Concepts decision theory opportunity cost uncertainty Questions to Reflect On - What criteria matter most when choosing? - How do you handle regret after a decision? A Different Perspective Compromise may lead to dissatisfaction later. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cafeteria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cafeteria/) [Cafeteria Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cafeteria-looks-4742760/) [Cashiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cashiers/) [Date](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/date/) [Dating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dating/) [Dating Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dating-like-983117/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Pick Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pick-time-1108961/) [Pushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pushing/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tray Cafeteria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tray-cafeteria-4742761/) [Trays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trays/) ## Related quotes > [A real nigga pick his time to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-montana/a-real-nigga-pick-his-time-to-go/) [French Montana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/french-montana/) > [Nobody gets to pick their time to die, but living every day to the max is something we all get to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurlene-mcdaniel/nobody-gets-to-pick-their-time-to-die-but-living-every-day-to-the-max/) [Lurlene McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurlene-mcdaniel/) > [You can't pick when you're touched. You can't pick the time. It just is. It's the reality. What it is, is. I can't change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mooney/you-can-t-pick-when-you-re-touched-you-can-t-pick-the-time-it-just-is/) [Paul Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mooney/) > [“Basically, dating is like climbing a volcano and you never know when it’s going to erupt, dumping molten lava and burning you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-bielman/basically-dating-is-like-climbing-a-volcano-and-you-never-know-when/) [Robin Bielman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-bielman/) > [All my life, men have told me I wasn't pretty enough - even the men I was dating. And I'd be like, 'Well, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-kim/all-my-life-men-have-told-me-i-wasn-t-pretty-enough-even-the-men-i/) [Lil' Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-kim/) > [“Dating is like a game. If someone feels like they have won us over too easily, they won’t see our value and will go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/dating-is-like-a-game-if-someone-feels-like-they-have-won-us-over-too/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [Online dating is now like eating at Denny's thanks to photoshop, in person your order looks nothing like the photo on the menu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/online-dating-is-now-like-eating-at-denny-s-thanks-to-photoshop-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't even like talking about dating. It's like having a stamp on your forehead: 'I'm available and I'm looking.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/i-don-t-even-like-talking-about-dating-it-s-like-having-a-stamp-on/) [Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/) > [I'm not interested in dating. I like being with my own best friend, me. Certain women, particularly older women, cannot believe I like going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-allred/i-m-not-interested-in-dating-i-like-being-with-my-own-best-friend-me/) [Gloria Allred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-allred/) > [“Look, you’re right. Maybe I don’t like you the way someone should like you. I don’t like you in the call-you-and-read-you-a-poem-every-night-before-you-go-to-bed way. I’m crazy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/look-you-re-right-maybe-i-don-t-like-you-the-way-someone-should-like/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [dating you would be like a series of unnecessary root canals interspersed with occasional makeout sessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/dating-you-would-be-like-a-series-of-unnecessary-root-canals/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I turn to our father, searching for an ally. "So Dad, is it legal for Bronte to date out of her species?" Dad looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-turn-to-our-father-searching-for-an-ally-so-dad-is-it-legal-for/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Dating, like almost every other male-female interaction in present-day society, is based on outmoded and unequal social roles and expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/dating-like-almost-every-other-male-female-interaction-in-present-day/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [dating is like campaigning: you don't reveal who you really are or what you're really up to until you get elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-stanton-hitchcock/dating-is-like-campaigning-you-don-t-reveal-who-you-really-are-or/) [Jane Stanton Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-stanton-hitchcock/) > [“Dating any of the J's would have been like dating, not my brother necessarily, but definitely a stepbrother, or a cousin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-oram/dating-any-of-the-j-s-would-have-been-like-dating-not-my-brother/) [Kelly Oram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-oram/) ## More by Caprice Crane > [People often say that writing is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. This is nonsense, of course. It's pretty much one hundred percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/people-often-say-that-writing-is-ten-percent-inspiration-and-ninety/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“When Nirvana came onto the scene, they pretty much saved music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/when-nirvana-came-onto-the-scene-they-pretty-much-saved-music/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“And it's not that Pearl Jam was any more amazing than anyone else. I think we just liked who we were when they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/and-it-s-not-that-pearl-jam-was-any-more-amazing-than-anyone-else-i/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“It's probably those lactose-intolerant freaks. We all know there's nothing cool about intolerance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/it-s-probably-those-lactose-intolerant-freaks-we-all-know-there-s/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“Check her out. She‟s fuckin‟ hot.” “Wedding band,” I say. “She sings in one?" “No, jackass. She's wearing one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/check-her-out-she-s-fuckin-hot-wedding-band-i-say-she-sings-in-one-no/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“Sometimes I wish I could be the kind of person who has one-night stands, and instead of feeling guilty about it feels empowered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/sometimes-i-wish-i-could-be-the-kind-of-person-who-has-one-night/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“I simply never found a specific club that I could bring myself to be passionate about. I was having enough trouble finding one person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/i-simply-never-found-a-specific-club-that-i-could-bring-myself-to-be/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [People can be taught to hate. And people can be taught to spell. But apparently, it's one or the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/people-can-be-taught-to-hate-and-people-can-be-taught-to-spell-but/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [Love is pretty much a decision anyway. Just like happiness. You can decide to either love someone or not, be happy or not. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/love-is-pretty-much-a-decision-anyway-just-like-happiness-you-can/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“I tend to think the good outweighs the bad. Then again, I try to be a glass-half-full person. Although I stand by my theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/i-tend-to-think-the-good-outweighs-the-bad-then-again-i-try-to-be-a/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“Most of the time, I feel like a total fraud. Like I have no idea how I’ve made it this far without the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/most-of-the-time-i-feel-like-a-total-fraud-like-i-have-no-idea-how-i/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [“The character doesn't even come out until people are tested and be put in extreme situations and most people spend their lives trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/the-character-doesn-t-even-come-out-until-people-are-tested-and-be/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [Wendy warmed my heart, earned my trust, touched my soul, and then touched me in a lot of other places. And right after we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/wendy-warmed-my-heart-earned-my-trust-touched-my-soul-and-then/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [Someone once said, People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. They forgot one other option: Some people come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/someone-once-said-people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [People make changes in their life, and they blend and assimilate. They find a way to make it work. That's where I've always taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/people-make-changes-in-their-life-and-they-blend-and-assimilate-they/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) [Explore all 38 Caprice Crane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) ## More Cafeteria quotes > [It's a really crappy feeling to realize that your entire outook on your life can be controlled by some little pill that looks like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-thomas-ford/it-s-a-really-crappy-feeling-to-realize-that-your-entire-outook-on/) [Michael Thomas Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-thomas-ford/) > [“A brick could be placed on your child’s cafeteria lunch tray, in place of the less appetizing and more unnatural food they normally serve. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-placed-on-your-child-s-cafeteria-lunch-tray-in-place/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“So our crew is back to being all girls, and stays that way for the rest of lunch. The only other guy who’d sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-m-mcmanus/so-our-crew-is-back-to-being-all-girls-and-stays-that-way-for-the/) [Karen M. McManus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-m-mcmanus/) > [I had the lunchbox that cleared the cafeteria. I was very unpopular in the early grades. Because I hung out with my grandfather, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-ray/i-had-the-lunchbox-that-cleared-the-cafeteria-i-was-very-unpopular-in/) [Rachael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-ray/) > [I daydream about a high school where everybody plays the harmonica: the students, the teachers, the principal, the janitor and the cook in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-daydream-about-a-high-school-where-everybody-plays-the-harmonica/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [So we stand there, part of a crowd a thousand people strong, beaming up at the sky with wonder. I knew with a sudden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/so-we-stand-there-part-of-a-crowd-a-thousand-people-strong-beaming-up/) [Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/) > [Bell Labs Cafeteria, New York, 1943: His high pitched voice already stood out above the general murmur of well-behaved junior executives grooming themselves for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-turing/bell-labs-cafeteria-new-york-1943-his-high-pitched-voice-already/) [Alan Turing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-turing/) > [Normal people have an incredible lack of empathy. They have good emotional empathy, but they don't have much empathy for the autistic kid who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/normal-people-have-an-incredible-lack-of-empathy-they-have-good/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [The ruin of the human heart is self-interest, which the American merchant calls self-service. We have become a self-service populace, and all our specious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dahlberg/the-ruin-of-the-human-heart-is-self-interest-which-the-american/) [Edward Dahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dahlberg/) > [Ray Comfort's got a fabulous film. Oh boy, this is going to cause the halls of academia to have a few conversations around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-parshall/ray-comfort-s-got-a-fabulous-film-oh-boy-this-is-going-to-cause-the/) [Janet Parshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-parshall/) > [“I wonder how much I can tell Rowan about this. I need another girl’s analysis. My phone pings, and it’s her. RF: Need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-kemmerer/i-wonder-how-much-i-can-tell-rowan-about-this-i-need-another-girl-s/) [Brigid Kemmerer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-kemmerer/) > [No Angie, it's instant. Like when someone trips in the cafeteria and you're laughing so hard milk comes out of your nose, the guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lopez/no-angie-it-s-instant-like-when-someone-trips-in-the-cafeteria-and/) [George Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lopez/) > [People put on their earphones, they lay out their phones, they put - open up their computers, and they convince themselves that they're most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-woodruff/people-put-on-their-earphones-they-lay-out-their-phones-they-put-open/) [Judy Woodruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-woodruff/) > [I'm not good at having friends. I mean, I can make myself useful to people. I can fit in. I get invited to parties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/i-m-not-good-at-having-friends-i-mean-i-can-make-myself-useful-to/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [Christianity is not a cafeteria line where you say, “I’ll have a little salvation, but no Lordship right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/christianity-is-not-a-cafeteria-line-where-you-say-i-ll-have-a-little/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) [Browse all 83 Cafeteria quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cafeteria/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dating is like pushing your tray along in a cafeteria. 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