---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The bus driver gave me a…"
description: "\"“The bus driver gave me a why-the-hell-aren't-you-at-school look and I gave him a shut-up-you're-a-bus-driver-so-bus-drive look right back.”\" — Daniel ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/daniel-handler-1043_bus-driver_the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-ar_801816.jpg"
---

#  The bus driver gave me a why-the-hell-aren't-you-at-school…

![“The bus driver gave me a why-the-hell-aren't-you-at-school look and I gave him a shut-up-you're-a-bus-driver-so-bus-drive look right back.” quote by Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/daniel-handler-1043_bus-driver_the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-ar_801816.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/daniel-handler-1043_bus-driver_the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-ar_801816.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/daniel-handler-1043_bus-driver_the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-ar_801816.jpg)

> ““The bus driver gave me a why-the-hell-aren't-you-at-school look and I gave him a shut-up-you're-a-bus-driver-so-bus-drive look right back.””

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A witty retort shows how humor can defuse tension in confrontational moments.

**In simple terms:** Humor can defuse conflict.

Key Takeaway

Use humor to respond to aggression.

Themes

conflict humor communication

Mood

playful defensive

Type

sarcastic insightful

When to use this quote

- classroom disputes
- customer service
- family arguments

Key Concepts

social dynamics assertiveness wit

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you gauge appropriate humor?
- What alternatives exist?

A Different Perspective

Humor may be misinterpreted.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bus driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bus-driver/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/)

## Related quotes

> [“Without a driver this bus is lost. Our lives are over. Come aboard if your destination is oblivion - it should be our next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/without-a-driver-this-bus-is-lost-our-lives-are-over-come-aboard-if/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“Without a driver this bus is lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/without-a-driver-this-bus-is-lost/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [I legitimately would like to drive a yellow bus when I'm older so I've actually thought about - I want to be either a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-votto/i-legitimately-would-like-to-drive-a-yellow-bus-when-i-m-older-so-i/)

[Joey Votto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-votto/)

> [Everyone should ride the bus so that I can drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-montgomery/everyone-should-ride-the-bus-so-that-i-can-drive/)

Charles Montgomery

> [“Really? We are being herded on a bus to drive across town to an all-boy academy where we disembark and join our lonely counterparts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/really-we-are-being-herded-on-a-bus-to-drive-across-town-to-an-all/)

[Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/)

> [“At the end of the European leg, our lead guitar player pulled a knife on our bus driver in England. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duff-mckagan/at-the-end-of-the-european-leg-our-lead-guitar-player-pulled-a-knife/)

[Duff McKagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duff-mckagan/)

> [“Also today when you sit down to eat your meal, no matter where you are, try to think about the many people who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryusho-jeffus/also-today-when-you-sit-down-to-eat-your-meal-no-matter-where-you-are/)

[Ryusho Jeffus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryusho-jeffus/)

> [“In the twenty-first century it sounds childish to compare the human psyche to a steam engine. Today we know of a far more sophisticated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-twenty-first-century-it-sounds-childish-to-compare-the-human/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Our story of bus drivers reveals the existence of the proverbial elephant in the room. It shows that the living standards of the huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-story-of-bus-drivers-reveals-the-existence-of-the-proverbial/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We tilt our heads back and open wide. The snow drifts into our zombie mouths crawling with grease and curses and tobacco flakes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/we-tilt-our-heads-back-and-open-wide-the-snow-drifts-into-our-zombie/)

[Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/)

> [“So I am not a broken heart. I am not the weight I lost or miles or ran and I am not the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/so-i-am-not-a-broken-heart-i-am-not-the-weight-i-lost-or-miles-or-ran/)

[Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/)

> [“Strauss! Oh yes, he was so-so. He wrote pretty music- The Blue Danube and Tales from the Vienna Woods. But what is that compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-keene/strauss-oh-yes-he-was-so-so-he-wrote-pretty-music-the-blue-danube-and/)

[Carolyn Keene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-keene/)

> [They have no idea that it can be done by a bus driver, a field hand, or a fry cook. They have no idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/they-have-no-idea-that-it-can-be-done-by-a-bus-driver-a-field-hand-or/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Just when U think nothing can surprise U, U see a bus driver bring out a hand mirror to look at the cars behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laylow/just-when-u-think-nothing-can-surprise-u-u-see-a-bus-driver-bring-out/)

[Laylow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laylow/)

> [I'm very proud of being Italian-American, but people don't realize that the mafia is just this aberration. The real community is built on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/i-m-very-proud-of-being-italian-american-but-people-don-t-realize/)

[Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/)

## More by Daniel Handler

> [We laughed the rest of the way, because the point of this story is, it is not the cookies. It is the love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/we-laughed-the-rest-of-the-way-because-the-point-of-this-story-is-it/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I started making plans, thinking we would get that far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-started-making-plans-thinking-we-would-get-that-far/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I can't imagine why you would want to take your child to see what the career of a writer is like, because it mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-can-t-imagine-why-you-would-want-to-take-your-child-to-see-what-the/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“All the deaths are dead for nothing but you're not dead at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/all-the-deaths-are-dead-for-nothing-but-you-re-not-dead-at-all/)

[daniel handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“I love you so soundly and I will do anything to drag you forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-love-you-so-soundly-and-i-will-do-anything-to-drag-you-forward/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I’d ruin any day, all my days, for those long nights with you, and I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-d-ruin-any-day-all-my-days-for-those-long-nights-with-you-and-i-did/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [Chestnuts in stuffing tastes like someone chewed up a tree branch and then French-kissed it into your mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/chestnuts-in-stuffing-tastes-like-someone-chewed-up-a-tree-branch-and/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [Lemony Snicket. Now, I'm told - the books, of course, starting from the very first one, became hugely popular, selling millions and millions. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/lemony-snicket-now-i-m-told-the-books-of-course-starting-from-the/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“The matches were a little 'he loves me, he loves me not,' but then I saw right on the box that I had twenty-four,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-matches-were-a-little-he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not-but-then-i-saw/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I didn't like books where people played on a sports team and won a bunch of games, or went to summer camp and had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-didn-t-like-books-where-people-played-on-a-sports-team-and-won-a/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [I love no one but you, I have discovered, but you are far away and I am here alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-love-no-one-but-you-i-have-discovered-but-you-are-far-away-and-i-am/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [The Basic Eight and Watch Your Mouth both have first-person voices, and I ended up investigating those voices and investing so much in them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-basic-eight-and-watch-your-mouth-both-have-first-person-voices/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [The Long Goodbye' is one book I like to read over and over again, and it was an enormous inspiration for 'All The Wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-long-goodbye-is-one-book-i-like-to-read-over-and-over-again-and/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [The whole thing of what I’ve been trying,” you said, “is that you’re different, and you keep asking about the other girls, but what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-whole-thing-of-what-i-ve-been-trying-you-said-is-that-you-re/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [ I wrote a comedy, which hopefully \[Rick director\] Curtiss Clayton will bring to the screen, that I thought was the antithesis of all my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-wrote-a-comedy-which-hopefully-rick-director-curtiss-clayton-will/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

[Explore all 295 Daniel Handler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

## More Bus driver quotes

> [I'm very proud of being Italian-American, but people don't realize that the mafia is just this aberration. The real community is built on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/i-m-very-proud-of-being-italian-american-but-people-don-t-realize/)

[Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/)

> [“Also today when you sit down to eat your meal, no matter where you are, try to think about the many people who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryusho-jeffus/also-today-when-you-sit-down-to-eat-your-meal-no-matter-where-you-are/)

[Ryusho Jeffus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryusho-jeffus/)

> [“In the twenty-first century it sounds childish to compare the human psyche to a steam engine. Today we know of a far more sophisticated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-twenty-first-century-it-sounds-childish-to-compare-the-human/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Our story of bus drivers reveals the existence of the proverbial elephant in the room. It shows that the living standards of the huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-story-of-bus-drivers-reveals-the-existence-of-the-proverbial/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [They have no idea that it can be done by a bus driver, a field hand, or a fry cook. They have no idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/they-have-no-idea-that-it-can-be-done-by-a-bus-driver-a-field-hand-or/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“At the end of the European leg, our lead guitar player pulled a knife on our bus driver in England. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duff-mckagan/at-the-end-of-the-european-leg-our-lead-guitar-player-pulled-a-knife/)

[Duff McKagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duff-mckagan/)

> [Just when U think nothing can surprise U, U see a bus driver bring out a hand mirror to look at the cars behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laylow/just-when-u-think-nothing-can-surprise-u-u-see-a-bus-driver-bring-out/)

[Laylow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laylow/)

> [“Strauss! Oh yes, he was so-so. He wrote pretty music- The Blue Danube and Tales from the Vienna Woods. But what is that compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-keene/strauss-oh-yes-he-was-so-so-he-wrote-pretty-music-the-blue-danube-and/)

[Carolyn Keene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-keene/)

> [“So I am not a broken heart. I am not the weight I lost or miles or ran and I am not the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/so-i-am-not-a-broken-heart-i-am-not-the-weight-i-lost-or-miles-or-ran/)

[Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/)

> [We tilt our heads back and open wide. The snow drifts into our zombie mouths crawling with grease and curses and tobacco flakes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/we-tilt-our-heads-back-and-open-wide-the-snow-drifts-into-our-zombie/)

[Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/)

> [“In the vast majority of cases, however, getting into trouble has nothing to do with one's self-esteem. It usually has much more to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/in-the-vast-majority-of-cases-however-getting-into-trouble-has/)

[Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/)

> [You know who we hear about all the rappers from? The bus drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-auerbach/you-know-who-we-hear-about-all-the-rappers-from-the-bus-drivers/)

[Dan Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-auerbach/)

> [I don't like driving through the rain. Your tour is only going to go as good as your bus driver, kinda like your band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piggy-d/i-don-t-like-driving-through-the-rain-your-tour-is-only-going-to-go/)

[Piggy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piggy-d/)

> [You can't have bank holding companies acting as hedge funds. You can't have them taking a million-dollar pension plan for Joe Schmo the bus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shia-labeouf/you-can-t-have-bank-holding-companies-acting-as-hedge-funds-you-can-t/)

[Shia LaBeouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shia-labeouf/)

> [If a lawyer, if a teacher, if a bus driver, if they're on $40,000 and they get offered a lot more to go somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-bill-williams/if-a-lawyer-if-a-teacher-if-a-bus-driver-if-they-re-on-40-000-and/)

[Sonny Bill Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-bill-williams/)

[Browse all 104 Bus driver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bus-driver/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The bus driver gave me a why-the-hell-aren't-you-at-school look and I gave him a shut-up-you're-a-bus-driver-so-bus-drive look right back.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Daniel Handler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-aren-t-you-at-school-look-and-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bus driver"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-aren-t-you-at-school-look-and-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/daniel-handler-1043_bus-driver_the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-ar_801816.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/daniel-handler-1043_bus-driver_the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-ar_801816.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/daniel-handler-1043_bus-driver_the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-ar_801816.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The bus driver gave me a why-the-hell-aren't-you-at-school look and I gave him a…” — Daniel Handler",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Daniel Handler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The bus driver gave me a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-aren-t-you-at-school-look-and-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/the-bus-driver-gave-me-a-why-the-hell-aren-t-you-at-school-look-and-i/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```