--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainly nobody in the large grubby…" description: "\"“Certainly nobody in the large grubby restaurant 'wanted to know'. My two fellow-diners were truck drivers being eyed hopefully by five adolescent girl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/346/dervla-murphy-20135_diners_certainly-nobody-in-the-large-grubby-res_3112344.jpg" --- # Certainly nobody in the large grubby restaurant 'wanted to… ![“Certainly nobody in the large grubby restaurant 'wanted to know'. My two fellow-diners were truck drivers being eyed hopefully by five adolescent girls in tawdry attire, clustered around the courtyard doorway. 'Two into five doesn't go,' I reflected. But perhaps these two would go into five if…” quote by Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/346/dervla-murphy-20135_diners_certainly-nobody-in-the-large-grubby-res_3112344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/346/dervla-murphy-20135_diners_certainly-nobody-in-the-large-grubby-res_3112344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/346/dervla-murphy-20135_diners_certainly-nobody-in-the-large-grubby-res_3112344.jpg) > ““Certainly nobody in the large grubby restaurant 'wanted to know'. My two fellow-diners were truck drivers being eyed hopefully by five adolescent girls in tawdry attire, clustered around the courtyard doorway. 'Two into five doesn't go,' I reflected. But perhaps these two would go into five if their charges were low enough.”” [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator observes social dynamics where superficial judgments and expectations affect interactions, highlighting class and gender perceptions. **In simple terms:** People judge and act based on appearances and expectations. Key Takeaway Be aware of biases in social settings. Themes social perception class gender travel Mood observational humorous Type reflective critical When to use this quote - restaurants - group travel - cross‑cultural encounters - young women in public spaces Key Concepts Sociology anthropology Questions to Reflect On - How do appearances shape our expectations? - What assumptions do we make about others? A Different Perspective Narrative may exaggerate for humor, limiting factual accuracy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolescent Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescent-girls-646546/) [Diners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diners/) [Diners Truck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diners-truck-5438532/) [Drivers Eyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drivers-eyed-5438533/) [Truck Drivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truck-drivers/) ## Related quotes > [I think there are a lot of Republicans who recognize that investment in adolescent girls and empowering them is good for our foreign policy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-shaheen/i-think-there-are-a-lot-of-republicans-who-recognize-that-investment/) [Jeanne Shaheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-shaheen/) > [Adolescent girls were fighting a mother's interference because they wanted her to acknowledge their independence. Whatever resentment they had was not towards a mother's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescent-girls-were-fighting-a-mother-s-interference-because-they/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [This is the hope of many adolescent girls--to capture a parent's heart with love for them as they are, as people. They reject thenotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/this-is-the-hope-of-many-adolescent-girls-to-capture-a-parent-s-heart/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [In India, while there are some initiatives working with and for adolescent girls, there are too few state sponsored programmes for adolescent boys, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohini-nilekani/in-india-while-there-are-some-initiatives-working-with-and-for/) [Rohini Nilekani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohini-nilekani/) > [Babies did not attract me, and I was altogether without the maternal sense so highly developed in small and adolescent girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-levi-montalcini/babies-did-not-attract-me-and-i-was-altogether-without-the-maternal/) [Rita Levi-Montalcini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-levi-montalcini/) > [When it comes to being slaves to fashion, American managers make adolescent girls look like rugged individualists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-nunberg/when-it-comes-to-being-slaves-to-fashion-american-managers-make/) [Geoffrey Nunberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-nunberg/) > [“Finally I teach the joys of altruism. Many adolescent girls are self-absorbed. It's not a character flaw, it's a developmental stage. Nonetheless, in makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/finally-i-teach-the-joys-of-altruism-many-adolescent-girls-are-self/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Young women, adolescent girls, are more subject to infection, sometimes at a rate of six times that of boys. That tells you a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-lewis/young-women-adolescent-girls-are-more-subject-to-infection-sometimes/) [Stephen Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-lewis/) > [I always felt that anorexia was the form of breakdown most readily available to adolescent girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beckinsale/i-always-felt-that-anorexia-was-the-form-of-breakdown-most-readily/) [Kate Beckinsale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beckinsale/) > [ \[10 Things I Hate About You\] keeps popping up, and it's become a go-to film specifically for adolescent girls who are trying to find… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krumholtz/10-things-i-hate-about-you-keeps-popping-up-and-it-s-become-a-go-to/) [David Krumholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krumholtz/) > [I believe the biggest challenge is just getting the courage to try something different or new. Try to forget the stereotype in your mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-bush/i-believe-the-biggest-challenge-is-just-getting-the-courage-to-try/) [Kristian Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-bush/) > [I'm driving my old car until I'm on a first name basis with the low tow truck drivers!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-singletary/i-m-driving-my-old-car-until-i-m-on-a-first-name-basis-with-the-low/) [Michelle Singletary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-singletary/) > [You see, I used to do a certain amount of market research by going to the local drugstore and seeing what the truck drivers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/you-see-i-used-to-do-a-certain-amount-of-market-research-by-going-to/) [Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/) > [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [His saliva tasted like the wet dicks of ten thousand lonely truck drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/his-saliva-tasted-like-the-wet-dicks-of-ten-thousand-lonely-truck/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More by Dervla Murphy > [“Even a brief glimpse of what we were is valuable to help understand what we are”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/even-a-brief-glimpse-of-what-we-were-is-valuable-to-help-understand/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [one feels guilty on behalf of Western civilisation. What damage are we doing, blindly and swiftly, to those races who are being taught that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/one-feels-guilty-on-behalf-of-western-civilisation-what-damage-are-we/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [The Irish have a flair for wringing from death the last drop of emotion and they do not quite understand those who react otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/the-irish-have-a-flair-for-wringing-from-death-the-last-drop-of/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [On my tenth birthday a bicycle and an atlas coincided as presents and a few days later I decided to cycle to India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/on-my-tenth-birthday-a-bicycle-and-an-atlas-coincided-as-presents-and/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [Undoubtedly the Afghans must be, by our standards, the best-looking people in the world. They have everything; height, proportions, carriage, features and complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/undoubtedly-the-afghans-must-be-by-our-standards-the-best-looking/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [“I thank God for my sanguine temperament, which refuses to allow me to believe in disaster until it is finally manifest”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/i-thank-god-for-my-sanguine-temperament-which-refuses-to-allow-me-to/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [ \[On Addis Ababa:\] Among the city's handicaps are an immaturity for which no one can be blamed, as it was founded only eighty years… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/on-addis-ababa-among-the-city-s-handicaps-are-an-immaturity-for-which/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [Buying a bicycle is a momentous event, akin to marriage: you are acquiring a partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/buying-a-bicycle-is-a-momentous-event-akin-to-marriage-you-are/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [one of the advantages of cycling is that it automatically prevents a journey from becoming an Expedition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/one-of-the-advantages-of-cycling-is-that-it-automatically-prevents-a/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [hatred, however apparently justifiable, excusable or inevitable, always damages the hater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/hatred-however-apparently-justifiable-excusable-or-inevitable-always/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [On my tenth birthday a bicycle and an atlas coincided as gifts, and a few days later I decided to cycle to India...However, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/on-my-tenth-birthday-a-bicycle-and-an-atlas-coincided-as-gifts-and-a/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [Is this something else our age does - on the one hand make communication easier than ever before, while on the other hand widening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/is-this-something-else-our-age-does-on-the-one-hand-make/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [apartheid still hangs in the air like a poisonous cloud left over from chemical warfare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/apartheid-still-hangs-in-the-air-like-a-poisonous-cloud-left-over/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [the sudden violent dispossession accompanying a refugee flight is much more than the loss of a permanent home and a traditional occupation, or than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/the-sudden-violent-dispossession-accompanying-a-refugee-flight-is/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [... strong bonds are forged in high emotional temperatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/strong-bonds-are-forged-in-high-emotional-temperatures/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) [Explore all 31 Dervla Murphy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) ## More Diners quotes > [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [They say it doesn't get any more Jersey than 24-hour diners. Of course, they say the same thing about women with big hair, hapless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/they-say-it-doesn-t-get-any-more-jersey-than-24-hour-diners-of-course/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) > [A poet could write volumes about diners, because they're so beautiful. They're brightly lit, with chrome and booths and Naugahyde and great waitresses. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/a-poet-could-write-volumes-about-diners-because-they-re-so-beautiful/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [“This is the Mona Lisa of bad diners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/this-is-the-mona-lisa-of-bad-diners/) [Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/) > [I am back in LA now. And I keep thinking back to my time in New York after the bombings… I was crying so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-am-back-in-la-now-and-i-keep-thinking-back-to-my-time-in-new-york/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [After almost exactly three hours, we rolled into a small hole of a town that had one traffic light and a resturant simply marked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/after-almost-exactly-three-hours-we-rolled-into-a-small-hole-of-a/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [My parents owned a soul food diner. It inspired me to go to culinary school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavor-flav/my-parents-owned-a-soul-food-diner-it-inspired-me-to-go-to-culinary/) [Flavor Flav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavor-flav/) > [You're told that you're in your head too much, a phrase that's often deployed against the quiet and cerebral. Or maybe there's another word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/you-re-told-that-you-re-in-your-head-too-much-a-phrase-that-s-often/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [ The whole acting and Hollywood \[thing\], it's just work to me. Stand-up comedy ruins you so badly for doing television. I don't really need… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/the-whole-acting-and-hollywood-thing-it-s-just-work-to-me-stand-up/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [For the most part, Australian diners are familiar with kimchi, Korean fried chicken and even bimbimbap - those deliciously nourishing bowls of rice topped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leong/for-the-most-part-australian-diners-are-familiar-with-kimchi-korean/) [Melissa Leong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leong/) > [A restaurant is a fantasy-a kind of living fantasy in which diners are the most important members of the cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warner-leroy/a-restaurant-is-a-fantasy-a-kind-of-living-fantasy-in-which-diners/) [Warner LeRoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warner-leroy/) > [Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/sitting-at-the-table-doesn-t-make-you-a-diner-unless-you-eat-some-of/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [In the middle of nowhere, along a quiet stretch of road, the diner dreamt of the hungry dead. And of two men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/in-the-middle-of-nowhere-along-a-quiet-stretch-of-road-the-diner/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [You asked me if I believed in magic, and I said yes, and that's how. You just step out, start pulling your life out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-barkley/you-asked-me-if-i-believed-in-magic-and-i-said-yes-and-that-s-how-you/) [Brad Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-barkley/) > [If you owe too much on American Express, and your Diner's Club notes are too hard, take a loan on your Visa, and pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nipsey-russell/if-you-owe-too-much-on-american-express-and-your-diner-s-club-notes/) [Nipsey Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nipsey-russell/) [Browse all 98 Diners quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diners/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Certainly nobody in the large grubby restaurant 'wanted to know'. My two fellow-diners were truck drivers being eyed hopefully by five adolescent girls in tawdry attire, clustered around the courtyard doorway. 'Two into five doesn't go,' I reflected. 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