--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first thing they saw on leaving the…" description: "\"“The first thing they saw on leaving the elevator was a long concrete wall with over fifty doors in it offering lavatory facilities for all of fifty ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/douglas-adams-122_elevator_the-first-thing-they-saw-on-leaving-the_1534792.jpg" --- # The first thing they saw on leaving the elevator was a… ![“The first thing they saw on leaving the elevator was a long concrete wall with over fifty doors in it offering lavatory facilities for all of fifty major life forms. Nevertheless, like every parking lot in the Galaxy throughout the entire history of parking lots, this parking lot smelled…” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/douglas-adams-122_elevator_the-first-thing-they-saw-on-leaving-the_1534792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/douglas-adams-122_elevator_the-first-thing-they-saw-on-leaving-the_1534792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/douglas-adams-122_elevator_the-first-thing-they-saw-on-leaving-the_1534792.jpg) > ““The first thing they saw on leaving the elevator was a long concrete wall with over fifty doors in it offering lavatory facilities for all of fifty major life forms. Nevertheless, like every parking lot in the Galaxy throughout the entire history of parking lots, this parking lot smelled predominantly of impatience.”” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A futuristic parking garage is described as a massive, impersonal space that reflects universal impatience. **In simple terms:** A huge parking lot shows universal impatience. Key Takeaway Recognize impatience in shared spaces. Themes humor science fiction urban life Mood wry reflective Type literary satirical When to use this quote - airport terminals - shopping malls - online queues - traffic jams Key Concepts absurdism social commentary architecture Questions to Reflect On - What does the parking lot symbolize? - How does impatience affect design? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overlook genuine needs for order. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Holy Zarquon, did I ask for an existentialist elevator?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/holy-zarquon-did-i-ask-for-an-existentialist-elevator/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Marvin," he said, "just get this elevator go up will you? We've got to get to Zarniwoop." "Why?" asked Marvin dolefully. 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We certainly felt that our numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-carney/i-guess-the-good-news-that-the-summer-travel-season-that-we-were/) [Karen Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-carney/) > [So, the point I'm making is, we are not going to cut spending in Washington if we think it's the job of every congressman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-demint/so-the-point-i-m-making-is-we-are-not-going-to-cut-spending-in/) [Jim DeMint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-demint/) > [I would love to play an H Mart parking lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-zauner/i-would-love-to-play-an-h-mart-parking-lot/) [Michelle Zauner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-zauner/) > [Whatever vocation you decide on, track down the best people in the world at doing it and surround yourself with them. 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"Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Elevator quotes > [The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-girard/the-elevator-to-success-is-out-of-order-you-ll-have-to-use-the-stairs/) [Joe Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-girard/) > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The rent should rise with the elevator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-rent-should-rise-with-the-elevator/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Every time I get in an elevator, the operator says the same thing to me: 'Basement?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/every-time-i-get-in-an-elevator-the-operator-says-the-same-thing-to/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [Almost all of us have an elevator or two in our lives somewhere. We wait for them, we ride on them. We're annoyed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/almost-all-of-us-have-an-elevator-or-two-in-our-lives-somewhere-we/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [“He stepped aside, allowing me back into the hallway. As we headed to another elevator, he was glued to my hip. "As close as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/he-stepped-aside-allowing-me-back-into-the-hallway-as-we-headed-to/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [The elevator shaft was a kind of heat sink. Hot food was cold by the time it arrived. Cold food got colder. No one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-elevator-shaft-was-a-kind-of-heat-sink-hot-food-was-cold-by-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [When I get in an elevator, before I press a button, I look at everyone inside & say: Are you ready to take this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itsme867/when-i-get-in-an-elevator-before-i-press-a-button-i-look-at-everyone/) Itsme867 > [Life tells you to take the elevator, but love tells you to take the stairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/life-tells-you-to-take-the-elevator-but-love-tells-you-to-take-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“in the blink of an eye, one’s whole world could take a swan dive; the elevator from heaven to hell was a fast-moving one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-rose/in-the-blink-of-an-eye-one-s-whole-world-could-take-a-swan-dive-the/) [Sierra Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-rose/) > [“Things to do in an elevator: Install a glass display, like in a museum, over the floor buttons and have a sign affixed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/things-to-do-in-an-elevator-install-a-glass-display-like-in-a-museum/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The reason I quit being a sales manager over twenty years now is because I hate elevator pitches. I want to write stories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/the-reason-i-quit-being-a-sales-manager-over-twenty-years-now-is/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [“Marvin," he said, "just get this elevator go up will you? We've got to get to Zarniwoop." "Why?" asked Marvin dolefully. "I don't know,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/marvin-he-said-just-get-this-elevator-go-up-will-you-we-ve-got-to-get/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [After seeing 'Big,' I wanted an elevator that opened directly into my apartment, just like Tom Hanks did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/after-seeing-big-i-wanted-an-elevator-that-opened-directly-into-my/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [Before, I would play a little hoops, a little tennis. Now it's more yoga, Pilates, stretching, some light weight work, push-ups, sit-ups, resistance things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-roberts/before-i-would-play-a-little-hoops-a-little-tennis-now-it-s-more-yoga/) [Robin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-roberts/) Browse all 240 Elevator quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The first thing they saw on leaving the elevator was a long concrete wall with over fifty doors in it offering lavatory facilities for all of fifty major life forms. 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