---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now at the breakfast table, watching him…"
description: "\"“Now at the breakfast table, watching him eat my toast, \"Don't take no for an answer\" seemed like the attitude of a privileged guy who didn't care who ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/e-lockhart-1636_summer-house_now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him_376069.png"
---

#  Now at the breakfast table, watching him eat my toast…

![“Now at the breakfast table, watching him eat my toast, &quot;Don't take no for an answer&quot; seemed like the attitude of a privileged guy who didn't care who got hurt, so long as his wife had the cute statues she wanted to display in her summer house.” quote by E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/e-lockhart-1636_summer-house_now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him_376069.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/e-lockhart-1636_summer-house_now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him_376069.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/e-lockhart-1636_summer-house_now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him_376069.png)

> ““Now at the breakfast table, watching him eat my toast, "Don't take no for an answer" seemed like the attitude of a privileged guy who didn't care who got hurt, so long as his wife had the cute statues she wanted to display in her summer house.””

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

## About This Quote

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

A privileged attitude dismisses consequences, focusing on personal desire for decorative objects despite others’ harm.

**In simple terms:** Selfishness ignores impact on others.

Key Takeaway

Consider consequences of selfish actions.

Themes

privilege selfishness consequences

Mood

critical reflective

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- consumer choices
- social interactions

Key Concepts

ethical responsibility social impact personal desire

Questions to Reflect On

- How does privilege shape attitudes?
- What responsibilities come with desire for?

A Different Perspective

May overlook systemic factors.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Summer House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-house/)

## Related quotes

> [“Don’t take no for an answer” seemed like the attitude of a privileged guy who didn’t care who got hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart-2/don-t-take-no-for-an-answer-seemed-like-the-attitude-of-a-privileged/)

[E.lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart-2/)

> [“I just want to wake up in the morning and for the light to be on, and I want to stop feeling like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-just-want-to-wake-up-in-the-morning-and-for-the-light-to-be-on-and/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [When you go to a restaurant, sometimes you want to go to Heston Blumenthal's where you hear the sound of the sea while you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisling-bea/when-you-go-to-a-restaurant-sometimes-you-want-to-go-to-heston/)

[Aisling Bea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisling-bea/)

> [“The worst thing in the world can happen, but the next day the sun will come up. And you will eat your toast. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhian-ellis/the-worst-thing-in-the-world-can-happen-but-the-next-day-the-sun-will/)

Rhian Ellis

> [When I was 11, I realised that I did not have to live the life my mother had: school, marriage, children, apartment, summer house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maj-sjowall/when-i-was-11-i-realised-that-i-did-not-have-to-live-the-life-my/)

[Maj Sjowall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maj-sjowall/)

> [In my college years, I would retreat to our summer house for two weeks in June to read a novel a day. How exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/in-my-college-years-i-would-retreat-to-our-summer-house-for-two-weeks/)

[Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/)

> [“My favorite moment in Jeanne Moreau's latest movie--a comedy called The Summer House --takes place in a kitchen, when she proclaims that every human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/my-favorite-moment-in-jeanne-moreau-s-latest-movie-a-comedy-called/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“On the back part of the step, toward the right, I saw a small iridescent sphere of almost unbearable brilliance. At first I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/on-the-back-part-of-the-step-toward-the-right-i-saw-a-small/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [“Leah and Gregory met through friends. I imagine the introduction was something like, “Hey, he’s rich and has a summer house in Montecito and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-palmer/leah-and-gregory-met-through-friends-i-imagine-the-introduction-was/)

[Liza Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-palmer/)

> [“That’s it,” Mabel said, getting up. She tossed her napkin on the table. “No. That is not right. I don’t know what you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/that-s-it-mabel-said-getting-up-she-tossed-her-napkin-on-the-table-no/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [“The sketch of the summer-house which she had given me on the morning of our farewell, and which had never been separated from me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/the-sketch-of-the-summer-house-which-she-had-given-me-on-the-morning/)

[Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/)

> [“I’d stayed away for two years. I had to. I knew I shouldn’t even be at the summer house, because being there, being near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/i-d-stayed-away-for-two-years-i-had-to-i-knew-i-shouldn-t-even-be-at/)

[Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/)

> [When I was in New York, I was making a living. We had a summer house and a car that I could put in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/when-i-was-in-new-york-i-was-making-a-living-we-had-a-summer-house/)

[William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/)

> [Regular women carry pictures of their babies, their husbands, their summer houses. Fat ladies carry pictures of themselves at their skinniest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/regular-women-carry-pictures-of-their-babies-their-husbands-their/)

[Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/)

> [I could tell I was going to like this guy. We partied hard the rest of the night and I dont remember much, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/i-could-tell-i-was-going-to-like-this-guy-we-partied-hard-the-rest-of/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

## More by E. Lockhart

> [“She makes the world seem shiny and sunlit. -Noel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/she-makes-the-world-seem-shiny-and-sunlit-noel/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“And then he's grabbing my hand, and pulling me into a storage room they use for art supplies. And he puts his finger to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/and-then-he-s-grabbing-my-hand-and-pulling-me-into-a-storage-room/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“Noel shook his head. "You think better of this scene than I do, Ruby. Don't you see how fake those girls are? Let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/noel-shook-his-head-you-think-better-of-this-scene-than-i-do-ruby-don/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“the best way to avoid having your heart broken was to pretend you don’t have one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/the-best-way-to-avoid-having-your-heart-broken-was-to-pretend-you-don/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [Secrets are more powerful when people know you've got them," said Mr. Sutton. "You show them the tiniest edge of your secret, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/secrets-are-more-powerful-when-people-know-you-ve-got-them-said-mr/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“Also, I was living in the middle of my parents' marriage. No one ever says this about families, and maybe people who aren't only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/also-i-was-living-in-the-middle-of-my-parents-marriage-no-one-ever/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“At least, these guys were looking. And seeing something. A milkshake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/at-least-these-guys-were-looking-and-seeing-something-a-milkshake/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [...Mr. Wodehouse is a prose stylist of such startling talent that Frankie nearly skipped around with glee when she first read some of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/mr-wodehouse-is-a-prose-stylist-of-such-startling-talent-that-frankie/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“Why is it a good idea for you and not a good idea for me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/why-is-it-a-good-idea-for-you-and-not-a-good-idea-for-me/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“Now, he was free to go forth and make a name for himself in the wide, wide world. And maybe, just maybe, he'd come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/now-he-was-free-to-go-forth-and-make-a-name-for-himself-in-the-wide/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“It doesn't matter if one of us is desperately, desperately in love. So much in love, that equally desperate measures must be taken”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/it-doesn-t-matter-if-one-of-us-is-desperately-desperately-in-love-so/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“The presentation of self in everyday life. This guy Goffman had the idea that in different situations, you perform yourself differently. Your character isn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/the-presentation-of-self-in-everyday-life-this-guy-goffman-had-the/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“She made me act normal. Because I was. Because I could. She told me to breathe and sit up. And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/she-made-me-act-normal-because-i-was-because-i-could-she-told-me-to/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“And now, she was walking down the hall with her books clutched to her chest, looking down at the floor while guys called, "Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/and-now-she-was-walking-down-the-hall-with-her-books-clutched-to-her/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [“Please, that is so antiquated. The institutions of male supremacy only have real power over you if you buy into that notion. Go found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/please-that-is-so-antiquated-the-institutions-of-male-supremacy-only/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

[Explore all 218 E. Lockhart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

## More Summer House quotes

> [I could tell I was going to like this guy. We partied hard the rest of the night and I dont remember much, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/i-could-tell-i-was-going-to-like-this-guy-we-partied-hard-the-rest-of/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [Regular women carry pictures of their babies, their husbands, their summer houses. Fat ladies carry pictures of themselves at their skinniest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/regular-women-carry-pictures-of-their-babies-their-husbands-their/)

[Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/)

> [When I was in New York, I was making a living. We had a summer house and a car that I could put in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/when-i-was-in-new-york-i-was-making-a-living-we-had-a-summer-house/)

[William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/)

> [“I’d stayed away for two years. I had to. I knew I shouldn’t even be at the summer house, because being there, being near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/i-d-stayed-away-for-two-years-i-had-to-i-knew-i-shouldn-t-even-be-at/)

[Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/)

> [“The sketch of the summer-house which she had given me on the morning of our farewell, and which had never been separated from me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/the-sketch-of-the-summer-house-which-she-had-given-me-on-the-morning/)

[Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/)

> [“That’s it,” Mabel said, getting up. She tossed her napkin on the table. “No. That is not right. I don’t know what you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/that-s-it-mabel-said-getting-up-she-tossed-her-napkin-on-the-table-no/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [“Leah and Gregory met through friends. I imagine the introduction was something like, “Hey, he’s rich and has a summer house in Montecito and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-palmer/leah-and-gregory-met-through-friends-i-imagine-the-introduction-was/)

[Liza Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-palmer/)

> [“On the back part of the step, toward the right, I saw a small iridescent sphere of almost unbearable brilliance. At first I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/on-the-back-part-of-the-step-toward-the-right-i-saw-a-small/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [“My favorite moment in Jeanne Moreau's latest movie--a comedy called The Summer House --takes place in a kitchen, when she proclaims that every human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/my-favorite-moment-in-jeanne-moreau-s-latest-movie-a-comedy-called/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [In my college years, I would retreat to our summer house for two weeks in June to read a novel a day. How exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/in-my-college-years-i-would-retreat-to-our-summer-house-for-two-weeks/)

[Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/)

> [When I was 11, I realised that I did not have to live the life my mother had: school, marriage, children, apartment, summer house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maj-sjowall/when-i-was-11-i-realised-that-i-did-not-have-to-live-the-life-my/)

[Maj Sjowall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maj-sjowall/)

[Browse all 12 Summer House quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-house/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Now at the breakfast table, watching him eat my toast, \"Don't take no for an answer\" seemed like the attitude of a privileged guy who didn't care who got hurt, so long as his wife had the cute statues she wanted to display in her summer house.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "E. Lockhart"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him-eat-my-toast-don-t-take-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Summer House"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him-eat-my-toast-don-t-take-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/e-lockhart-1636_summer-house_now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him_376069.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/e-lockhart-1636_summer-house_now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him_376069.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/e-lockhart-1636_summer-house_now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him_376069.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Now at the breakfast table, watching him eat my toast, \"Don't take no for an answer\" seemed like the…” — E. Lockhart",
                "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": "E. Lockhart",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Now at the breakfast table, watching...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him-eat-my-toast-don-t-take-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/now-at-the-breakfast-table-watching-him-eat-my-toast-don-t-take-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
