--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is a bore? Maxwell definition: a…" description: "\"What is a bore? Maxwell definition: a vacuum cleaner of society, sucking up everything and giving nothing. How do you spot one? Bores are always anxiou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/elsa-maxwell-18439_bore_what-is-a-bore-maxwell-definition-a-vacu_2596907.jpg" --- # What is a bore? Maxwell definition: a vacuum cleaner of… ![“What is a bore? Maxwell definition: a vacuum cleaner of society, sucking up everything and giving nothing. How do you spot one? Bores are always anxious to be seen talking to you.” quote by Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/elsa-maxwell-18439_bore_what-is-a-bore-maxwell-definition-a-vacu_2596907.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/elsa-maxwell-18439_bore_what-is-a-bore-maxwell-definition-a-vacu_2596907.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/elsa-maxwell-18439_bore_what-is-a-bore-maxwell-definition-a-vacu_2596907.jpg) > “What is a bore? Maxwell definition: a vacuum cleaner of society, sucking up everything and giving nothing. How do you spot one? Bores are always anxious to be seen talking to you.” [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A bore is someone who drains social energy without contributing, often seeking attention through empty chatter. **In simple terms:** Bores are social energy‑drainers. Key Takeaway Avoid or redirect boring interactions. Themes social dynamics communication energy attention personality Mood frustrated observant Type social practical When to use this quote - networking events - team meetings - social gatherings Key Concepts attention seeking social fatigue conversation quality Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a conversation is unproductive? - How can you politely disengage? A Different Perspective Bores may be misunderstood introverts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bores you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bores-you/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) ## Related quotes > [In hell they will bore you, in heaven you will bore them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/in-hell-they-will-bore-you-in-heaven-you-will-bore-them/) [Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/) > [A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-leston-taylor/a-bore-is-a-man-who-when-you-ask-him-how-he-is-tells-you/) Bert Leston Taylor > [A bore is a vacuum cleaner of society, sucking up everything and giving nothing. Bores are always eager to be seen talking to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/a-bore-is-a-vacuum-cleaner-of-society-sucking-up-everything-and/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Work/Loaf Ratio”...I have spent fourteen years perfecting... I won't bore you with a long-winded explanation of the “W/LR” save to say that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-reilly/work-loaf-ratio-i-have-spent-fourteen-years-perfecting-i-won-t-bore/) [Gary Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-reilly/) > [I am convinced that boredom is one of the greatest tortures. If I were to imagine Hell, it would be the place where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/i-am-convinced-that-boredom-is-one-of-the-greatest-tortures-if-i-were/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [If beginnings terrify you, or if you just plain don't like writing them, or if they bore you, skip 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/if-beginnings-terrify-you-or-if-you-just-plain-don-t-like-writing/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [The world is eaten up by boredom. You can't see it all at once. It is like dust. You go about and never notice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bernanos/the-world-is-eaten-up-by-boredom-you-can-t-see-it-all-at-once-it-is/) [Georges Bernanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bernanos/) > [When the silence bores you, let the music play; when the music bores you, let the silence play!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-the-silence-bores-you-let-the-music-play-when-the-music-bores/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [If God bores you, tell Him that He bores you, that you prefer the vilest amusements to His presence, that you only feel at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/if-god-bores-you-tell-him-that-he-bores-you-that-you-prefer-the/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [I loved the towns I grew up in as a boy, and after I became a celebrity, I went back several times. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/i-loved-the-towns-i-grew-up-in-as-a-boy-and-after-i-became-a/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [Love your mother, she bore you. Love your father, he works for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-gaye/love-your-mother-she-bore-you-love-your-father-he-works-for-you/) [Marvin Gaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-gaye/) > [I don't mind people putting us down, because if everybody really liked us, it would be a bore. You've got to have people putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-don-t-mind-people-putting-us-down-because-if-everybody-really-liked/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [ We should all know this: that listening is not talking; \[it\] is the gifted and great role and the imaginative role. And the true… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/we-should-all-know-this-that-listening-is-not-talking-it-is-the/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [Trivial participation ultimately bores you, leaves behind a sense of shallowness, contributes little to your deeper sense of life. Significant participation, on the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henryk-skolimowski/trivial-participation-ultimately-bores-you-leaves-behind-a-sense-of/) [Henryk Skolimowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henryk-skolimowski/) > [Grammar is to a writer what anatomy is to a sculptor, or the scales to a musician. You may loathe it, it may bore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-chute/grammar-is-to-a-writer-what-anatomy-is-to-a-sculptor-or-the-scales-to/) B. J. Chute ## More by Elsa Maxwell > [I don't hate anyone. I dislike. But my dislike is the equivalent of anyone else's hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/i-don-t-hate-anyone-i-dislike-but-my-dislike-is-the-equivalent-of/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Fight fire with fire. If you must have bores, always put them together or at the same table ... bores have an effervescent chemical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/fight-fire-with-fire-if-you-must-have-bores-always-put-them-together/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Serve the dinner backward, do anything - but for goodness sake, do something weird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/serve-the-dinner-backward-do-anything-but-for-goodness-sake-do/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Giving parties is a trivial avocation, but it pays the dues for my union card in humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/giving-parties-is-a-trivial-avocation-but-it-pays-the-dues-for-my/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [People who have escaped from poverty are like old soldiers. In later years they recount the little, amusing incidents that happened infrequently, and conveniently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/people-who-have-escaped-from-poverty-are-like-old-soldiers-in-later/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Seeing unhappiness in the marriage of friends, I was content to have chosen music and laughter as a substitute for a husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/seeing-unhappiness-in-the-marriage-of-friends-i-was-content-to-have/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Good manners - the longer I live the more convinced I am of it - are a priceless insurance against failure and loneliness. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/good-manners-the-longer-i-live-the-more-convinced-i-am-of-it-are-a/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [don't try for wit. Settle for humor. You'll last longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/don-t-try-for-wit-settle-for-humor-you-ll-last-longer/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Protocol may be defined as the code of etiquette which protects royalty from the competition of intellectual and social superiors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/protocol-may-be-defined-as-the-code-of-etiquette-which-protects/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Keep your talent in the dark and you'll never be insulted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/keep-your-talent-in-the-dark-and-you-ll-never-be-insulted/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [A bore is a vacuum cleaner of society, sucking up everything and giving nothing. Bores are always eager to be seen talking to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/a-bore-is-a-vacuum-cleaner-of-society-sucking-up-everything-and/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Someone said that life is a party. You join in after it's started and leave before it's finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/someone-said-that-life-is-a-party-you-join-in-after-it-s-started-and/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [the wealthy ... live in marble mausoleums surrounded by the suspicions and neuroses that have replaced the medieval moats which once isolated so-called aristocrats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/the-wealthy-live-in-marble-mausoleums-surrounded-by-the-suspicions/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [Existence is a party. You join after its started and you leave before its finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/existence-is-a-party-you-join-after-its-started-and-you-leave-before/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [The loudest psalm singer in the congregation always is a reformed sinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/the-loudest-psalm-singer-in-the-congregation-always-is-a-reformed/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) [Explore all 35 Elsa Maxwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) ## More Bore quotes > [It's a bore - B-O-R-E - when you find you've begun to rot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/it-s-a-bore-b-o-r-e-when-you-find-you-ve-begun-to-rot/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-distinctions-of-fine-art-bore-me-to-death/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [He was not only a bore; he bored for England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/he-was-not-only-a-bore-he-bored-for-england/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [A bore is someone who takes away my solitude and doesn't give me companionship in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-bore-is-someone-who-takes-away-my-solitude-and-doesn-t-give-me/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The way to be a bore is to say everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-way-to-be-a-bore-is-to-say-everything/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“We all bore scars, whether on the outside or in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/we-all-bore-scars-whether-on-the-outside-or-in/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [Bore : A fellow who can change the subject back to his topic of conversation faster than you can change it back to yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/bore-a-fellow-who-can-change-the-subject-back-to-his-topic-of/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [One of the advantages of appearing in such a play is that you begin to understand it properly, I feel Ophelia's tragedy was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalla-ward/one-of-the-advantages-of-appearing-in-such-a-play-is-that-you-begin/) [Lalla Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalla-ward/) > [Characters develop as the book progresses, but any that start to bore me end up in the wastepaper basket. In real life, we may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-graham/characters-develop-as-the-book-progresses-but-any-that-start-to-bore/) [Laurie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-graham/) > [We all denounce bores, but while we do so, let us remember that there is nobody who isn't a bore to somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-spender/we-all-denounce-bores-but-while-we-do-so-let-us-remember-that-there/) [J. A. Spender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-spender/) > [“The young will never know how recklessly we went from bed to bed, from body to body, from night to night. it all, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-young-will-never-know-how-recklessly-we-went-from-bed-to-bed-from/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [He is an old bore. Even the grave yawns for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-beerbohm-tree/he-is-an-old-bore-even-the-grave-yawns-for-him/) [Herbert Beerbohm Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-beerbohm-tree/) > [People like Ian McEwan and Jonathan Franzen completely bore me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/people-like-ian-mcewan-and-jonathan-franzen-completely-bore-me/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/bore-a-person-who-talks-when-you-wish-him-to-listen/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Be bold, don't be boring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/be-bold-don-t-be-boring/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) Browse all 169 Bore quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is a bore? 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