--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...but the air's flat and stale and the…" description: "\"“...but the air's flat and stale and the people half-hearted. There's nothing to do there. You can make love without trouble or meaning, or get mildly ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/eric-linklater-54525_eric-linklater_but-the-air-s-flat-and-stale-and-the-peo_1181873.jpg" --- # ...but the air's flat and stale and the people… ![“...but the air's flat and stale and the people half-hearted. There's nothing to do there. You can make love without trouble or meaning, or get mildly drunk, or extract second-hand emotions from the cinema, or put your mind to sleep on a dance-floor, or play bridge, or throw yourself in front of a…” quote by Eric Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/eric-linklater-54525_eric-linklater_but-the-air-s-flat-and-stale-and-the-peo_1181873.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/eric-linklater-54525_eric-linklater_but-the-air-s-flat-and-stale-and-the-peo_1181873.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/eric-linklater-54525_eric-linklater_but-the-air-s-flat-and-stale-and-the-peo_1181873.jpg) > ““...but the air's flat and stale and the people half-hearted. There's nothing to do there. You can make love without trouble or meaning, or get mildly drunk, or extract second-hand emotions from the cinema, or put your mind to sleep on a dance-floor, or play bridge, or throw yourself in front of a train on the Underground. There are forty ways of escaping from consciousness. But I want something more exciting than that.”” [Eric Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-linklater/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker lists shallow distractions that numb awareness, expressing a desire for deeper, more thrilling experiences beyond mere escapism. **In simple terms:** People seek easy distractions, but crave something more meaningful. Key Takeaway Seek depth, not just distraction. Themes distraction search for meaning existential yearning Mood restless reflective Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - nightlife - cinema - social gatherings - urban commuting - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism modern alienation psychology Questions to Reflect On - What truly excites you beyond fleeting pleasures? - How can you find meaning without self-destructive actions? A Different Perspective Escapism can become a habit that prevents confronting real issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air Flat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-flat-3469832/) [Consciousness Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-want-1264711/) [Escaping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaping/) [Escaping Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaping-consciousness-3469830/) [Exciting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exciting/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Scottish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scottish/) [Ways Escaping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways-escaping-3469831/) ## Related quotes > [“(there is) no other means of escaping from one's consciousness than to deny it, to look upon it as an organic disease of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/there-is-no-other-means-of-escaping-from-one-s-consciousness-than-to/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [When gratitude has become a matter of reasoning there are many ways of escaping from its bonds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/when-gratitude-has-become-a-matter-of-reasoning-there-are-many-ways/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [My art practice eventually arrived at a point where I had freedom from various limiting conditions; the institutional mindset is not airtight and isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/my-art-practice-eventually-arrived-at-a-point-where-i-had-freedom/) [Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/) > [“There are so many ways of escaping from that which one fears, and not the least of these is hatred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kerr/there-are-so-many-ways-of-escaping-from-that-which-one-fears-and-not/) [Philip Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kerr/) > [I've already had a hard time dealing with some of the trappings of success and turned to some pretty stereotypical escape routes - ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-cole-smith/i-ve-already-had-a-hard-time-dealing-with-some-of-the-trappings-of/) [Zachary Cole Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-cole-smith/) > [Beneath the surface level of conditioned thinking in every one of us there is a single living spirit. The still small voice whispering to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eknath-easwaran/beneath-the-surface-level-of-conditioned-thinking-in-every-one-of-us/) [Eknath Easwaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eknath-easwaran/) > [My ideal audience is on the young side, eager to mutate and move to a higher level of consciousness. I want my images to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/my-ideal-audience-is-on-the-young-side-eager-to-mutate-and-move-to-a/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [Life, to me personally, I believe it is a finite thing, my consciousness, and I want to use it as much as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-ince/life-to-me-personally-i-believe-it-is-a-finite-thing-my-consciousness/) [Robin Ince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-ince/) > [“Because you want to have everything in your own volition, your deliberate voluntary consciousness. You want it all in that loathsome little skull of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/because-you-want-to-have-everything-in-your-own-volition-your/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“To have anything we want, we need only raise our level of consciousness to the level of consciousness where what we want exists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wu-wei/to-have-anything-we-want-we-need-only-raise-our-level-of/) [Wu Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wu-wei/) > [“Reverse your way of thinking and examine what’s going on in your thoughts. You need to understand why you’re making the choices that you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-pepin/reverse-your-way-of-thinking-and-examine-what-s-going-on-in-your/) [Eric Pepin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-pepin/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [Patience is necessary in this life because so much of life is fraught with adversity. No matter how hard we try, our lives will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/patience-is-necessary-in-this-life-because-so-much-of-life-is-fraught/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [“Writing is the self escaping into the open." E.B. White”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solveig-eggerz/writing-is-the-self-escaping-into-the-open-e-b-white/) [Solveig Eggerz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solveig-eggerz/) > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More by Eric Linklater > [All I've got against golf is it takes you so far from the clubhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-linklater/all-i-ve-got-against-golf-is-it-takes-you-so-far-from-the-clubhouse/) [Eric Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-linklater/) > [For the scientific acquisition of knowledge is almost as tedious as the routine acquisition of wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-linklater/for-the-scientific-acquisition-of-knowledge-is-almost-as-tedious-as/) [Eric Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-linklater/) > [It is notorious that we speak no more than half-truths in our ordinary conversation, and even a soliloquy is likely to be affected by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-linklater/it-is-notorious-that-we-speak-no-more-than-half-truths-in-our/) [Eric Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-linklater/) > [“But I find it difficult to recognize people. Human beings are so much alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-linklater/but-i-find-it-difficult-to-recognize-people-human-beings-are-so-much/) [Eric Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-linklater/) > [There won't be any revolution in America ... the people are too clean. They spend all their time changing their shirts and washing themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-linklater/there-won-t-be-any-revolution-in-america-the-people-are-too-clean/) [Eric Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-linklater/) [Explore all 6 Eric Linklater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-linklater/) ## More Escaping quotes > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Writing is the self escaping into the open." E.B. White”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solveig-eggerz/writing-is-the-self-escaping-into-the-open-e-b-white/) [Solveig Eggerz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solveig-eggerz/) > [Patience is necessary in this life because so much of life is fraught with adversity. No matter how hard we try, our lives will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/patience-is-necessary-in-this-life-because-so-much-of-life-is-fraught/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [Elvis' early music has drama because as he sang he was escaping limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/elvis-early-music-has-drama-because-as-he-sang-he-was-escaping-limits/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I think the reason I'm an actor is the joy I find from escaping and going to be somebody else. That's what I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-glover/i-think-the-reason-i-m-an-actor-is-the-joy-i-find-from-escaping-and/) [John Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-glover/) > [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [My youth is escaping without giving me anything it owes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/my-youth-is-escaping-without-giving-me-anything-it-owes-me/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Now there is no taboo; everything is allowed. But one cannot simply go back to tonality, it’s not the way. We must find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyorgy-ligeti/now-there-is-no-taboo-everything-is-allowed-but-one-cannot-simply-go/) [Gyorgy Ligeti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyorgy-ligeti/) > [“Is there any escaping the junkshop of the self?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/is-there-any-escaping-the-junkshop-of-the-self/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [Now the first step has to be taken, the step towards democracy. This step is full of risks, and requires trust on all sides.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-barenboim/now-the-first-step-has-to-be-taken-the-step-towards-democracy-this/) [Daniel Barenboim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-barenboim/) > [“The dark might be dark, but at least we don’t have to look at ourselves when we’re standing in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-dark-might-be-dark-but-at-least-we-don-t-have-to-look-at/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [My films do have characters who have trouble escaping the world around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/my-films-do-have-characters-who-have-trouble-escaping-the-world/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [She clutched the train ticket tighter and waited for the sense of escape to come over her as it had a dozen times before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-brockway/she-clutched-the-train-ticket-tighter-and-waited-for-the-sense-of/) [Connie Brockway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-brockway/) > [The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he's in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-way-to-keep-a-prisoner-from-escaping-is-to-make-sure-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 344 Escaping quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaping/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...but the air's flat and stale and the people half-hearted. 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