--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They stamp the slush off their boots with…" description: "\"“They stamp the slush off their boots with autopilot eyes and answering-machine voices while they wait for their drug of choice—caffeine or nicotine or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/fredrik-backman-857_quote_they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-wit_1119990.jpg" --- # They stamp the slush off their boots with autopilot eyes… ![“They stamp the slush off their boots with autopilot eyes and answering-machine voices while they wait for their drug of choice—caffeine or nicotine or sugar—to kick in and render their bodies at least tolerably functional until the first break.” quote by Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/fredrik-backman-857_quote_they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-wit_1119990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/fredrik-backman-857_quote_they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-wit_1119990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/fredrik-backman-857_quote_they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-wit_1119990.jpg) > ““They stamp the slush off their boots with autopilot eyes and answering-machine voices while they wait for their drug of choice—caffeine or nicotine or sugar—to kick in and render their bodies at least tolerably functional until the first break.”” [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People rely on stimulants and routine to function until they can truly engage with life. **In simple terms:** Stimulants mask fatigue and keep us barely functional. Key Takeaway Recognize and address underlying exhaustion. Themes addiction routine modern life distraction Mood cynical observational Type literary social commentary When to use this quote - workplace - students - night shift workers - creative professionals - healthcare settings Key Concepts psychology social critique health Questions to Reflect On - What drives your reliance on quick fixes? - How can you cultivate sustainable energy? A Different Perspective Stimulants may cause dependency and health issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caffeine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caffeine/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) ## Related quotes > [“The town wakes early, like it does every day; small towns need a head start if they’re going to have any chance in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/the-town-wakes-early-like-it-does-every-day-small-towns-need-a-head/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [Many nights, I would begin the evening fueled by caffeine and nicotine, which I needed to propel me out of torpor and hopelessness -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/many-nights-i-would-begin-the-evening-fueled-by-caffeine-and-nicotine/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [By now, it is probably very late at night, and you have stayed up to read this book when you should have gone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/by-now-it-is-probably-very-late-at-night-and-you-have-stayed-up-to/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I'm totally off any caffeine now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/i-m-totally-off-any-caffeine-now/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [“Love is a beautiful man bearing caffeine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-dean/love-is-a-beautiful-man-bearing-caffeine/) [Sierra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-dean/) > [“The Reacher brothers' need for caffeine makes heroin addiction look like an amusing little take-it-or-leave-it sideline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/the-reacher-brothers-need-for-caffeine-makes-heroin-addiction-look/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [“When he turned round with the cup to his mouth, nostrils titillated by the aroma of a sun that had once shone on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jussi-adler-olsen/when-he-turned-round-with-the-cup-to-his-mouth-nostrils-titillated-by/) [Jussi Adler-Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jussi-adler-olsen/) > [Sleep is just a symptom of caffeine lack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-friele/sleep-is-just-a-symptom-of-caffeine-lack/) Herman Friele > [Caffeine restricts blood flow to the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/caffeine-restricts-blood-flow-to-the-brain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Usually she ordered a cup of coffee and a cup of tea, as well as a brownie, propping up her sadness with chocolate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/usually-she-ordered-a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-cup-of-tea-as-well-as-a/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I drink mate every day during training camp, and just in general. It's packed full of vitamins and nutrients and a lot of B…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-algieri/i-drink-mate-every-day-during-training-camp-and-just-in-general-it-s/) [Chris Algieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-algieri/) > [Writers aren't born, they're made - from practice, reading, and a lot of caffeine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-chee/writers-aren-t-born-they-re-made-from-practice-reading-and-a-lot-of/) [Alexander Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-chee/) > [People often say that writing is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. This is nonsense, of course. It's pretty much one hundred percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/people-often-say-that-writing-is-ten-percent-inspiration-and-ninety/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) ## More by Fredrik Backman > [“So she bowed her head and devoted herself to Beartown’s real traditional sports: shame and silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/so-she-bowed-her-head-and-devoted-herself-to-beartown-s-real/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“If Peter has learned one thing about human nature during all his years in hockey, it’s that almost everyone regards themselves as a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/if-peter-has-learned-one-thing-about-human-nature-during-all-his/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“That’s what parents often do, I think, we persuade ourselves we’re doing everything for the sake of the child. It’s too painful to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/that-s-what-parents-often-do-i-think-we-persuade-ourselves-we-re/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Uve je dobro znao da njeni prijatelji nisu shvatali zbog čega se onda svakog jutra budila sa odlukom da provede dan sa njim. Nije…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/uve-je-dobro-znao-da-njeni-prijatelji-nisu-shvatali-zbog-ega-se-onda/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Somebody has one of the worst hairstyles Britt-Marie has ever laid eyes on, as if she’s combed her hair with a terrified animal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/somebody-has-one-of-the-worst-hairstyles-britt-marie-has-ever-laid/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/hate-can-be-a-deeply-stimulating-emotion-the-world-becomes-easier-to/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Another morning comes. It always does. Time always moves at the same rate, only feelings have different speeds. Every day can mark a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/another-morning-comes-it-always-does-time-always-moves-at-the-same/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“The girl glances at the surface of the desk, which looks as if toddlers have been trying to eat potatoes off it. With pitchforks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/the-girl-glances-at-the-surface-of-the-desk-which-looks-as-if/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Mnogim ljudima je teško da žive sa nekim ko ceni samoću. To neprijatno žulja one koji nisu i sami takvi.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/mnogim-ljudima-je-te-ko-da-ive-sa-nekim-ko-ceni-samo-u-to-neprijatno/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“But his taste buds are as dysfunctional as the volume control on his voice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/but-his-taste-buds-are-as-dysfunctional-as-the-volume-control-on-his/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Throughout their childhood Maya loved her best friend because she wasn’t like any other girl she had met, but life as a teenager seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/throughout-their-childhood-maya-loved-her-best-friend-because-she/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“For more than half a century they belonged to one another. She detested the same characteristics in him that last day as she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/for-more-than-half-a-century-they-belonged-to-one-another-she/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“His heart is too big.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/his-heart-is-too-big/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Back in the days when there were still things to boast about, the city council erected a sign beside the road at the entrance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/back-in-the-days-when-there-were-still-things-to-boast-about-the-city/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“And after all those hours in the locker room, all those nights on the team bus, all the conversations and all the jokes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/and-after-all-those-hours-in-the-locker-room-all-those-nights-on-the/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) [Explore all 320 Fredrik Backman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) ## More Caffeine quotes > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [People often say that writing is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. This is nonsense, of course. It's pretty much one hundred percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caprice-crane/people-often-say-that-writing-is-ten-percent-inspiration-and-ninety/) [Caprice Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caprice-crane/) > [Writers aren't born, they're made - from practice, reading, and a lot of caffeine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-chee/writers-aren-t-born-they-re-made-from-practice-reading-and-a-lot-of/) [Alexander Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-chee/) > [I drink mate every day during training camp, and just in general. It's packed full of vitamins and nutrients and a lot of B…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-algieri/i-drink-mate-every-day-during-training-camp-and-just-in-general-it-s/) [Chris Algieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-algieri/) > [Usually she ordered a cup of coffee and a cup of tea, as well as a brownie, propping up her sadness with chocolate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/usually-she-ordered-a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-cup-of-tea-as-well-as-a/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Caffeine restricts blood flow to the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/caffeine-restricts-blood-flow-to-the-brain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sleep is just a symptom of caffeine lack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-friele/sleep-is-just-a-symptom-of-caffeine-lack/) Herman Friele > [“When he turned round with the cup to his mouth, nostrils titillated by the aroma of a sun that had once shone on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jussi-adler-olsen/when-he-turned-round-with-the-cup-to-his-mouth-nostrils-titillated-by/) [Jussi Adler-Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jussi-adler-olsen/) > [“The Reacher brothers' need for caffeine makes heroin addiction look like an amusing little take-it-or-leave-it sideline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/the-reacher-brothers-need-for-caffeine-makes-heroin-addiction-look/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [“Love is a beautiful man bearing caffeine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-dean/love-is-a-beautiful-man-bearing-caffeine/) [Sierra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-dean/) > [I'm totally off any caffeine now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/i-m-totally-off-any-caffeine-now/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [By now, it is probably very late at night, and you have stayed up to read this book when you should have gone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/by-now-it-is-probably-very-late-at-night-and-you-have-stayed-up-to/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Coffee, my delight of the morning; yoga, my delight of the noon. Then before nightfall, I run along the pleasant paths of the Jardin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/coffee-my-delight-of-the-morning-yoga-my-delight-of-the-noon-then/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“Maybe those verses in Ezekiel about the dry bones coming back to life were actually a prophecy in reference to caffeine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erynn-mangum/maybe-those-verses-in-ezekiel-about-the-dry-bones-coming-back-to-life/) [Erynn Mangum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erynn-mangum/) [Browse all 228 Caffeine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caffeine/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They stamp the slush off their boots with autopilot eyes and answering-machine voices while they wait for their drug of choice—caffeine or nicotine or sugar—to kick in and render their bodies at least tolerably functional until the first break.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fredrik Backman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-with-autopilot-eyes-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Caffeine" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-with-autopilot-eyes-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/fredrik-backman-857_quote_they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-wit_1119990.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/fredrik-backman-857_quote_they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-wit_1119990.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/fredrik-backman-857_quote_they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-wit_1119990.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They stamp the slush off their boots with autopilot eyes and answering-machine voices while they wait for…” — Fredrik Backman", "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": "Fredrik Backman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They stamp the slush off their...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-with-autopilot-eyes-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/they-stamp-the-slush-off-their-boots-with-autopilot-eyes-and/#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 } } ] } ```