--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we entered a classroom we always…" description: "\"“When we entered a classroom we always tossed our caps on the floor, to free our hands; as soon as we crossed the threshold we would throw them under t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/gustave-flaubert-354_awkwardness_when-we-entered-a-classroom-we-always-to_3136091.jpg" --- # When we entered a classroom we always tossed our caps on… ![“When we entered a classroom we always tossed our caps on the floor, to free our hands; as soon as we crossed the threshold we would throw them under the bench so hard that they struck the wall and raised a cloud of dust; this was "the way it should be done." But the new boy either failed to notice…” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/gustave-flaubert-354_awkwardness_when-we-entered-a-classroom-we-always-to_3136091.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/gustave-flaubert-354_awkwardness_when-we-entered-a-classroom-we-always-to_3136091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/gustave-flaubert-354_awkwardness_when-we-entered-a-classroom-we-always-to_3136091.jpg) > ““When we entered a classroom we always tossed our caps on the floor, to free our hands; as soon as we crossed the threshold we would throw them under the bench so hard that they struck the wall and raised a cloud of dust; this was "the way it should be done." But the new boy either failed to notice this maneuver or was too shy to perform it himself, for he was still holding his cap on his lap at the end of the prayer. It was a head-gear of composite nature, combining elements of the busby, the lancer cap, the round hat, the otter-skin cap and the cotton nightcap--one of those wretched things whose mute ugliness has great depths of expression, like an idiot's face. Egg-shaped and stiffened by whalebone, it began with three rounded bands, followed by alternating diamond-shaped patches of velvet and rabbit fur separated by a red stripe, and finally there was a kind of bag terminating in a cardboard-lined polygon covered with complicated braid. A network of gold wire was attached to the top of this polygon by a long, extremely thin cord, forming a kind of tassel. The cap was new; its visor was shiny. "Stand up," said the teacher. He stood up; his cap fell. The whole class began to laugh. He bent down and picked it up. A boy beside him knocked it down again with his elbow; he picked it up once again. "Will you please put your helmet away?" said the teacher, a witty man.”” [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A new student’s unfamiliarity with a traditional cap‑toss ritual leads to ridicule, highlighting social conformity and embarrassment. **In simple terms:** Not fitting in can cause mockery. Key Takeaway Respect individuality over forced customs. Themes conformity embarrassment social rituals bullying Mood humorous critical Type literary satirical When to use this quote - Classroom dynamics - cultural customs - teaching moments Key Concepts Ritual symbolism peer pressure Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies enforce arbitrary rituals? - How can we support newcomers in unfamiliar settings? A Different Perspective The scene may exaggerate for satire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awkwardness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkwardness/) [Caps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caps/) [Classroom Tossed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classroom-tossed-5566792/) [Entered Classroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entered-classroom-3316657/) [Hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hats/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Misfit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfit/) [Newness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newness/) [Said Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-teacher-302747/) [Teacher Witty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher-witty-4005979/) [Tossed Caps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tossed-caps-5566793/) ## Related quotes > [Howard Zinn was magical as a teacher. 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Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-h-fischer/) > [“...the teacher picked a flower and said: ‘Look at the pretty flower, Betty.’ Betty, filled with spiritual radiance, said, ‘All the flowers are beautiful.’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-johnstone/the-teacher-picked-a-flower-and-said-look-at-the-pretty-flower-betty/) [Keith Johnstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-johnstone/) > [“Mamiya concentrated upon what the sound of one hand might be. “You are not working hard enough,” his teacher told him. “You are too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reps/mamiya-concentrated-upon-what-the-sound-of-one-hand-might-be-you-are/) [Paul Reps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reps/) > [“I got zero on a maths test once," I said. "The teacher said he'd wanted to give me a minus number, but the computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-merrow/i-got-zero-on-a-maths-test-once-i-said-the-teacher-said-he-d-wanted/) [J.L. Merrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-merrow/) > [“The Oracle handed her a small, leather bound booklet, about as thick as a pamphlet, and said, “You are a teacher, yes?” It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-monsch/the-oracle-handed-her-a-small-leather-bound-booklet-about-as-thick-as/) [Danielle Monsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-monsch/) > [It is commonly said that a teacher fails if he has not been surpassed by his students. There has been no failure on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-h-fischer/it-is-commonly-said-that-a-teacher-fails-if-he-has-not-been-surpassed/) [Edmond H. Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-h-fischer/) > [Cus always said that you're a teacher. Cus thought I was born to teach. That was his opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/cus-always-said-that-you-re-a-teacher-cus-thought-i-was-born-to-teach/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) ## More by Gustave Flaubert > [As for the piano, the faster her fingers flew over it, the more he marveled. She struck the keys with aplomb and ran from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/as-for-the-piano-the-faster-her-fingers-flew-over-it-the-more-he/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it too much. The artist, in my opinion, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/caught-up-in-life-you-see-it-badly-you-suffer-from-it-or-enjoy-it-too/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“When one does something, one must do it wholly and well. 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Healthier than heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/cold-healthier-than-heat/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [And indeed, what is better than to sit by one's fireside in the evening with a book, while the wind beats against the window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/and-indeed-what-is-better-than-to-sit-by-one-s-fireside-in-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [One's existence should be in two parts: one should live like a bourgeois and think like a demigod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/one-s-existence-should-be-in-two-parts-one-should-live-like-a/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay awake, dreaming other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to-be-asleep-and-while-he-was/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) [Explore all 526 Gustave Flaubert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## More Awkwardness quotes > [Well, my intention is to make work about being uncomfortable. 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Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [“Grace and chocolate cake can cover a world of awkwardness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/grace-and-chocolate-cake-can-cover-a-world-of-awkwardness/) [Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/) > [The finest manners in the world are awkwardness and fatuity when contrasted with a finer intelligence. They appear but as the fashions of past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-finest-manners-in-the-world-are-awkwardness-and-fatuity-when/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [There's an attraction to emotional clusters or hypocrisies or awkwardness. A desire to expose something or point at something that's already poking out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-chang/there-s-an-attraction-to-emotional-clusters-or-hypocrisies-or/) [Victoria Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-chang/) [Browse all 278 Awkwardness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkwardness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When we entered a classroom we always tossed our caps on the floor, to free our hands; as soon as we crossed the threshold we would throw them under the bench so hard that they struck the wall and raised a cloud of dust; this was \"the way it should be done.\" But the new boy either failed to notice this maneuver or was too shy to perform it himself, for he was still holding his cap on his lap at the end of the prayer. It was a head-gear of composite nature, combining elements of the busby, the lancer cap, the round hat, the otter-skin cap and the cotton nightcap--one of those wretched things whose mute ugliness has great depths of expression, like an idiot's face. Egg-shaped and stiffened by whalebone, it began with three rounded bands, followed by alternating diamond-shaped patches of velvet and rabbit fur separated by a red stripe, and finally there was a kind of bag terminating in a cardboard-lined polygon covered with complicated braid. A network of gold wire was attached to the top of this polygon by a long, extremely thin cord, forming a kind of tassel. The cap was new; its visor was shiny. \"Stand up,\" said the teacher. He stood up; his cap fell. The whole class began to laugh. He bent down and picked it up. 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