--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He walked for days, stopping at bars and…" description: "\"“He walked for days, stopping at bars and restaurants whenever he felt thirsty, hungry or tired; mostly they were automatic and he was served by little..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e0/iain-m-banks-3729_meeting-people_he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and_2731143.jpg" --- # He walked for days, stopping at bars and restaurants… ![“He walked for days, stopping at bars and restaurants whenever he felt thirsty, hungry or tired; mostly they were automatic and he was served by little floating trays, though a few were staffed by real people. They seemed less like servants and more like customers who’d taken a notion to help out…” quote by Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e0/iain-m-banks-3729_meeting-people_he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and_2731143.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e0/iain-m-banks-3729_meeting-people_he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and_2731143.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e0/iain-m-banks-3729_meeting-people_he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and_2731143.jpg) > ““He walked for days, stopping at bars and restaurants whenever he felt thirsty, hungry or tired; mostly they were automatic and he was served by little floating trays, though a few were staffed by real people. They seemed less like servants and more like customers who’d taken a notion to help out for a while. “Of course I don’t have to do this,” one middle-aged man said, carefully cleaning the table with a damp cloth. He put the cloth in a little pouch, sat down beside him. “But look, this table’s clean.” He agreed that the table was clean. “Usually,” the man said. “I work on alien — no offense — alien religions; Directional Emphasis In Religious Observance; that’s my speciality . . . like when temples or graves or prayers always have to face in a certain direction; that sort of thing? Well, I catalog, evaluate, compare; I come up with theories and argue with colleagues, here and elsewhere. But . . . the job’s never finished; always new examples, and even the old ones get reevaluated, and new people come along with new ideas about what you thought was settled . . . but” — he slapped the table — “when you clean a table you clean a table. You feel you’ve done something. It’s an achievement.” “But in the end, it’s still just cleaning a table.” “And therefore does not really signify on the cosmic scale of events?” the man suggested. He smiled in response to the man’s grin, “Well, yes.” “But then, what does signify? My other work? Is that really important, either? I could try composing wonderful musical works, or day-long entertainment epics, but what would that do? Give people pleasure? My wiping this table gives me pleasure. And people come to a clean table, which gives them pleasure. And anyway” — the man laughed — “people die; stars die; universes die. What is any achievement, however great it was, once time itself is dead? Of course, if all I did was wipe tables, then of course it would seem a mean and despicable waste of my huge intellectual potential. But because I choose to do it, it gives me pleasure. And,” the man said with a smile, “it’s a good way of meeting people. So where are you from, anyway?”” [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man reflects on the meaning of small tasks versus grand achievements, questioning their cosmic significance. **In simple terms:** He wonders if everyday work matters in the universe. Key Takeaway Find value in daily actions. Themes purpose meaning existentialism Mood contemplative philosophical Type literary dialogue When to use this quote - workplace - personal projects - philosophical contemplation Key Concepts mundane tasks cosmic perspective Questions to Reflect On - What small task gives you a sense of accomplishment? - Does scale diminish meaning? A Different Perspective Even trivial acts can hold personal significance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Meeting people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meeting-people/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“I could try composing wonderful musical works, or day-long entertainment epics, but what would that do? Give people pleasure? My wiping this table gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/i-could-try-composing-wonderful-musical-works-or-day-long/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [I give so much pleasure to so many people. Why can I not get some pleasure for myself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-belushi/i-give-so-much-pleasure-to-so-many-people-why-can-i-not-get-some/) [John Belushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-belushi/) > [My untidy habits drive me to follow the slash-and-burn principle. Work on a virgin table until the mess becomes unbearable, then move on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/my-untidy-habits-drive-me-to-follow-the-slash-and-burn-principle-work/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [You have to give people the pleasure of giving you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/you-have-to-give-people-the-pleasure-of-giving-you/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [I draw pleasure in governance, in doing new things and bringing people together. That pleasure is all I need from life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/i-draw-pleasure-in-governance-in-doing-new-things-and-bringing-people/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [There is probably no pleasure equal to the pleasure of climbing a dangerous Alp; but it is a pleasure which is confined strictly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-probably-no-pleasure-equal-to-the-pleasure-of-climbing-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I love it when people have pleasure working and when there is respect. That's what I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-seydoux/i-love-it-when-people-have-pleasure-working-and-when-there-is-respect/) [Lea Seydoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-seydoux/) > [You want to feel that you can do something creative that you love without being picked apart and mutilated for other people's pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sienna-miller/you-want-to-feel-that-you-can-do-something-creative-that-you-love/) [Sienna Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sienna-miller/) > [“I can only think how good life on earth can be, at times. What grief two people can give to one another! And what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-can-only-think-how-good-life-on-earth-can-be-at-times-what-grief/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [If people do not know what is going to make them better off or give them pleasure, then the idea that you can trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/if-people-do-not-know-what-is-going-to-make-them-better-off-or-give/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“What is wrong with me? How can I find pleasure from this man who is holding me against my will? What kind of sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-reiss/what-is-wrong-with-me-how-can-i-find-pleasure-from-this-man-who-is/) [C.D. Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-reiss/) > [A man of pleasure is a man of pains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/a-man-of-pleasure-is-a-man-of-pains/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [A young man of pleasure is a man of pains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/a-young-man-of-pleasure-is-a-man-of-pains/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [A man without pleasure is a man without any idea what life is about](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/a-man-without-pleasure-is-a-man-without-any-idea-what-life-is-about/) [Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/) > [It is in his pleasure that a man really lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/it-is-in-his-pleasure-that-a-man-really-lives/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) ## More by Iain M. Banks > [“It never ceased to amaze him how quickly a small child's face could turn from peach to beetroot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/it-never-ceased-to-amaze-him-how-quickly-a-small-child-s-face-could/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“There's something very... I don't know; primitive, perhaps, about you, Gurgeh. You've never changed sex, have you?' He shook his head. 'Or slept with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/there-s-something-very-i-don-t-know-primitive-perhaps-about-you/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [ “\[I\]t was really only in the generation or two before hers that the idea had started to traverse the spectrum of likelihood in the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/i-t-was-really-only-in-the-generation-or-two-before-hers-that-the/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“Some problems were generational; you just had to wait for the relevant elders to die off and be replaced with more progressive types.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/some-problems-were-generational-you-just-had-to-wait-for-the-relevant/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“I can understand that people want to feel special and important and so on, but that self-obsession seems a bit pathetic somehow. Not being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/i-can-understand-that-people-want-to-feel-special-and-important-and/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“We always want more, he thought, we always take our past successes for granted and assume they point the way to future success. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/we-always-want-more-he-thought-we-always-take-our-past-successes-for/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“just one more species, which would grow and expand and then, finding the plateau phase all non-suicidal species eventually arrived at, settle down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/just-one-more-species-which-would-grow-and-expand-and-then-finding/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“Darkness came like a black flag waved over the canyon, drawing back the grayness from the shores of the city, then pushing forward the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/darkness-came-like-a-black-flag-waved-over-the-canyon-drawing-back/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“Then the machine started to reel off infant-mortality rates and life-expectancy figures, sex ratios, types of diseases and their prevalence in the various strata…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/then-the-machine-started-to-reel-off-infant-mortality-rates-and-life/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“he saw that which cannot be seen; a concept; the adaptive, self-seeking urge to survive, to bend everything that can be reached to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/he-saw-that-which-cannot-be-seen-a-concept-the-adaptive-self-seeking/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“Their history wasn’t so far off the mean track, they were going through what a thousand other civilizations had gone through, and no doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/their-history-wasn-t-so-far-off-the-mean-track-they-were-going/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“Tell me, what is happiness?” “Happiness? Happiness... is to wake up, on a bright spring morning, after an exhausting first night spent with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/tell-me-what-is-happiness-happiness-happiness-is-to-wake-up-on-a/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“Most people are not prepared to have their minds changed," he said. "And I think they know in their hearts that other people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/most-people-are-not-prepared-to-have-their-minds-changed-he-said-and/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“Once one survives the trough that comes with the understanding that people are going to go on being stupid and cruel to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/once-one-survives-the-trough-that-comes-with-the-understanding-that/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“God, what did any of it matter, in the end? You lived; you died. You were as indistinguishable from a distance as one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/god-what-did-any-of-it-matter-in-the-end-you-lived-you-died-you-were/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) [Explore all 122 Iain M. Banks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) ## More Meeting people quotes > [The journey that I have undertaken, meeting people from all walks of life and learning from them, has been my biggest achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aamir-khan/the-journey-that-i-have-undertaken-meeting-people-from-all-walks-of/) [Aamir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aamir-khan/) > [The clashes of people and the clashes of cultures have assisted me in learning the openness you have to be a part of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kissey/the-clashes-of-people-and-the-clashes-of-cultures-have-assisted-me-in/) [Kissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kissey/) > [Most single people I know, myself included, have a difficult time even meeting up with the people they like, be it busy schedules, texting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/most-single-people-i-know-myself-included-have-a-difficult-time-even/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [Sometimes I have a little social anxiety, and meeting people can be a challenge for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coy-bowles/sometimes-i-have-a-little-social-anxiety-and-meeting-people-can-be-a/) [Coy Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coy-bowles/) > [I love meeting people who've read my books. The prime reason to be on the planet is to make things I can show to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-love-meeting-people-who-ve-read-my-books-the-prime-reason-to-be-on/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“If you are uncomfortable meeting people on your own, the perfect way to do it is to volunteer to help greet those who arrive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ramsay/if-you-are-uncomfortable-meeting-people-on-your-own-the-perfect-way/) [Beth Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ramsay/) > [“An inevitable meeting with persons takes many forms. In the course of the first meeting, people oblige themselves to honor each other morally. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chergui/an-inevitable-meeting-with-persons-takes-many-forms-in-the-course-of/) [Sarah Chergui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chergui/) > [I love meeting people, and I know it's so difficult for people to come up to me and introduce themselves, so when they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-formichetti/i-love-meeting-people-and-i-know-it-s-so-difficult-for-people-to-come/) [Nicola Formichetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-formichetti/) > [For an actor, it is necessary to vegetate and look for inspiration. I get that from travelling, meeting people, and observing things around me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhika-apte/for-an-actor-it-is-necessary-to-vegetate-and-look-for-inspiration-i/) [Radhika Apte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhika-apte/) > [Yeah, I was in China for about a week or so with the NBA Jam event. It was a different experience. We traveled all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-westbrook/yeah-i-was-in-china-for-about-a-week-or-so-with-the-nba-jam-event-it/) [Russell Westbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-westbrook/) > [The only reason I do anything is that I just love writing songs. If I write songs, I feel good about it for days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-jarman/the-only-reason-i-do-anything-is-that-i-just-love-writing-songs-if-i/) [Ryan Jarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-jarman/) > [I like meeting people on a genuine level. Like, 'OK, if this person wants to meet me and I want to meet them, let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-peep/i-like-meeting-people-on-a-genuine-level-like-ok-if-this-person-wants/) [Lil Peep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-peep/) > [“You are not the first person to come here, and you will most likely not be the last. Many souls have arrived here in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-harlem/you-are-not-the-first-person-to-come-here-and-you-will-most-likely/) [Rebecca Harlem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-harlem/) > [“We're too old to think we'll meet again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/we-re-too-old-to-think-we-ll-meet-again/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [Sometimes life isn't about meeting new people, it's about meeting the people you already know halfway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-isn-t-about-meeting-new-people-it-s-about-meeting-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 242 Meeting people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meeting-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He walked for days, stopping at bars and restaurants whenever he felt thirsty, hungry or tired; mostly they were automatic and he was served by little floating trays, though a few were staffed by real people. They seemed less like servants and more like customers who’d taken a notion to help out for a while. “Of course I don’t have to do this,” one middle-aged man said, carefully cleaning the table with a damp cloth. He put the cloth in a little pouch, sat down beside him. “But look, this table’s clean.” He agreed that the table was clean. “Usually,” the man said. “I work on alien — no offense — alien religions; Directional Emphasis In Religious Observance; that’s my speciality . . . like when temples or graves or prayers always have to face in a certain direction; that sort of thing? Well, I catalog, evaluate, compare; I come up with theories and argue with colleagues, here and elsewhere. But . . . the job’s never finished; always new examples, and even the old ones get reevaluated, and new people come along with new ideas about what you thought was settled . . . but” — he slapped the table — “when you clean a table you clean a table. You feel you’ve done something. It’s an achievement.” “But in the end, it’s still just cleaning a table.” “And therefore does not really signify on the cosmic scale of events?” the man suggested. He smiled in response to the man’s grin, “Well, yes.” “But then, what does signify? My other work? Is that really important, either? I could try composing wonderful musical works, or day-long entertainment epics, but what would that do? Give people pleasure? My wiping this table gives me pleasure. And people come to a clean table, which gives them pleasure. And anyway” — the man laughed — “people die; stars die; universes die. What is any achievement, however great it was, once time itself is dead? Of course, if all I did was wipe tables, then of course it would seem a mean and despicable waste of my huge intellectual potential. But because I choose to do it, it gives me pleasure. And,” the man said with a smile, “it’s a good way of meeting people. So where are you from, anyway?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Iain M. Banks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and-restaurants-whenever-he-felt/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Meeting people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and-restaurants-whenever-he-felt/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e0/iain-m-banks-3729_meeting-people_he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and_2731143.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e0/iain-m-banks-3729_meeting-people_he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and_2731143.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e0/iain-m-banks-3729_meeting-people_he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and_2731143.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He walked for days, stopping at bars and restaurants whenever he felt thirsty, hungry or tired; mostly they…” — Iain M. Banks", "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": "Iain M. Banks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He walked for days, stopping at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and-restaurants-whenever-he-felt/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/he-walked-for-days-stopping-at-bars-and-restaurants-whenever-he-felt/#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 } } ] } ```