--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Plunged up to the ears in work, good…" description: "\"“Plunged up to the ears in work, good friend!\" thought Oblomov as he watched him depart. \"Yes, and blind and deaf and dumb to everything else in the wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/ivan-goncharov-16673_career_plunged-up-to-the-ears-in-work-good-frie_914896.jpg" --- # Plunged up to the ears in work, good friend!" thought… ![“Plunged up to the ears in work, good friend!" thought Oblomov as he watched him depart. "Yes, and blind and deaf and dumb to everything else in the world! Yet by going into society and, at the same time, busying yourself about your affairs you will yet win distinction and promotion. Such is what…” quote by Ivan Goncharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/ivan-goncharov-16673_career_plunged-up-to-the-ears-in-work-good-frie_914896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/ivan-goncharov-16673_career_plunged-up-to-the-ears-in-work-good-frie_914896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb0/ivan-goncharov-16673_career_plunged-up-to-the-ears-in-work-good-frie_914896.jpg) > ““Plunged up to the ears in work, good friend!" thought Oblomov as he watched him depart. "Yes, and blind and deaf and dumb to everything else in the world! Yet by going into society and, at the same time, busying yourself about your affairs you will yet win distinction and promotion. Such is what they call 'a career'! Yet of how little use is a man like that! His intellect, his will, his feelings--what do they avail him? So many luxuries is what they are--nothing more. Such an individual lives out his little span without achieving a single thing worth mentioning; and meanwhile he works in an office from morning till night--yes, from morning till night, poor wretch!”” [Ivan Goncharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-goncharov/) ## 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 overwhelmed by work and social obligations loses his purpose, realizing that intellectual and emotional capacities are wasted without meaningful achievement. **In simple terms:** Busy life can distract from true purpose. Key Takeaway Seek meaningful work over mere activity. Themes society purpose work existence Mood melancholic critical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - office life - career advancement - personal fulfillment - existential crisis Key Concepts alienation meaninglessness career reflection Questions to Reflect On - What truly gives your life meaning? - How can you align work with personal values? A Different Perspective Busy routine may still leave one unfulfilled. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Deaf and dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaf-and-dumb/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Good friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-friend/) ## Related quotes > [I see my career, whatever little I have done, it is all different from one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikitin-dheer/i-see-my-career-whatever-little-i-have-done-it-is-all-different-from/) [Nikitin Dheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikitin-dheer/) > [I mean, I always think of myself as a shortstop for my entire career. 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Do you suppose the intellect can work separately from the heart?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-goncharov/what-do-you-suppose-the-intellect-can-work-separately-from-the-heart/) [Ivan Goncharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-goncharov/) > [“As a young man, he had instinctively husbanded the freshness of his powers. 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