--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An old drinking buddy of mine had come…" description: "\"“An old drinking buddy of mine had come home from a two-week binge with a rose tattooed on his arm. Around the blossom was written Fuck ‘em all/and sle..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/129/james-crumley-24000_drinking-buddy_an-old-drinking-buddy-of-mine-had-come-h_2040328.jpg" --- # An old drinking buddy of mine had come home from a… ![“An old drinking buddy of mine had come home from a two-week binge with a rose tattooed on his arm. Around the blossom was written Fuck ‘em all/and sleep till noon. His wife made him have it surgically removed, but she hated the scar even more. Every time he touched it, he grinned. Some years later…” quote by James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/129/james-crumley-24000_drinking-buddy_an-old-drinking-buddy-of-mine-had-come-h_2040328.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/129/james-crumley-24000_drinking-buddy_an-old-drinking-buddy-of-mine-had-come-h_2040328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/129/james-crumley-24000_drinking-buddy_an-old-drinking-buddy-of-mine-had-come-h_2040328.jpg) > ““An old drinking buddy of mine had come home from a two-week binge with a rose tattooed on his arm. Around the blossom was written Fuck ‘em all/and sleep till noon. His wife made him have it surgically removed, but she hated the scar even more. Every time he touched it, he grinned. Some years later she tried to remove the grin with a wine bottle, but she only knocked out a couple of teeth, which made the grin even more like a sneer. The part that I don’t understand, though, is that they are still married. He is still grinning and she is still hating it.”” [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A story illustrating how personal choices and conflicts can coexist in a marriage despite ongoing resentment. **In simple terms:** People can stay together despite deep annoyances. Key Takeaway Accept that relationships may involve unresolved tension. Themes relationships conflict humor Mood wry reflective Type narrative anecdotal When to use this quote - marriage counseling - personal boundaries - conflict resolution Key Concepts marriage dynamics psychology symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle personal quirks that irritate a partner? - Can resentment ever be fully resolved? A Different Perspective The anecdote may romanticize toxic behavior, overlooking emotional harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [ Now I've got that \[life is a journey not a destination\] tattooed on my arm because it just reminds me of that time, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newman/now-i-ve-got-that-life-is-a-journey-not-a-destination-tattooed-on-my/) [John Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newman/) > [I have an AIDS ribbon tattooed on my arm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lewis/i-have-an-aids-ribbon-tattooed-on-my-arm/) [Ryan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lewis/) > [“She is deluded enough to assume that I could feel romantically for a person with a badly drawn dog tattooed to their arm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-r-austin/she-is-deluded-enough-to-assume-that-i-could-feel-romantically-for-a/) Emily R. Austin > [I got a couple of front teeth knocked out during a football match when I was hit by a flying elbow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cosmo/i-got-a-couple-of-front-teeth-knocked-out-during-a-football-match/) [James Cosmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cosmo/) > [“His jaw was so tight I thought he'd break a couple of teeth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/his-jaw-was-so-tight-i-thought-he-d-break-a-couple-of-teeth/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [It's hard enough to break into my industry when you're my height and my size but adding the tattoos on top of it, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/it-s-hard-enough-to-break-into-my-industry-when-you-re-my-height-and/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I discovered John Fante when I was 17 years old - strangely, not through Charles Bukowski, but through William Saroyan, who was his drinking buddy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/i-discovered-john-fante-when-i-was-17-years-old-strangely-not-through/) [Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/) > [It seems like a dangerous concept to have someone who's just your drinking buddy. Someone you have nothing in common with, if you're sober,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/it-seems-like-a-dangerous-concept-to-have-someone-who-s-just-your/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [The prime minister of Ireland will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the White House. So finally the Secret Service agents will have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-prime-minister-of-ireland-will-be-celebrating-st-patrick-s-day-at/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [ “\[excerpt\] The usual I say. Essence. Spirit. Medicine. A taste. I say top shelf. Straight up. A shot. A sip. A nip. I say… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/excerpt-the-usual-i-say-essence-spirit-medicine-a-taste-i-say-top/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [You know, Sarah Palin is the Governor of Alaska, you know that. And she's a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association. So great,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-sarah-palin-is-the-governor-of-alaska-you-know-that-and-she/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“If you guys want to get a MOM tattoo and save a little money, just get two letters done. Get about a one-inch capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/if-you-guys-want-to-get-a-mom-tattoo-and-save-a-little-money-just-get/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As long as the colour of the skin is more important than the brightness of the eyes, there will be war. I have that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinicius-junior/as-long-as-the-colour-of-the-skin-is-more-important-than-the/) [Vinicius Junior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinicius-junior/) > [I have a penis tattooed on my leg, and high five tattooed on my palm. I don't regret them yet, but I'm sure when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sykes/i-have-a-penis-tattooed-on-my-leg-and-high-five-tattooed-on-my-palm-i/) [Oliver Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sykes/) > [Don't do anything drastic like getting your eyebrows tattooed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/don-t-do-anything-drastic-like-getting-your-eyebrows-tattooed/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) ## More by James Crumley > [Consideration touches more deeply and longer than passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/consideration-touches-more-deeply-and-longer-than-passion/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [I try to stay two drinks ahead of reality and three behind a drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/i-try-to-stay-two-drinks-ahead-of-reality-and-three-behind-a-drunk/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [The only person more cynical than a drunk is a reformed drunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/the-only-person-more-cynical-than-a-drunk-is-a-reformed-drunk/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [“This was the place, the place I would have come on my own wandering binge, come here and lodged like a marble in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/this-was-the-place-the-place-i-would-have-come-on-my-own-wandering/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [Lady bartenders live a tougher life than anybody knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/lady-bartenders-live-a-tougher-life-than-anybody-knows/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [Maybe I will go to Paris. Who knows? But I’ll sure as hell never Go back to Texas again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/maybe-i-will-go-to-paris-who-knows-but-i-ll-sure-as-hell-never-go/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [...the sun rose each morning to stare into my face with the blank but touching gaze of a lovely retarded child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/the-sun-rose-each-morning-to-stare-into-my-face-with-the-blank-but/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [“Sadness softened her nasal twang, that ubiquitous accent that had drifted out of the Appalachian hills and hollows, across the southern plains, across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/sadness-softened-her-nasal-twang-that-ubiquitous-accent-that-had/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [“I chuckled like Aldo Ray. If I had to endure his l'homme du monde act, he had to suffer my jaded alcoholic private eye.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/i-chuckled-like-aldo-ray-if-i-had-to-endure-his-l-homme-du-monde-act/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [I have learned some things. Modern life is warfare without end: take no prisoners, leave no wounded, eat the dead--that's environmentally sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/i-have-learned-some-things-modern-life-is-warfare-without-end-take-no/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/when-i-finally-caught-up-with-abraham-trahearne-he-was-drinking-beer/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [“Son, never trust a man who doesn’t drink because he’s probably a self-righteous sort, a man who thinks he knows right from wrong all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/son-never-trust-a-man-who-doesn-t-drink-because-he-s-probably-a-self/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [Home is where you hang your hangover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/home-is-where-you-hang-your-hangover/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [“Nobody lives forever, nobody stays young long enough. My past seemed like so much excess baggage, my future a series of long goodbyes, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/nobody-lives-forever-nobody-stays-young-long-enough-my-past-seemed/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) > [There's no accounting for laws. Or the changes wrought by men and time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crumley/there-s-no-accounting-for-laws-or-the-changes-wrought-by-men-and-time/) [James Crumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) [Explore all 25 James Crumley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crumley/) ## More Drinking buddy quotes > [You know, Sarah Palin is the Governor of Alaska, you know that. And she's a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association. So great,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-sarah-palin-is-the-governor-of-alaska-you-know-that-and-she/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [ “\[excerpt\] The usual I say. Essence. Spirit. Medicine. A taste. I say top shelf. Straight up. A shot. A sip. A nip. I say… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/excerpt-the-usual-i-say-essence-spirit-medicine-a-taste-i-say-top/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [The prime minister of Ireland will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the White House. So finally the Secret Service agents will have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/the-prime-minister-of-ireland-will-be-celebrating-st-patrick-s-day-at/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [It seems like a dangerous concept to have someone who's just your drinking buddy. Someone you have nothing in common with, if you're sober,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/it-seems-like-a-dangerous-concept-to-have-someone-who-s-just-your/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [I discovered John Fante when I was 17 years old - strangely, not through Charles Bukowski, but through William Saroyan, who was his drinking buddy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/i-discovered-john-fante-when-i-was-17-years-old-strangely-not-through/) [Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/) Browse all 6 Drinking buddy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“An old drinking buddy of mine had come home from a two-week binge with a rose tattooed on his arm. Around the blossom was written Fuck ‘em all/and sleep till noon. His wife made him have it surgically removed, but she hated the scar even more. Every time he touched it, he grinned. 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