---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was as if someone admitted they went…"
description: "\"“It was as if someone admitted they went through all the bother and mess of sex only in order to smoke a cigarette.”\" — Jeff Lindsay"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/jeff-lindsay-1259_cigarette_it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went_2363644.png"
---

#  It was as if someone admitted they went through all the…

![“It was as if someone admitted they went through all the bother and mess of sex only in order to smoke a cigarette.” quote by Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/jeff-lindsay-1259_cigarette_it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went_2363644.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/jeff-lindsay-1259_cigarette_it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went_2363644.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/jeff-lindsay-1259_cigarette_it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went_2363644.png)

> ““It was as if someone admitted they went through all the bother and mess of sex only in order to smoke a cigarette.””

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Sex is portrayed as a pointless act leading only to a trivial habit, highlighting existential emptiness.

**In simple terms:** Sex can feel meaningless and lead to empty routines.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper purpose beyond fleeting pleasures.

Themes

existentialism meaninglessness habitual behavior

Mood

cynical thoughtful philosophical

Type

existential social

When to use this quote

- relationship disappointment
- life purpose
- habit formation

Key Concepts

nihilism addiction

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we sometimes seek meaning in physical acts?
- What alternatives provide lasting fulfillment?

A Different Perspective

Not all sexual experiences are empty; context matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cigarette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarette/) [Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke/)

## Related quotes

> [When you're waiting for a bus, the thing to do is smoke a cigarette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-alison/when-you-re-waiting-for-a-bus-the-thing-to-do-is-smoke-a-cigarette/)

[Jane Alison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-alison/)

> [The trick is to smoke a cigarette to calm your nerves and then take a big swig of strong liquor to tone your muscles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-yashin/the-trick-is-to-smoke-a-cigarette-to-calm-your-nerves-and-then-take-a/)

[Lev Yashin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-yashin/)

> [“I smoke a cigarette, and pretend I'm normal. And I wish I was dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-smoke-a-cigarette-and-pretend-i-m-normal-and-i-wish-i-was-dead/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“He even let me smoke a cigarette in his office, but he urged me to quit smoking because of the health risks. He even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/he-even-let-me-smoke-a-cigarette-in-his-office-but-he-urged-me-to/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [You can't even smoke a cigarette on network television anymore. Not that everyone should be smoking cigarettes, but that's how crazy it's gotten. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-calderon-kellett/you-can-t-even-smoke-a-cigarette-on-network-television-anymore-not/)

[Gloria Calderon Kellett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-calderon-kellett/)

> [“Go outside occasionally to smoke a cigarette. It’s a good way to make friends, it makes you look cool, and you’re already dead on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thought-catalog/go-outside-occasionally-to-smoke-a-cigarette-it-s-a-good-way-to-make/)

[Thought Catalog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thought-catalog/)

> [“Well, then why should we do anything more than once? Should I just smoke this one cigarette? Maybe we should only have sex once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-margolis/well-then-why-should-we-do-anything-more-than-once-should-i-just/)

Jane Margolis

> [Taylor Gang or Smoke a cigarette backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-gang/taylor-gang-or-smoke-a-cigarette-backwards/)

[Taylor Gang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-gang/)

> [Has anybody here ever been driving along in their car, smoking a cigarette, and you flick it out the window, and you drive for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-benson/has-anybody-here-ever-been-driving-along-in-their-car-smoking-a/)

[Doug Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-benson/)

> [Ods me I marle what pleasure or felicity they have in taking their roguish tobacco. It is good for nothing but to choke a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/ods-me-i-marle-what-pleasure-or-felicity-they-have-in-taking-their/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [If we smoke, there's no magic number of cigarettes, or number of years, that we can smoke before we know we'll get lung cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hayhoe/if-we-smoke-there-s-no-magic-number-of-cigarettes-or-number-of-years/)

[Katharine Hayhoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hayhoe/)

> [Everything really needs to be paraben-free for me. I mean, because if I’m going to smoke cigarettes, then I need to be aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/everything-really-needs-to-be-paraben-free-for-me-i-mean-because-if-i/)

[Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/)

> [I'd rather hang out with the losers that would sit and smoke a cigarette than the ones who wanted to throw a baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-d-rather-hang-out-with-the-losers-that-would-sit-and-smoke-a/)

[Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/)

> [If all boys could be made to know that with every breath of cigarette smoke they inhale imbecility and exhale manhood ... and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-maxim/if-all-boys-could-be-made-to-know-that-with-every-breath-of-cigarette/)

Hudson Maxim

> [Books were always important. I have to thank my father, he filled my life with books. He didn't write but he always read. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rawi-hage/books-were-always-important-i-have-to-thank-my-father-he-filled-my/)

[Rawi Hage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rawi-hage/)

## More by Jeff Lindsay

> [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“Rather than see me or have me touch it again, it died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/rather-than-see-me-or-have-me-touch-it-again-it-died/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“We don't get to pick our kin. The best we can hope for is to survive them...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/we-don-t-get-to-pick-our-kin-the-best-we-can-hope-for-is-to-survive/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [I was never more alive than when the Dark Passenger was driving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-was-never-more-alive-than-when-the-dark-passenger-was-driving/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [I had killed our careful relationship by driving my tongue through its heart and pushing it off a cliff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-had-killed-our-careful-relationship-by-driving-my-tongue-through/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [I had become a perfect fake human, saying the stupid and pointless things that humans say to each other all day long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-had-become-a-perfect-fake-human-saying-the-stupid-and-pointless/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“Deborah led me away from it and over to the far end of the room. “Dexter,” she said, “promise me you didn’t kill this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/deborah-led-me-away-from-it-and-over-to-the-far-end-of-the-room/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [Detective, I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“I came, I saw, I blew chunks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-came-i-saw-i-blew-chunks/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [And what did you do last night, Dexter? Oh, I played with my dolls while a friend chopped up my sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/and-what-did-you-do-last-night-dexter-oh-i-played-with-my-dolls-while/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [In that tremendous flash of freedom, on my way to do The Thing for the first time, sanctioned by Almighty Harry, I receded, faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/in-that-tremendous-flash-of-freedom-on-my-way-to-do-the-thing-for-the/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“It would be much too difficult for anyone to get in and out of this area, especially if they were carrying questionable loads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-would-be-much-too-difficult-for-anyone-to-get-in-and-out-of-this/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [“I spent the rest of the workday on routine paperwork, snarling at misplaced files and seething at the stupidity of everyone else's report writing--when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-spent-the-rest-of-the-workday-on-routine-paperwork-snarling-at/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [After a long moment I closed the freezer door. I wanted to lie down and press my cheek against the cool linoleum. Instead I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/after-a-long-moment-i-closed-the-freezer-door-i-wanted-to-lie-down/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [I mean, really: what kind of person could possibly dislike me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-mean-really-what-kind-of-person-could-possibly-dislike-me/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

[Explore all 258 Jeff Lindsay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

## More Cigarette quotes

> [“Yeah,' I said and started smoking another cigarette. Unless I inform you otherwise, I'm always smoking another cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/yeah-i-said-and-started-smoking-another-cigarette-unless-i-inform-you/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [Books were always important. I have to thank my father, he filled my life with books. He didn't write but he always read. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rawi-hage/books-were-always-important-i-have-to-thank-my-father-he-filled-my/)

[Rawi Hage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rawi-hage/)

> [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/)

Richard Doll

> [We have too many preacherettes preaching too many sermonettes to too many Christianettes smoking cigarettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/we-have-too-many-preacherettes-preaching-too-many-sermonettes-to-too/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Since I don't smoke, I decided to grow a mustache - it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/since-i-don-t-smoke-i-decided-to-grow-a-mustache-it-is-better-for-the/)

[Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/)

> [If the fact that people make poor decisions is reason enough for the government to second-guess their decisions about dangerous activities such as smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-sullum/if-the-fact-that-people-make-poor-decisions-is-reason-enough-for-the/)

Jacob Sullum

> [“When I was young” … “Before I was twenty, I mean, I used to think that life was a thing that kept gaining impetus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/when-i-was-young-before-i-was-twenty-i-mean-i-used-to-think-that-life/)

[Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/)

> [They represent tomorrow's cigarette business. . . As this 14-24 age group matures, they will account for a key share of the total cigarette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-reynolds/they-represent-tomorrow-s-cigarette-business-as-this-14-24-age-group/)

[R. J. Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-reynolds/)

> [If all boys could be made to know that with every breath of cigarette smoke they inhale imbecility and exhale manhood ... and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-maxim/if-all-boys-could-be-made-to-know-that-with-every-breath-of-cigarette/)

Hudson Maxim

> [The ratings thing is the real issue. It really hurts movies. For example, in Redbelt, I smoked. The whole plot of my character was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mortimer/the-ratings-thing-is-the-real-issue-it-really-hurts-movies-for/)

[Emily Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mortimer/)

> [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [They should give until it hurts, maybe a very small thing, maybe just a packet of cigarettes, but instead of by smoking that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/they-should-give-until-it-hurts-maybe-a-very-small-thing-maybe-just-a/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [You can accept or reject the way you are treated by other people, but until you heal the wounds of your past, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/you-can-accept-or-reject-the-way-you-are-treated-by-other-people-but/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [Then he bummed a cigarette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-rogers/then-he-bummed-a-cigarette/)

[Kenny Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-rogers/)

> [You're a religious man, ... You believe in God and life after death. I also believe. When we come to the other world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/you-re-a-religious-man-you-believe-in-god-and-life-after-death-i-also/)

[Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/)

[Browse all 787 Cigarette quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarette/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It was as if someone admitted they went through all the bother and mess of sex only in order to smoke a cigarette.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeff Lindsay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went-through-all-the-bother-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cigarette"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went-through-all-the-bother-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/jeff-lindsay-1259_cigarette_it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went_2363644.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/jeff-lindsay-1259_cigarette_it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went_2363644.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/jeff-lindsay-1259_cigarette_it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went_2363644.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was as if someone admitted they went through all the bother and mess of sex only in order to smoke a…” — Jeff Lindsay",
                "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": "Jeff Lindsay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It was as if someone admitted...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went-through-all-the-bother-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-was-as-if-someone-admitted-they-went-through-all-the-bother-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
