--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ever since she had become my Manager, my…" description: "\"“Ever since she had become my Manager, my raises had become smaller and smaller. The last raise had been a huge leech shaped like a helmet. It was mean..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/jeff-vandermeer-1366_bad-thoughts_ever-since-she-had-become-my-manager-my_2453966.png" --- # Ever since she had become my Manager, my raises had become… ![“Ever since she had become my Manager, my raises had become smaller and smaller. The last raise had been a huge leech shaped like a helmet. It was meant to suck all the bad thoughts out of your head. It smelled like bacon, which seemed promising. I had invited Mord and Leer over to my apartment and…” quote by Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/jeff-vandermeer-1366_bad-thoughts_ever-since-she-had-become-my-manager-my_2453966.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/jeff-vandermeer-1366_bad-thoughts_ever-since-she-had-become-my-manager-my_2453966.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/jeff-vandermeer-1366_bad-thoughts_ever-since-she-had-become-my-manager-my_2453966.png) > ““Ever since she had become my Manager, my raises had become smaller and smaller. The last raise had been a huge leech shaped like a helmet. It was meant to suck all the bad thoughts out of your head. It smelled like bacon, which seemed promising. I had invited Mord and Leer over to my apartment and we’d fried it up in a skillet. I’d gotten a week’s worth of sandwiches out of it.”” [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes a bizarre, oppressive work environment using surreal imagery, highlighting power dynamics and personal coping mechanisms. **In simple terms:** Workplace oppression feels absurd and draining. Key Takeaway Recognize and address toxic management. Themes power absurdity coping workplace surrealism Mood ironic reflective Type satirical literary personal When to use this quote - office politics - personal stress relief - creative imagination Key Concepts bureaucracy psychological pressure surreal metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does surreal humor help process workplace frustration? - What steps can you take against unfair raises? A Different Perspective The metaphor may obscure concrete issues needing direct action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thoughts/) [Leech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leech/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) ## Related quotes > [“Regin the Radiant and Emmaline Troy: 'Alrighty then, have it your way- you're on your own... Now, if you come across a leech, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/regin-the-radiant-and-emmaline-troy-alrighty-then-have-it-your-way/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [“Beware the gods and their horrors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-emerson/beware-the-gods-and-their-horrors/) [Kevin Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-emerson/) > [“The difference between the rich and the poor, is finding true love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/the-difference-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-is-finding-true-love/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > […"we saw this big dark red leech hanging off his back. We were dancing round yelling: ‘We’ll burn it off! Get the petrol! Stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/we-saw-this-big-dark-red-leech-hanging-off-his-back-we-were-dancing/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [A leech who, having penetrated the shell of a turtle only to find that the creature has long been dead, deems it expedient to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-leech-who-having-penetrated-the-shell-of-a-turtle-only-to-find-that/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A skilful leech is better far, than half a hundred men of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/a-skilful-leech-is-better-far-than-half-a-hundred-men-of-war/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [A leech that will not quit the skin until sated with blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/a-leech-that-will-not-quit-the-skin-until-sated-with-blood/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Death was a leech; no matter which side of the spectrum you were on, either dead or alive, it fed. It either acquired your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kreitzer/death-was-a-leech-no-matter-which-side-of-the-spectrum-you-were-on/) [Laura Kreitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kreitzer/) > [“I've spent too much of my life trying to leave the past behind. But the past is a leech. Digs its head into you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/i-ve-spent-too-much-of-my-life-trying-to-leave-the-past-behind-but/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [I think the more rational explanation is that the excision of a five-to-six-foot leech from the surface of a human body means that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sim/i-think-the-more-rational-explanation-is-that-the-excision-of-a-five/) [Dave Sim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sim/) > [“I raised the hand to my head and felt the slick skin of a leech. The creature, whose weight I had mistaken for water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-magnarella/i-raised-the-hand-to-my-head-and-felt-the-slick-skin-of-a-leech-the/) Brad Magnarella > [The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny himself. To deny oneself means to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent-of-alaska/the-first-duty-of-a-christian-of-a-disciple-and-follower-of-jesus/) Innocent of Alaska > [Assumptions result in bad thoughts, bad thoughts result in jealousy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/assumptions-result-in-bad-thoughts-bad-thoughts-result-in-jealousy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When he went through the kitchen he kissed Rebeca on the forehead. "Get those bad thoughts out of your head," he told her. "You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/when-he-went-through-the-kitchen-he-kissed-rebeca-on-the-forehead-get/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Personally, I’m a mess of conflicting impulses—I’m independent and greedy and I also want to belong and share and be a part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/personally-i-m-a-mess-of-conflicting-impulses-i-m-independent-and/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) ## More by Jeff VanderMeer > [“Perhaps only I could truly make Wick a person, by forgiving him, and if I forgave him, if I showed I forgave him, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/perhaps-only-i-could-truly-make-wick-a-person-by-forgiving-him-and-if/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“I knew these elements were intended for me and me alone. There were no endearments, but I understood in part because of this restraint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-knew-these-elements-were-intended-for-me-and-me-alone-there-were-no/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“What if an infection was a message, a brightness a kind of symphony? As a defense? An odd form of communication? If so, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-if-an-infection-was-a-message-a-brightness-a-kind-of-symphony-as/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [That's how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/that-s-how-the-madness-of-the-world-tries-to-colonize-you-from-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [What I envy about musicians is, they have this more direct relationship with the audience. They don't have to go through words. Sure, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-i-envy-about-musicians-is-they-have-this-more-direct/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“In college, what had always stuck with him in Astronomy 101 was that the first astronomers to think of points of light not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/in-college-what-had-always-stuck-with-him-in-astronomy-101-was-that/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“But I was not a domesticated animals...The dirt and grit of a city, the unending wakefulness of it, the crowdedness, the constant light obscuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/but-i-was-not-a-domesticated-animals-the-dirt-and-grit-of-a-city-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [Dreams, though, are just one kind of inspiration - no more or less special than something in a newspaper article or from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/dreams-though-are-just-one-kind-of-inspiration-no-more-or-less/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“All of the things that wore you down, even as that was balanced by the electric feeling of being on the side of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/all-of-the-things-that-wore-you-down-even-as-that-was-balanced-by-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [There simply aren't enough constitutional safeguards in place to protect against a rogue president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/there-simply-aren-t-enough-constitutional-safeguards-in-place-to/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [There are some beautiful creatures in the ocean that seem very alien at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/there-are-some-beautiful-creatures-in-the-ocean-that-seem-very-alien/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [Even a dream as inspiration doesn't mean anything unless you then find that it's sparked an actual story with a plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/even-a-dream-as-inspiration-doesn-t-mean-anything-unless-you-then/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [I had learned so much about the world that I had decided to withdraw from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-had-learned-so-much-about-the-world-that-i-had-decided-to-withdraw/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“Do you think Area X builds spaceships, too? Do you think Area X traverses interstellar space? Wormholes? Think of something more subtle, something peering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/do-you-think-area-x-builds-spaceships-too-do-you-think-area-x/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“A sudden flash of his partner Wyte, telling him he was compromised, him replying, "I don't have an opinion on that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/a-sudden-flash-of-his-partner-wyte-telling-him-he-was-compromised-him/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) [Explore all 247 Jeff VanderMeer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## More Bad thoughts quotes > [“Personally, I’m a mess of conflicting impulses—I’m independent and greedy and I also want to belong and share and be a part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/personally-i-m-a-mess-of-conflicting-impulses-i-m-independent-and/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) > [When he went through the kitchen he kissed Rebeca on the forehead. "Get those bad thoughts out of your head," he told her. "You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/when-he-went-through-the-kitchen-he-kissed-rebeca-on-the-forehead-get/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Assumptions result in bad thoughts, bad thoughts result in jealousy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/assumptions-result-in-bad-thoughts-bad-thoughts-result-in-jealousy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny himself. To deny oneself means to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent-of-alaska/the-first-duty-of-a-christian-of-a-disciple-and-follower-of-jesus/) Innocent of Alaska > [“Psychological thoughts are the ones that decide whether something is “good” or “bad”, and these are the thoughts that create our suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-elkrief/psychological-thoughts-are-the-ones-that-decide-whether-something-is/) [Noah Elkrief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-elkrief/) > [“No difference, good or bad. Thoughts like birds in mind. Some fly in. Some fly out. Some stay at water hole to drink. Beware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-wright/no-difference-good-or-bad-thoughts-like-birds-in-mind-some-fly-in/) [Natalie Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-wright/) > [“Do you want me to get your back for you?” Cringe. “No, I’m fine.” “Okay, then could you get mine? I don’t really want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-rae/do-you-want-me-to-get-your-back-for-you-cringe-no-i-m-fine-okay-then/) [Kristin Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-rae/) > [“Never go to sleep with bad thoughts and torturing memories. They will not help you to wake up whole and fully serene—the two states…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhan-gopal-mukerji/never-go-to-sleep-with-bad-thoughts-and-torturing-memories-they-will/) [Dhan Gopal Mukerji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhan-gopal-mukerji/) > [Assumptions result in bad thoughts and bad thoughts raises so many unanswered questions...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-mudau/assumptions-result-in-bad-thoughts-and-bad-thoughts-raises-so-many/) [Lawrence Mudau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-mudau/) > [My dear heart, never think you are better than others. Listen to their sorrows with compassion. If you want peace, don't harbor bad thoughts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/my-dear-heart-never-think-you-are-better-than-others-listen-to-their/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“Sometimes people need a good person to listen to their bad thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/sometimes-people-need-a-good-person-to-listen-to-their-bad-thoughts/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [It doesn't matter what has Happened to You, it doesn't matter where you Came From or where you were Born. It also doesn't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-jenn/it-doesn-t-matter-what-has-happened-to-you-it-doesn-t-matter-where/) Jenn Jenn > [“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/good-thoughts-and-actions-can-never-produce-bad-results-bad-thoughts/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [How many bad thoughts do you have to string together to end up having a bad day?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kemp/how-many-bad-thoughts-do-you-have-to-string-together-to-end-up-having/) [Lee Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kemp/) > [“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. PROVERBS 17:22 SEPTEMBER 18 I visited my old hometown and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/a-cheerful-heart-is-good-medicine-but-a-crushed-spirit-dries-up-the/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 85 Bad thoughts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thoughts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ever since she had become my Manager, my raises had become smaller and smaller. The last raise had been a huge leech shaped like a helmet. It was meant to suck all the bad thoughts out of your head. It smelled like bacon, which seemed promising. I had invited Mord and Leer over to my apartment and we’d fried it up in a skillet. 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