--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My veins are filled, once a week with a…" description: "\"My veins are filled, once a week with a Neapolitan carpet cleaner distilled from the Adriatic and I am as bald as an egg. However I still get around an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/john-cheever-3301_breast-cancer_my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-n_2586122.jpg" --- # My veins are filled, once a week with a Neapolitan carpet… ![“My veins are filled, once a week with a Neapolitan carpet cleaner distilled from the Adriatic and I am as bald as an egg. However I still get around and am mean to cats.” quote by John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/john-cheever-3301_breast-cancer_my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-n_2586122.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/john-cheever-3301_breast-cancer_my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-n_2586122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/john-cheever-3301_breast-cancer_my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-n_2586122.jpg) > “My veins are filled, once a week with a Neapolitan carpet cleaner distilled from the Adriatic and I am as bald as an egg. However I still get around and am mean to cats.” [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A bizarre, humorous self‑describes a routine, juxtaposing mundane details with absurdity. **In simple terms:** Odd routine reveals hidden humor and resilience. Key Takeaway Embrace quirks while moving forward. Themes absurdity humor resilience routine Mood wry playful Type literary humorous When to use this quote - daily commute - personal habits - care for pets - creative writing Key Concepts surrealism self‑deprecation everyday absurdities Questions to Reflect On - What absurd detail makes you smile? - How do you balance routine with spontaneity? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper struggles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breast cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breast-cancer/) [Breast cancer survivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breast-cancer-survivor/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Cancer and hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer-and-hope/) [Cancer hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer-hope/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [People with cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-with-cancer/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [“that's what i mean about cats. they're always trying to make fools of us humans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-jackson-braun/that-s-what-i-mean-about-cats-they-re-always-trying-to-make-fools-of/) [Lilian Jackson Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-jackson-braun/) > [You beat Cancer by how you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-scott/you-beat-cancer-by-how-you-live/) [Stuart Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-scott/) > [You gain strength, courage, and confidence by doing the thing which you think you cannot do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/you-gain-strength-courage-and-confidence-by-doing-the-thing-which-you/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [What cancer does is, it forces you to focus, to prioritize, and you learn what's important. I mean, I don't sweat the small stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-siegel/what-cancer-does-is-it-forces-you-to-focus-to-prioritize-and-you-2/) [Joel Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-siegel/) > [I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some from behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/i-learned-there-are-troubles-of-more-than-one-kind-some-come-from/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [We "need" cancer because, by the very fact of its incurability, it makes all other diseases, however virulent, not cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-adair/we-need-cancer-because-by-the-very-fact-of-its-incurability-it-makes/) [Gilbert Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-adair/) > [QUOTES BOUQUET: You Have To Fight Through Some Bad Days To Earn The Best Days Of Your Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan/quotes-bouquet-you-have-to-fight-through-some-bad-days-to-earn-the/) [Adnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan/) > [The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/the-most-important-thing-in-illness-is-never-to-lose-heart/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up or fight like hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/we-have-two-options-medically-and-emotionally-give-up-or-fight-like/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-that-perches-in-the-soul/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [What cancer does is, it forces you to focus, to prioritize, and you learn what’s important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-siegel/what-cancer-does-is-it-forces-you-to-focus-to-prioritize-and-you/) [Joel Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-siegel/) > [Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/adversity-is-like-a-strong-wind-i-don-t-mean-just-that-it-holds-us/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [During chemo, you're more tired than you've ever been. It's like a cloud passing over the sun, and suddenly you're out. But you also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bank/during-chemo-you-re-more-tired-than-you-ve-ever-been-it-s-like-a/) [Melissa Bank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bank/) ## More by John Cheever > [Only the opium eater truly understands the pain of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/only-the-opium-eater-truly-understands-the-pain-of-death/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [The poet or storyteller who feels that he is competing with a superb double play in the World Series is a lost man. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/the-poet-or-storyteller-who-feels-that-he-is-competing-with-a-superb/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“She perceived vaguely the pitiful corruption of the adult world; how cruel and frail it was, like a worn piece of burlap, patched with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/she-perceived-vaguely-the-pitiful-corruption-of-the-adult-world-how/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [For lovers, touch is metamorphosis. All the parts of their bodies seem to change, and they seem to become something different and better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/for-lovers-touch-is-metamorphosis-all-the-parts-of-their-bodies-seem/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“I dream that someone in space says to me: So let us rush, then, to see the world. It is shaped like an egg,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-dream-that-someone-in-space-says-to-me-so-let-us-rush-then-to-see/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [I don't like to see all my energies, all of my youth, wasted in fur coats and radios and slipcovers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-don-t-like-to-see-all-my-energies-all-of-my-youth-wasted-in-fur/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Literature has been the salvation of the damned, literature has inspired and guided lovers, routed despair and can perhaps in this case save the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/literature-has-been-the-salvation-of-the-damned-literature-has/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [At my back I hear the word-"homosexual"-and it seems to split my world in two… It is ignorance, our ignorance of one another, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/at-my-back-i-hear-the-word-homosexual-and-it-seems-to-split-my-world/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [One would never have guessed that the world had such a capacity for genuine grief. The most we can do is exploit our memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/one-would-never-have-guessed-that-the-world-had-such-a-capacity-for/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“His stepmother -wearing a nightgown for comfort and a flowered hat for looks- had spent her days sitting in their parlor window in Baltimore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/his-stepmother-wearing-a-nightgown-for-comfort-and-a-flowered-hat-for/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Fear tastes like a rusty knife and do not let her into your house. Courage tastes of blood. Stand up straight. Admire the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/fear-tastes-like-a-rusty-knife-and-do-not-let-her-into-your-house/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [I dream that my face appears on a postage stamp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-dream-that-my-face-appears-on-a-postage-stamp/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, not the strength to choose between the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/wisdom-is-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil-not-the-strength-to-choose/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“There was some faint coughing, a moan, and then a man spoke. "Are you all right, darling?" he asked. "Yes," a woman said wearily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/there-was-some-faint-coughing-a-moan-and-then-a-man-spoke-are-you-all/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, "I drank too much last night." You might have heard it whispered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/it-was-one-of-those-midsummer-sundays-when-everyone-sits-around/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) [Explore all 132 John Cheever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) ## More Breast cancer quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [It's October! Breast Cancer Awareness Month, wear pink, show support!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-october-breast-cancer-awareness-month-wear-pink-show-support/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel that between my experience and my mother's, breast cancer is a little bit like someone who lives next door. I know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/i-feel-that-between-my-experience-and-my-mother-s-breast-cancer-is-a/) [Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/) > [With breast cancer, it's all about detection. You have to educate young women and encourage them to do everything they have to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rancic/with-breast-cancer-it-s-all-about-detection-you-have-to-educate-young/) [Bill Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rancic/) > [The women I know who have gone through breast cancer still laugh a lot. They're not crying all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/the-women-i-know-who-have-gone-through-breast-cancer-still-laugh-a/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [It's finally October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so go buy your pink ribbon and support beautiful breasts everywhere!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-finally-october-and-breast-cancer-awareness-month-so-go-buy-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I chose the Pink Fund because my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and I was pretty young in high school. At the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-larson/i-chose-the-pink-fund-because-my-mom-was-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer/) [Jordan Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-larson/) > [Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/having-breast-cancer-is-massive-amounts-of-no-fun/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Once I overcame breast cancer, I wasn't afraid of anything anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-etheridge/once-i-overcame-breast-cancer-i-wasn-t-afraid-of-anything-anymore/) [Melissa Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-etheridge/) > [The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-and possibly teh bogey man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-fear-itself-and-possibly-teh-bogey/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [I am involved with so many charitable organizations. Lung Cancer because of my dad, Breast Cancer because as a woman and mother of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-robbins/i-am-involved-with-so-many-charitable-organizations-lung-cancer/) Lois Robbins > [For years I've carried the label 'ex-anorexic;' no doubt that will now change to 'breast cancer patient.' But we all have challenges to face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-strachan/for-years-i-ve-carried-the-label-ex-anorexic-no-doubt-that-will-now/) [Michaela Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-strachan/) > [But when this happens to you - and I think other people would identify with this - suddenly, colors are brighter. You see everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-redgrave/but-when-this-happens-to-you-and-i-think-other-people-would-identify/) [Lynn Redgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-redgrave/) > [My mother had never had a day's illness in her life and never thought to have checks. Then, at 78, she discovered she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wakeman/my-mother-had-never-had-a-day-s-illness-in-her-life-and-never-thought/) [Rick Wakeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wakeman/) [Browse all 343 Breast cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breast-cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My veins are filled, once a week with a Neapolitan carpet cleaner distilled from the Adriatic and I am as bald as an egg. However I still get around and am mean to cats.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cheever" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-neapolitan-carpet-cleaner/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breast cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-neapolitan-carpet-cleaner/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/john-cheever-3301_breast-cancer_my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-n_2586122.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/john-cheever-3301_breast-cancer_my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-n_2586122.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/483/john-cheever-3301_breast-cancer_my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-n_2586122.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My veins are filled, once a week with a Neapolitan carpet cleaner distilled from the Adriatic and I am as…” — John Cheever", "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": "John Cheever", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My veins are filled, once a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-neapolitan-carpet-cleaner/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/my-veins-are-filled-once-a-week-with-a-neapolitan-carpet-cleaner/#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 } } ] } ```