--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I see too many men delay their exits with…" description: "\"I see too many men delay their exits with a sickly, slow reluctance to leave the stage. It's bad theater as well as bad living.\" — John Steinbeck" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/john-steinbeck-71_delay_i-see-too-many-men-delay-their-exits-wit_2457908.jpg" --- # I see too many men delay their exits with a sickly, slow… ![“I see too many men delay their exits with a sickly, slow reluctance to leave the stage. It's bad theater as well as bad living.” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/john-steinbeck-71_delay_i-see-too-many-men-delay-their-exits-wit_2457908.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/john-steinbeck-71_delay_i-see-too-many-men-delay-their-exits-wit_2457908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/john-steinbeck-71_delay_i-see-too-many-men-delay-their-exits-wit_2457908.jpg) > “I see too many men delay their exits with a sickly, slow reluctance to leave the stage. It's bad theater as well as bad living.” [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People who linger indecisively waste time, leading to poor outcomes in both art and life. **In simple terms:** Indecision harms performance and life. Key Takeaway Act decisively to avoid stagnation. Themes decision‑making productivity performance life choices Mood thoughtful serious Type literary advice When to use this quote - career transitions - creative projects - personal deadlines Key Concepts existentialism time management Questions to Reflect On - What holds you back from leaving the stage? - How can you overcome hesitation? A Different Perspective Decisions can be paralyzed by fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Reluctance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reluctance/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Theater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [I come from theater and captured theater has a bad rap of being never what the live performance was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-come-from-theater-and-captured-theater-has-a-bad-rap-of-being-never/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [I like shooting locations just because too much control on the stage can be a bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiro-murai/i-like-shooting-locations-just-because-too-much-control-on-the-stage/) [Hiro Murai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiro-murai/) > [I loathe bad theater and most theatre is very bad because it's repetitious, unexciting and, dangerously, it is sometimes praised for those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-shaw/i-loathe-bad-theater-and-most-theatre-is-very-bad-because-it-s/) [Fiona Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-shaw/) > [I was in New York for a little while, doing some really bad theater. I did some great stuff, too, but there were Saturday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-weir-mitchell/i-was-in-new-york-for-a-little-while-doing-some-really-bad-theater-i/) [Silas Weir Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-weir-mitchell/) > [You should never drink before you go on stage. That's a very bad idea if you want to give your all to your fans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/you-should-never-drink-before-you-go-on-stage-that-s-a-very-bad-idea/) [Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/) > [Farewell has a sweet sound of reluctance. Good-by is short and final, a word with teeth sharp to bite through the string that ties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/farewell-has-a-sweet-sound-of-reluctance-good-by-is-short-and-final-a/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I'm huge on the dynamic of my show and the experience, not just performing songs. 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Takes a shoat to bring in pork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/prayer-never-brought-in-no-side-meat-takes-a-shoat-to-bring-in-pork/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“And now submarines are armed with mass murder, our silly, only way of deterring mass murder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-now-submarines-are-armed-with-mass-murder-our-silly-only-way-of/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“I’d think there are degrees of greatness,” Adam said. “I don’t think so,” said Samuel. “That would be like saying there is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-d-think-there-are-degrees-of-greatness-adam-said-i-don-t-think-so/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“He was forever inventing a new way of doing an old thing and doing it better and quicker, but he never in his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/he-was-forever-inventing-a-new-way-of-doing-an-old-thing-and-doing-it/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“You come back a changed man. 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The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [People like you to be something, preferably what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/people-like-you-to-be-something-preferably-what-they-are/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Suddenly he knew joy and sorrow felted into one fabric. Courage and fear were one thing too. He found that he had started to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/suddenly-he-knew-joy-and-sorrow-felted-into-one-fabric-courage-and/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I am writing this from what we Americans call Yurrp. 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Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/circumstances-may-cause-interruptions-and-delays-but-never-lose-sight/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [Systems program building is an entropy-decreasing process, hence inherently metastable. Program maintenance is an entropy-increasing process, and even its most skillful execution only delays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/systems-program-building-is-an-entropy-decreasing-process-hence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take no pleasure in seeing DeLay swing gently in the wind. But the thing I believe in the most is ethics. If someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/i-take-no-pleasure-in-seeing-delay-swing-gently-in-the-wind-but-the/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [Procrastination comes in two types. 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