--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagine a man between thirty-eight and…" description: "\"“Imagine a man between thirty-eight and forty, tall, slim, and pale. His clothes, except for their style, looked as if they'd escaped from the Babyloni..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/machado-de-assis-3758_clothing_imagine-a-man-between-thirty-eight-and-f_2109103.jpg" --- # Imagine a man between thirty-eight and forty, tall, slim… ![“Imagine a man between thirty-eight and forty, tall, slim, and pale. His clothes, except for their style, looked as if they'd escaped from the Babylonian captivity. The hat was a contemporary of one of Gessler's. Imagine now a frock coat broader than the needs of his frame--or, literally, that…” quote by Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/machado-de-assis-3758_clothing_imagine-a-man-between-thirty-eight-and-f_2109103.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/machado-de-assis-3758_clothing_imagine-a-man-between-thirty-eight-and-f_2109103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/machado-de-assis-3758_clothing_imagine-a-man-between-thirty-eight-and-f_2109103.jpg) > ““Imagine a man between thirty-eight and forty, tall, slim, and pale. His clothes, except for their style, looked as if they'd escaped from the Babylonian captivity. The hat was a contemporary of one of Gessler's. Imagine now a frock coat broader than the needs of his frame--or, literally, that person's bones. The fringe had disappeared some time ago, of the eight original buttons, three were left. The brown drill trousers had two strong knee patches, while the cuffs had been chewed by the heels of boots that bore no pity or polish. About his neck the ends of a tie of two faded colors floated, gripping a week-old collar. I think he was also wearing a dark silk vest, torn in places and unbuttoned. "I'll bet you don't know me, my good Dr. Cubas," he said. "I can't recall..." "I'm Borba, Quincas Borba.”” [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid physical description reveals a disheveled, aging man whose appearance reflects his inner decay and social alienation. **In simple terms:** A man’s worn look shows his inner emptiness. Key Takeaway Notice how appearance can betray inner truth. Themes appearance decay alienation social critique Mood melancholy critical reflective Type literary character analysis When to use this quote - literary analysis - character study - historical context Key Concepts existentialism identity class Questions to Reflect On - What does his attire say about his status? - How does physical decay mirror moral decay? A Different Perspective The description may romanticize poverty, overlooking systemic causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Captivity Hat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captivity-hat-4249358/) [Clothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothing/) [Frock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frock-1159222/) [Imagine Frock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-frock-4249360/) [Looked Escaped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looked-escaped-4249359/) [Man Thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-thirty-725802/) ## Related quotes > [“You don’t know what it’s like to be a man over thirty who’s never had anything happen to him. You spend so many years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/you-don-t-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-a-man-over-thirty-who-s-never-had/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“A man came up to her. Expensively tailored suit. Okay, he wasn't exactly a man because he was only thirty-five. But he was trying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/a-man-came-up-to-her-expensively-tailored-suit-okay-he-wasn-t-exactly/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [“A tall, dark, cold eyed, warm lipped, firm chinned, young man of thirty”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-n-williamson/a-tall-dark-cold-eyed-warm-lipped-firm-chinned-young-man-of-thirty/) [C.N. Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-n-williamson/) > [“for what could a silent man of five-and-thirty hope, when opposed to a very lively one of five-and-twenty?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/for-what-could-a-silent-man-of-five-and-thirty-hope-when-opposed-to-a/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“A man of over thirty might be held to be at the height of his powers, but not necessarily of his wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/a-man-of-over-thirty-might-be-held-to-be-at-the-height-of-his-powers/) [Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/) > [“The enthusiasm which induced a priest, notary, and teacher like Knox to carry a claymore in defence of a beloved teacher, Wishart, seems more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/the-enthusiasm-which-induced-a-priest-notary-and-teacher-like-knox-to/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Sensible people get the greater part of their own dying done..during their own lifetime. A man at Five and Thirty should no more regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-nacion/sensible-people-get-the-greater-part-of-their-own-dying-done-during-2/) [Nikki Nacion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-nacion/) > [A man thirty years old, I said to myself, should have his field of life all ploughed, and his planting well done; for after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/a-man-thirty-years-old-i-said-to-myself-should-have-his-field-of-life/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [A man is thirty years old before he has any settled thoughts of his fortune; it is not completed before fifty. He falls to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-is-thirty-years-old-before-he-has-any-settled-thoughts-of-his/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [I have no interest in being a celebrity. I wouldn't go to anything that I wasn't involved in just for the sake of wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-gomez/i-have-no-interest-in-being-a-celebrity-i-wouldn-t-go-to-anything/) [Michelle Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-gomez/) > [I'll make my old clothes know who's master. I shall straightaway cashier the hunting-frock, and render my leather breeches incapable. My hair has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/i-ll-make-my-old-clothes-know-who-s-master-i-shall-straightaway/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [I'm not a girly girl, never have been. I really admire those who love to frock up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-mailman/i-m-not-a-girly-girl-never-have-been-i-really-admire-those-who-love/) [Deborah Mailman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-mailman/) > [“How do you know you're a girl? I'm wearing a frock. And if you take it off? I get cold, so I put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/how-do-you-know-you-re-a-girl-i-m-wearing-a-frock-and-if-you-take-it/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [I love a bit of a sequin and a bead. I do, even though I usually wear trousers, when I put a frock on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacki-weaver/i-love-a-bit-of-a-sequin-and-a-bead-i-do-even-though-i-usually-wear/) [Jacki Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacki-weaver/) > [“Yes, darling, that is quite a nice frock, but the hankerchief is not only the wrong shade of grey, but quite damnably tied. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgette-heyer/yes-darling-that-is-quite-a-nice-frock-but-the-hankerchief-is-not/) [Georgette Heyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgette-heyer/) ## More by Machado de Assis > [“Quem escapa do perigo vive a vida com outra intensidade.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/quem-escapa-do-perigo-vive-a-vida-com-outra-intensidade/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“Cotrim, who was present, said: “Those came who had a genuine interest in you and in us. The eighty would have come only as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/cotrim-who-was-present-said-those-came-who-had-a-genuine-interest-in/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“Nada há definitivo no mundo; nem o infortúnio nem a prosperidade. O que a tua imaginação supõe estar perdido, acha-se apenas transviado ou oculto...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/nada-h-definitivo-no-mundo-nem-o-infort-nio-nem-a-prosperidade-o-que/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“Tudo é música, meu amigo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/tudo-m-sica-meu-amigo/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“…like the horse in the old ballads, which Romanticism found in the medieval castle and left in the streets of our own century. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/like-the-horse-in-the-old-ballads-which-romanticism-found-in-the/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“(...) a pior filosofia é a do choramingas que se deita à margem do rio para o fim de lastimar o curso incessante das…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/a-pior-filosofia-a-do-choramingas-que-se-deita-margem-do-rio-para-o/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“O casamento é a pior ou a melhor coisa do mundo; pura questão de temperamento.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/o-casamento-a-pior-ou-a-melhor-coisa-do-mundo-pura-quest-o-de/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“The next day, he read to me a freshly composed dirge in which the circumstances of his wife’s death and burial were commemorated. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/the-next-day-he-read-to-me-a-freshly-composed-dirge-in-which-the/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [The conclusion, therefore, is that there are two major forces in society: love, which multiplies the species, and the nose, which subordinates it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/the-conclusion-therefore-is-that-there-are-two-major-forces-in/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“Prometheus. The truth unknown to man is the madness of him who proclaims it. Proceed, and have done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/prometheus-the-truth-unknown-to-man-is-the-madness-of-him-who/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [To him the stars seemed like so many musical notes affixed to the sky, just waiting for somebody to unfasten them. Someday the sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/to-him-the-stars-seemed-like-so-many-musical-notes-affixed-to-the-sky/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“...one of the roles of man is to shut his eyes and keep them shut to see if he can continue into the night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/one-of-the-roles-of-man-is-to-shut-his-eyes-and-keep-them-shut-to-see/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“Tijolos que pisei e repisei naquela tarde, colunas amareladas que me passastes à direita ou à esquerda, segundo eu ia ou vinha, em vós…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/tijolos-que-pisei-e-repisei-naquela-tarde-colunas-amareladas-que-me/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [Out of the sighs of one generation are kneaded the hopes of the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/out-of-the-sighs-of-one-generation-are-kneaded-the-hopes-of-the-next/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) > [“He had found in himself the perfect, undeniable case of insanity. He possessed wisdom, patience, tolerance, truthfulness, loyalty, and moral fortitude—all the qualities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/he-had-found-in-himself-the-perfect-undeniable-case-of-insanity-he/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) [Explore all 64 Machado de Assis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) ## More Clothing quotes > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [“You should wear whatever clothing you feel most comfortable in. Being comfortable in yourself is the best way to be attractive to others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-should-wear-whatever-clothing-you-feel-most-comfortable-in-being/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Clothing doesn’t lie, it shows everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yohji-yamamoto/clothing-doesn-t-lie-it-shows-everything/) [Yohji Yamamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yohji-yamamoto/) > [I never thought I'd have a clothing line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boosie/i-never-thought-i-d-have-a-clothing-line/) [Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boosie/) > [It's always uncomfortable for me when I take off my shirt. No one else is taking their shift off. Why is everyone else in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-lautner/it-s-always-uncomfortable-for-me-when-i-take-off-my-shirt-no-one-else/) [Taylor Lautner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-lautner/) > [The first clothing line I had was called Very Rue. Then we changed the name and moved to QVC, and the name became A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rue-mcclanahan/the-first-clothing-line-i-had-was-called-very-rue-then-we-changed-the/) [Rue McClanahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rue-mcclanahan/) > [“Twice, in half an hour, Hetty had held up Miss Barlow's plans, and prevented her from moving as quickly as possible on to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-gibbons/twice-in-half-an-hour-hetty-had-held-up-miss-barlow-s-plans-and/) [Stella Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-gibbons/) > [Clothing should be like food. There should never be a $5000 sweater. You know what should cost $5000? A car.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/clothing-should-be-like-food-there-should-never-be-a-5000-sweater-you/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [Clothing is art. It's an expression of how you feel. I think that it's not so much a question of a certain style or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/clothing-is-art-it-s-an-expression-of-how-you-feel-i-think-that-it-s/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I'm just showing my personality in my clothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwyane-wade/i-m-just-showing-my-personality-in-my-clothing/) [Dwyane Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwyane-wade/) > [That's when you know you know somebody. When you know every piece of clothing they have in their wardrobe. That's friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-glazer/that-s-when-you-know-you-know-somebody-when-you-know-every-piece-of/) [Ilana Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-glazer/) > [I am not really interested in clothing as a conceptual art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/i-am-not-really-interested-in-clothing-as-a-conceptual-art-form/) [Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/) > [For me, the best way to know me is to look at my clothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/for-me-the-best-way-to-know-me-is-to-look-at-my-clothing/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [Art is the clothing of a revelation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/art-is-the-clothing-of-a-revelation/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and even clothes, the discussion of fur is childish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/in-a-meat-eating-world-wearing-leather-for-shoes-and-even-clothes-the/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) [Browse all 336 Clothing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Imagine a man between thirty-eight and forty, tall, slim, and pale. His clothes, except for their style, looked as if they'd escaped from the Babylonian captivity. The hat was a contemporary of one of Gessler's. Imagine now a frock coat broader than the needs of his frame--or, literally, that person's bones. The fringe had disappeared some time ago, of the eight original buttons, three were left. The brown drill trousers had two strong knee patches, while the cuffs had been chewed by the heels of boots that bore no pity or polish. About his neck the ends of a tie of two faded colors floated, gripping a week-old collar. 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