--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Occasionally when no one was looking I…" description: "\"“Occasionally when no one was looking I would try on the wigs myself, but it was mostly the gray ones. I wanted to see how I would look when I was olde..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/margaret-atwood-40_quote_occasionally-when-no-one-was-looking-i-w_440246.jpg" --- # Occasionally when no one was looking I would try on the… ![“Occasionally when no one was looking I would try on the wigs myself, but it was mostly the gray ones. I wanted to see how I would look when I was older. I would soon be old, I felt, and nothing would happen to me in the meantime because I wasn't interested in anything or anyone. I'd be deserted, I…” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/margaret-atwood-40_quote_occasionally-when-no-one-was-looking-i-w_440246.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/margaret-atwood-40_quote_occasionally-when-no-one-was-looking-i-w_440246.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59a/margaret-atwood-40_quote_occasionally-when-no-one-was-looking-i-w_440246.jpg) > ““Occasionally when no one was looking I would try on the wigs myself, but it was mostly the gray ones. I wanted to see how I would look when I was older. I would soon be old, I felt, and nothing would happen to me in the meantime because I wasn't interested in anything or anyone. I'd be deserted, I was convinced of it now. I was miserable.”” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## 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 reflects on aging, isolation, and a sense of inevitable decline, using wigs as a metaphor for confronting future self‑image. **In simple terms:** Aging brings loneliness and dread. Key Takeaway Acknowledge feelings, seek connection. Themes aging loneliness self‑image despair Mood melancholic reflective Type literary personal psychological When to use this quote - personal reflection - mental health - creative writing - character development Key Concepts existentialism identity mortality Questions to Reflect On - What fears about aging shape your daily choices? - How might community alter this sense of abandonment? A Different Perspective The focus on personal despair may overlook external factors that could alleviate isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I love those preliminary conversations about who a character is. You try on wigs, shoes and clothes. It's preferable when it's not about looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-love-those-preliminary-conversations-about-who-a-character-is-you-2/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [I love those preliminary conversations about who a character is. You try on wigs, shoes, and clothes. It's preferable when it's not about looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-love-those-preliminary-conversations-about-who-a-character-is-you/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [Dave was great in Van Halen. No question about it. He was one of the best at being Mr. Rock Star. But it's sickening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/dave-was-great-in-van-halen-no-question-about-it-he-was-one-of-the/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [Three things are men most likely to be cheated in, a horse, a wig, and a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/three-things-are-men-most-likely-to-be-cheated-in-a-horse-a-wig-and-a/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I do not impersonate females! How many women do you know who wear seven inch heels, four foot wigs, and skintight dresses?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/i-do-not-impersonate-females-how-many-women-do-you-know-who-wear/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [I'm in love with wigs. I get them custom-made, and I have my hairstylist shape them to my head. I can go from short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rowland/i-m-in-love-with-wigs-i-get-them-custom-made-and-i-have-my/) [Kelly Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rowland/) > [When I go home my mother and I play a cannibal game; we eat each other over the years, tender morsel by morsel until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-howard/when-i-go-home-my-mother-and-i-play-a-cannibal-game-we-eat-each-other/) [Maureen Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-howard/) > [I wear a lot of wigs as Jacques Mesrine. He'd wear multiple wigs and take them off one at a time to rob three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-cassel/i-wear-a-lot-of-wigs-as-jacques-mesrine-he-d-wear-multiple-wigs-and/) [Vincent Cassel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-cassel/) > [Zac Efron is my obsession, we're the same person. We're not actually here, it's like Janet and Michael Jackson. He just puts on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/zac-efron-is-my-obsession-we-re-the-same-person-we-re-not-actually/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [I started wearing wigs when I was younger and had a thyroid disease that made my hair fall out. It was devastating. I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-robinson/i-started-wearing-wigs-when-i-was-younger-and-had-a-thyroid-disease/) [Angela Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-robinson/) > [The costume the actors wear and if they're in stylized makeup and wigs in a live-action movie let's say, in a big costume drama,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/the-costume-the-actors-wear-and-if-they-re-in-stylized-makeup-and/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Singing is an incredible expression and something that is important to me, but where I feel comfortable with how much I reveal about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-larson/singing-is-an-incredible-expression-and-something-that-is-important/) [Brie Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-larson/) > [You know, if I tell the press that I like long blonde hair, the next day there will be girls with long hair wigs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-lau/you-know-if-i-tell-the-press-that-i-like-long-blonde-hair-the-next/) [Andy Lau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-lau/) > [I've taken my cue from people here and from viewers, especially survivors-who said, 'When it's time to literally flip your wig, you'll know.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-roberts/i-ve-taken-my-cue-from-people-here-and-from-viewers-especially/) [Robin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-roberts/) > [There was an Old Man of Messina, Whose daughter was named Opsibeena; She wore a small wig, and rode out on a pig, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lear/there-was-an-old-man-of-messina-whose-daughter-was-named-opsibeena/) [Edward Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lear/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Wigs quotes > [There was an Old Man of Messina, Whose daughter was named Opsibeena; She wore a small wig, and rode out on a pig, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lear/there-was-an-old-man-of-messina-whose-daughter-was-named-opsibeena/) [Edward Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lear/) > [I've taken my cue from people here and from viewers, especially survivors-who said, 'When it's time to literally flip your wig, you'll know.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-roberts/i-ve-taken-my-cue-from-people-here-and-from-viewers-especially/) [Robin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-roberts/) > [You know, if I tell the press that I like long blonde hair, the next day there will be girls with long hair wigs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-lau/you-know-if-i-tell-the-press-that-i-like-long-blonde-hair-the-next/) [Andy Lau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-lau/) > [Singing is an incredible expression and something that is important to me, but where I feel comfortable with how much I reveal about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-larson/singing-is-an-incredible-expression-and-something-that-is-important/) [Brie Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-larson/) > [I love those preliminary conversations about who a character is. You try on wigs, shoes, and clothes. It's preferable when it's not about looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-love-those-preliminary-conversations-about-who-a-character-is-you/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [The costume the actors wear and if they're in stylized makeup and wigs in a live-action movie let's say, in a big costume drama,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/the-costume-the-actors-wear-and-if-they-re-in-stylized-makeup-and/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I started wearing wigs when I was younger and had a thyroid disease that made my hair fall out. It was devastating. I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-robinson/i-started-wearing-wigs-when-i-was-younger-and-had-a-thyroid-disease/) [Angela Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-robinson/) > [Zac Efron is my obsession, we're the same person. We're not actually here, it's like Janet and Michael Jackson. He just puts on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/zac-efron-is-my-obsession-we-re-the-same-person-we-re-not-actually/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [I wear a lot of wigs as Jacques Mesrine. He'd wear multiple wigs and take them off one at a time to rob three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-cassel/i-wear-a-lot-of-wigs-as-jacques-mesrine-he-d-wear-multiple-wigs-and/) [Vincent Cassel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-cassel/) > [When I go home my mother and I play a cannibal game; we eat each other over the years, tender morsel by morsel until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-howard/when-i-go-home-my-mother-and-i-play-a-cannibal-game-we-eat-each-other/) [Maureen Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-howard/) > [I'm in love with wigs. I get them custom-made, and I have my hairstylist shape them to my head. I can go from short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rowland/i-m-in-love-with-wigs-i-get-them-custom-made-and-i-have-my/) [Kelly Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rowland/) > [I do not impersonate females! How many women do you know who wear seven inch heels, four foot wigs, and skintight dresses?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/i-do-not-impersonate-females-how-many-women-do-you-know-who-wear/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [Three things are men most likely to be cheated in, a horse, a wig, and a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/three-things-are-men-most-likely-to-be-cheated-in-a-horse-a-wig-and-a/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Dave was great in Van Halen. No question about it. He was one of the best at being Mr. Rock Star. But it's sickening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/dave-was-great-in-van-halen-no-question-about-it-he-was-one-of-the/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [The people who know the sort of personality or persona that I give across more on Twitter just realize that I'm just being messy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-roy/the-people-who-know-the-sort-of-personality-or-persona-that-i-give/) [Jason Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-roy/) Browse all 226 Wigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Occasionally when no one was looking I would try on the wigs myself, but it was mostly the gray ones. I wanted to see how I would look when I was older. I would soon be old, I felt, and nothing would happen to me in the meantime because I wasn't interested in anything or anyone. I'd be deserted, I was convinced of it now. 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