--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first glance at the pillow showed me…" description: "\"“The first glance at the pillow showed me a repulsive sentinel perched upon each end of it--cockroaches as large as peach leaves--fellows with long, qu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/mark-twain-22_bugs_the-first-glance-at-the-pillow-showed-me_2470898.png" --- # The first glance at the pillow showed me a repulsive… ![“The first glance at the pillow showed me a repulsive sentinel perched upon each end of it--cockroaches as large as peach leaves--fellows with long, quivering antennae and fiery, malignant eyes. They were grating their teeth like tobacco worms, and appeared to be dissatisfied about something. I had…” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/mark-twain-22_bugs_the-first-glance-at-the-pillow-showed-me_2470898.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/mark-twain-22_bugs_the-first-glance-at-the-pillow-showed-me_2470898.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12d/mark-twain-22_bugs_the-first-glance-at-the-pillow-showed-me_2470898.png) > ““The first glance at the pillow showed me a repulsive sentinel perched upon each end of it--cockroaches as large as peach leaves--fellows with long, quivering antennae and fiery, malignant eyes. They were grating their teeth like tobacco worms, and appeared to be dissatisfied about something. I had often heard that these reptiles were in the habit of eating off sleeping sailors' toe nails down to the quick, and I would not get in the bunk any more. I lay down on the floor. But a rat came and bothered me, and shortly afterward a procession of cockroaches arrived and camped in my hair. In a few moments the rooster was crowing with uncommon spirit and a party of fleas were throwing double somersaults about my person in the wildest disorder, and taking a bite every time they stuck. I was beginning to feel really annoyed. I got up and put my clothes on and went on deck. The above is not overdrawn; it is a truthful sketch of inter-island schooner life.”” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage humorously depicts a night of insect infestation on a ship, highlighting the narrator’s growing irritation and the chaotic, vivid scene. **In simple terms:** A night on a ship filled with annoying bugs. Key Takeaway Recognize and address minor annoyances before they overwhelm. Themes humor travel discomfort Mood irritated amused reflective Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - ship life - nighttime - personal space - pest control Key Concepts exaggeration surrealism vivid description Questions to Reflect On - How do small irritations affect your mood? - What coping strategies help in chaotic environments? A Different Perspective The hyperbole may exaggerate actual conditions, reducing factual reliability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bugs/) [Cockroaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cockroaches/) [Cockroaches Arrived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cockroaches-arrived-759543/) [Cockroaches Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cockroaches-large-759544/) [Exaggeration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exaggeration/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Pests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pests/) [Procession Cockroaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procession-cockroaches-759545/) [Sailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailing/) [Sailor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailor/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [Worms Appeared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms-appeared-759546/) ## Related quotes > [“The walls were chipped and needed paint. The windows were mostly okay but one pane was blocked with cardboard. There were fleas the exterminator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brunner/the-walls-were-chipped-and-needed-paint-the-windows-were-mostly-okay/) [John Brunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brunner/) > [And when Hugh would grow progressively Gandhi on me, I'd remind him that these were pests---disease carriers who feasted upon the dead and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/and-when-hugh-would-grow-progressively-gandhi-on-me-i-d-remind-him/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Don't knock the power of a pest," Leif said. "Persistance and stubborness can be useful in many situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/don-t-knock-the-power-of-a-pest-leif-said-persistance-and-stubborness/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [For today, we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created, for the first time in all history, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/for-today-we-celebrate-the-first-glorious-anniversary-of-the/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [One woman is a pest and two women is a team, but three women or more is a coalition. If you can bring a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/one-woman-is-a-pest-and-two-women-is-a-team-but-three-women-or-more/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [you may take it from me, that however hard you try - or don't try; whatever you do - or don't do; for better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-raverat/you-may-take-it-from-me-that-however-hard-you-try-or-don-t-try/) [Gwen Raverat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-raverat/) > [Oh, how I vainly wished to the bearded man in the sky that I was Neapolitan. Why? So I could bring in a fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/oh-how-i-vainly-wished-to-the-bearded-man-in-the-sky-that-i-was/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Sometimes you have to burn bridges to keep pests from following you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/sometimes-you-have-to-burn-bridges-to-keep-pests-from-following-you/) [Author Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-name/) > [Cyber Leader: Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen. Dalek Sec: This is not war - this is pest control! Cyber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-t-davies/cyber-leader-daleks-be-warned-you-have-declared-war-upon-the-cybermen/) [Russell T Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-t-davies/) > [“Plantations of good morals are easily captivated, colonized and corrupted by the pests of a bad company. 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They offered me a job as a junior reporter and I went off to work for the Southern Reporter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-douglas/i-didn-t-go-to-university-they-offered-me-a-job-as-a-junior-reporter/) [Jill Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-douglas/) > [I myself have not met a self-confessed liberal since the late fifties (and even then it was a tacky thing to admit, like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/i-myself-have-not-met-a-self-confessed-liberal-since-the-late-fifties/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Gary Greenberg is a thoughtful comedian and a cranky philosopher and a humble pest of a reporter, equal parts Woody Allen, Kierkegaard, and Columbo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gideon-lewis-kraus/gary-greenberg-is-a-thoughtful-comedian-and-a-cranky-philosopher-and/) [Gideon Lewis-Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gideon-lewis-kraus/) > [That devilish Iron Horse, whose ear-rending neigh is heard throughout the town, has muddied the Boiling Spring with his foot, and he it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/that-devilish-iron-horse-whose-ear-rending-neigh-is-heard-throughout/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More by Mark Twain > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. 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Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. 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I had often heard that these reptiles were in the habit of eating off sleeping sailors' toe nails down to the quick, and I would not get in the bunk any more. I lay down on the floor. But a rat came and bothered me, and shortly afterward a procession of cockroaches arrived and camped in my hair. In a few moments the rooster was crowing with uncommon spirit and a party of fleas were throwing double somersaults about my person in the wildest disorder, and taking a bite every time they stuck. I was beginning to feel really annoyed. I got up and put my clothes on and went on deck. 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