--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The lodger told Anfisa, Anna Frantsevna’s…" description: "\"“The lodger told Anfisa, Anna Frantsevna’s long-time and devoted housekeeper, to say, in case he received any telephone calls, that he would be back in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/420/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_telephone-calls_the-lodger-told-anfisa-anna-frantsevna-s_1770071.jpg" --- # The lodger told Anfisa, Anna Frantsevna’s long-time and… ![“The lodger told Anfisa, Anna Frantsevna’s long-time and devoted housekeeper, to say, in case he received any telephone calls, that he would be back in ten minutes, and left together with the proper, white-gloved policeman. He not only did not come back in ten minutes, but never came back at all.” quote by Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/420/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_telephone-calls_the-lodger-told-anfisa-anna-frantsevna-s_1770071.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/420/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_telephone-calls_the-lodger-told-anfisa-anna-frantsevna-s_1770071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/420/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_telephone-calls_the-lodger-told-anfisa-anna-frantsevna-s_1770071.jpg) > ““The lodger told Anfisa, Anna Frantsevna’s long-time and devoted housekeeper, to say, in case he received any telephone calls, that he would be back in ten minutes, and left together with the proper, white-gloved policeman. He not only did not come back in ten minutes, but never came back at all.”” [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A caretaker promises a brief return but never fulfills it, highlighting broken promises and abandonment. **In simple terms:** Broken promises leave lasting disappointment. Key Takeaway Beware of relying on uncertain assurances. Themes trust betrayal absence Mood cautious melancholic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal relationships - business deals - customer service - legal contracts Key Concepts promise reliability disappointment Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle unmet expectations? - What safeguards can you set for promises? A Different Perspective Not all promises are kept; context may be beyond control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Telephone Calls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telephone-calls/) ## Related quotes > [“I wandered around for a bit, and was about to leave when your daughter entered—” “And then you gave her the punch?” Sir Geoffrey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-noble/i-wandered-around-for-a-bit-and-was-about-to-leave-when-your-daughter/) [Kate Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-noble/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“1.5 Make time to manage People used to worry about keeping their desk tidy. Now it’s also about keeping the computer desktop tidy. 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But with the mobile phone revolution, it is always followed by another: Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/telephone-calls-have-always-begun-with-the-question-how-are-you-but/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [I think that audio and video over the internet in the sense of teleconferencing and telephone calls. Maybe we'll actually have picture phone through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-postel/i-think-that-audio-and-video-over-the-internet-in-the-sense-of/) [Jon Postel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-postel/) > [I think Gore does have to worry. He is tied to Bill Clinton. We know that there were telephone calls that he made from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-olson/i-think-gore-does-have-to-worry-he-is-tied-to-bill-clinton-we-know/) [Barbara Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-olson/) > [“A wealth of research confirms the importance of face-to-face contact. One experiment performed by two researchers at the University of Michigan challenged groups of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-l-glaeser/a-wealth-of-research-confirms-the-importance-of-face-to-face-contact/) Edward L. Glaeser ## More by Mikhail Bulgakov > [“The Procurator did not squint because the sun dazzled him. No! 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Popławskiemu zawirowało w głowie, stracił władzę w rękach i nogach, wypuścił z ręki walizkę i opadł…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/no-wi-c-ja-wys-a-em-depesz-i-co-dalej-pop-awskiemu-zawirowa-o-w-g/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) [Explore all 186 Mikhail Bulgakov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) ## More Telephone Calls quotes > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I think Gore does have to worry. He is tied to Bill Clinton. 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Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/if-you-get-stuck-get-away-from-your-desk-take-a-walk-take-a-bath-go/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The more I took note of how my body and brain clicked along through the day, the more I realized that I spent a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-williams/the-more-i-took-note-of-how-my-body-and-brain-clicked-along-through/) [Dee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-williams/) > [“...we are changed as technology offers us substitutes for connecting with each other face-to-face. We are offered robots and a whole world of machine-mediated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/we-are-changed-as-technology-offers-us-substitutes-for-connecting/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [“Susan Griffin describes it as a time when "there is no intrinsic authority to my words." 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Now it’s also about keeping the computer desktop tidy. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-heath/1-5-make-time-to-manage-people-used-to-worry-about-keeping-their-desk/) Michael Heath > [“A wealth of research confirms the importance of face-to-face contact. One experiment performed by two researchers at the University of Michigan challenged groups of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-l-glaeser/a-wealth-of-research-confirms-the-importance-of-face-to-face-contact/) Edward L. Glaeser > [“The commandment to work is imposed on us by our descent from Adam and Eve, but it is a blessing to us. Illness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chieko-n-okazaki/the-commandment-to-work-is-imposed-on-us-by-our-descent-from-adam-and/) [Chieko N. Okazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chieko-n-okazaki/) [Browse all 31 Telephone Calls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telephone-calls/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The lodger told Anfisa, Anna Frantsevna’s long-time and devoted housekeeper, to say, in case he received any telephone calls, that he would be back in ten minutes, and left together with the proper, white-gloved policeman. 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