--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was having more fun than a barrelful…" description: "\"He was having more fun than a barrelful of monkeys.* *Several years earlier Spider had actually been tremendously disappointed by a barrelful of monkey..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/neil-gaiman-29_disappointed_he-was-having-more-fun-than-a-barrelful_1001886.jpg" --- # He was having more fun than a barrelful of monkeys.\*… ![“He was having more fun than a barrelful of monkeys.* *Several years earlier Spider had actually been tremendously disappointed by a barrelful of monkeys. It had done nothing he had considered particularly entertaining, apart from emit interesting noises, and eventually, once the noises had stopped…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/neil-gaiman-29_disappointed_he-was-having-more-fun-than-a-barrelful_1001886.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/neil-gaiman-29_disappointed_he-was-having-more-fun-than-a-barrelful_1001886.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93d/neil-gaiman-29_disappointed_he-was-having-more-fun-than-a-barrelful_1001886.jpg) > “He was having more fun than a barrelful of monkeys.\* \*Several years earlier Spider had actually been tremendously disappointed by a barrelful of monkeys. It had done nothing he had considered particularly entertaining, apart from emit interesting noises, and eventually, once the noises had stopped and the monkeys were no longer doing anything at all—except possibly on an organic level—had needed to be disposed of in the dead of night.” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He finds more enjoyment in the absurd than in expected disappointment, highlighting the unpredictable nature of fun. **In simple terms:** Fun can be found in unexpected places. Key Takeaway Embrace the unexpected. Themes humor absurdity expectation delight Mood playful reflective Type anecdotal philosophical When to use this quote - social gatherings - creative projects - spontaneous events - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism joy surprise Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance novelty with meaning? A Different Perspective What if the fun is fleeting and leads to emptiness? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disappointed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointed/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Monkeys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monkeys/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) ## Related quotes > [We've just barely stopped being monkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-trussell/we-ve-just-barely-stopped-being-monkeys/) [Duncan Trussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-trussell/) > [You remind me of the Siberian hunting spider, which adopts a highly convincing limp in three of its eight legs in order to attract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/you-remind-me-of-the-siberian-hunting-spider-which-adopts-a-highly/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > ["More fun than a barrel of monkeys." Has anyone ever stopped to think how cranky, if not downright vicious, a barrelful of monkeys would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/more-fun-than-a-barrel-of-monkeys-has-anyone-ever-stopped-to-think/) [Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/) > [Stories are like spiders, with all they long legs, and stories are like spiderwebs, which man gets himself all tangled up in but which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/stories-are-like-spiders-with-all-they-long-legs-and-stories-are-like-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Spiders' webs only have to be large enough to catch flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/spiders-webs-only-have-to-be-large-enough-to-catch-flies/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [But how can you walk away from something and still come back to it?" "Easy," said the cat. "Think of somebody walking around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/but-how-can-you-walk-away-from-something-and-still-come-back-to-it-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Spider venom comes in many forms. It can often take a long while to discover the full effects of the bite. Naturalists have pondered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/spider-venom-comes-in-many-forms-it-can-often-take-a-long-while-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The ties of blood," said Spider, "are stronger than water." Water's not strong," objected Fat Charlie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-ties-of-blood-said-spider-are-stronger-than-water-water-s-not/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [If I were confined to a corner of a garret all my days, like a spider, the world would be just as large to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-i-were-confined-to-a-corner-of-a-garret-all-my-days-like-a-spider/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [... with men it's rush, rush, rush, every minute. I'm glad I'm a sedentary spider." "What does sedentary mean?" asked Wilbur. "Means I sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-men-it-s-rush-rush-rush-every-minute-i-m-glad-i-m-a-sedentary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pray look upon the plants and birds, the ants, spiders, and bees, and you will see them all exerting their nature, and busy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/pray-look-upon-the-plants-and-birds-the-ants-spiders-and-bees-and-you/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [There are so many spiders, and their rituals, their mating rituals, their courtship ritual, can be very, very different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/there-are-so-many-spiders-and-their-rituals-their-mating-rituals/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [Note to self: If you do not know how to spell a big scary spiders name, DO NOT look it up on the internet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-eisele/note-to-self-if-you-do-not-know-how-to-spell-a-big-scary-spiders-name/) Becky Eisele > [“I bet she thought she was getting into a fight with a vanilla wafer on roller skates but little did she know she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-bet-she-thought-she-was-getting-into-a-fight-with-a-vanilla-wafer/) [Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Disappointed quotes > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I don't hate you, i m just disappointed you turned into everything you said you'd never be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-hate-you-i-m-just-disappointed-you-turned-into-everything-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every producer in Hollywood had set me down as a type. I was both amused and disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi/every-producer-in-hollywood-had-set-me-down-as-a-type-i-was-both/) [Bela Lugosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-lugosi/) > [I just hate meetings. Though it's true that once you've made a lot of money, people around you might be full of ideas about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-just-hate-meetings-though-it-s-true-that-once-you-ve-made-a-lot-of/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [You wanted to become a doctor to help people and feel better at the end of your job, I think, watching them, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-wanted-to-become-a-doctor-to-help-people-and-feel-better-at-the/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I've had to learn that not everybody does things my way. But I do expect the absolute best of everyone around me, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-johnson/i-ve-had-to-learn-that-not-everybody-does-things-my-way-but-i-do/) [Michael Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-johnson/) > [I am far from any intention to limit curiosity, or confine the labours of learning to arts of immediate and necessary use. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-am-far-from-any-intention-to-limit-curiosity-or-confine-the-labours/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I want violence. I want punching in the face. I'm disappointed in Trump supporters for not punching enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-mcinnes/i-want-violence-i-want-punching-in-the-face-i-m-disappointed-in-trump/) [Gavin McInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-mcinnes/) > [It's core to my beliefs now: Sometimes in being given a challenge, you're actually being given a real opportunity, and a lot of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/it-s-core-to-my-beliefs-now-sometimes-in-being-given-a-challenge-you/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) > [Lamon, that speech won't scour. It is a flat failure and the people are disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/lamon-that-speech-won-t-scour-it-is-a-flat-failure-and-the-people-are/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Never aim to be proactive with your day. 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We will not be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-maria-martini/it-is-always-the-time-of-hope-confidence-and-love-everything-passes/) Carlo Maria Martini [Browse all 1,145 Disappointed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He was having more fun than a barrelful of monkeys.* *Several years earlier Spider had actually been tremendously disappointed by a barrelful of monkeys. 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