--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the old man's face there was nothing…" description: "\"“In the old man's face there was nothing very special - save that the chin was so greatly projected that whenever he spoke he was forced to wipe it wit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/nikolai-gogol-2690_dead-souls_in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing_875812.jpg" --- # In the old man's face there was nothing very special… ![“In the old man's face there was nothing very special - save that the chin was so greatly projected that whenever he spoke he was forced to wipe it with a handkerchief to avoid dribbling.” quote by Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/nikolai-gogol-2690_dead-souls_in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing_875812.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/nikolai-gogol-2690_dead-souls_in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing_875812.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/nikolai-gogol-2690_dead-souls_in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing_875812.jpg) > ““In the old man's face there was nothing very special - save that the chin was so greatly projected that whenever he spoke he was forced to wipe it with a handkerchief to avoid dribbling.”” [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The description highlights an odd physical trait that becomes a source of embarrassment, underscoring human vulnerability and the absurdity of social pretenses. **In simple terms:** A man's protruding chin makes him wipe his mouth when speaking. Key Takeaway Accept quirks without judgment. Themes humor humanity absurdity Mood wry observational Type literary humorous When to use this quote - public speaking - first impressions - social gatherings Key Concepts social awkwardness body image self‑consciousness Questions to Reflect On - How do physical quirks affect our confidence? - Can humor ease social discomfort? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humour/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Russian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russian/) [Serfs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serfs/) ## Related quotes > [“There is absolutely no worse death curse than the humdrum daily existence of the living dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/there-is-absolutely-no-worse-death-curse-than-the-humdrum-daily/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [Plain as a nose in a man's face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/plain-as-a-nose-in-a-man-s-face/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [“You want to punch a man in the face, but still refuse to let anyone hurt his children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/you-want-to-punch-a-man-in-the-face-but-still-refuse-to-let-anyone/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [There is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man's face and another behind his back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/there-is-no-more-dangerous-experiment-than-that-of-undertaking-to-be/) [Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/) > [“A STRONG MAN WILL FACE ME AND A COWARD WILL TARGET ME”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/a-strong-man-will-face-me-and-a-coward-will-target-me/) [P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [The wind in a man's face makes him wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/the-wind-in-a-man-s-face-makes-him-wise/) [John Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ray/) > [Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man's face and changes its hard appearance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/who-is-like-the-wise-man-who-knows-the-explanation-of-things-wisdom/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“When you watch the living force go out of a man’s face as you fire your weapon into his unprotected body, it is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-todd/when-you-watch-the-living-force-go-out-of-a-man-s-face-as-you-fire/) [Charles Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-todd/) > [“If a man's face is dear to you no matter how wrinkled he gets" well, thats worth keeping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-jacquelyn/if-a-man-s-face-is-dear-to-you-no-matter-how-wrinkled-he-gets-well/) [Nicole Jacquelyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-jacquelyn/) > [“There never was a man with such a face as yours, unless it was your father, and I suppose he is singeing his grizzled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-never-was-a-man-with-such-a-face-as-yours-unless-it-was-your/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“I demand to know who did this to my man's face.-Aphrodite Lafonte”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-c-cast/i-demand-to-know-who-did-this-to-my-man-s-face-aphrodite-lafonte/) [P.C. Cast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-c-cast/) > [“And then some guy wandering as lost as you would all of a sudden be right before your eyes, his face bigger and clearer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/and-then-some-guy-wandering-as-lost-as-you-would-all-of-a-sudden-be/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“The favour of the Lord maketh a man's face to shine bright.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-favour-of-the-lord-maketh-a-man-s-face-to-shine-bright/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Death isn't enough. It doesn't remove the stain. But a slap, a whiplash, square on the face, does. Because a man's face is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/death-isn-t-enough-it-doesn-t-remove-the-stain-but-a-slap-a-whiplash/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“He felt more human with his boots on. A man can face the world with something on his feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/he-felt-more-human-with-his-boots-on-a-man-can-face-the-world-with/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) ## More by Nikolai Gogol > [it's not my job to preach a sermon. Art is anyhow a homily. My job is to speak in living images, not in arguments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/it-s-not-my-job-to-preach-a-sermon-art-is-anyhow-a-homily-my-job-is/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [“What a strange creature man is! He does not believe in God, but he does believe that if the bridge of is nose itches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/what-a-strange-creature-man-is-he-does-not-believe-in-god-but-he-does/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [“Our century is so shallow, its desires scattered so widely, our knowledge so encyclopedic, that we are absolutely unable to focus our designs on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/our-century-is-so-shallow-its-desires-scattered-so-widely-our/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [I ask everyone in Russia to pray for me, beginning with the bishops, whose whole life is a single prayer. I ask prayers also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/i-ask-everyone-in-russia-to-pray-for-me-beginning-with-the-bishops/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [Go along, go along quickly, and set all you have on the table for us. We don't want doughnuts, honey buns, poppy cakes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/go-along-go-along-quickly-and-set-all-you-have-on-the-table-for-us-we/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [Like all of us sinners, General Betrishchev was endowed with many virtues and many defects. Both the one and the other were scattered through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/like-all-of-us-sinners-general-betrishchev-was-endowed-with-many/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [“It seemed that both had lately had a touch of that pain under the waistband which comes of a sedentary life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/it-seemed-that-both-had-lately-had-a-touch-of-that-pain-under-the/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [...how much savage coarseness is concealed in refined, cultivated manners...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/how-much-savage-coarseness-is-concealed-in-refined-cultivated-manners/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [Russia! Russia... Everything in you is open, desolate and level; your squat towns barely protrude in the midst of the plains like dots, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/russia-russia-everything-in-you-is-open-desolate-and-level-your-squat/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [We have the marvelous gift of making everything insignificant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/we-have-the-marvelous-gift-of-making-everything-insignificant/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [“The fair-haired man was one of those people in whose character there is at first sight a certain obstinacy. Before you can open your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/the-fair-haired-man-was-one-of-those-people-in-whose-character-there/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [“Well, so that's the prosecutor! He lived and lived, and then died! And they will say in the papers that he died to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/well-so-that-s-the-prosecutor-he-lived-and-lived-and-then-died-and/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [For public opinion does not admit that lofty rapturous laughter is worthy to stand beside lofty lyrical emotion and that there isall the difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/for-public-opinion-does-not-admit-that-lofty-rapturous-laughter-is/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [“in his mind, nothing could be more delightful than to live in solitude, and enjoy the spectacle of nature, and sometimes read some book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/in-his-mind-nothing-could-be-more-delightful-than-to-live-in-solitude/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [It is no use to blame the looking glass if your face is awry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/it-is-no-use-to-blame-the-looking-glass-if-your-face-is-awry/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) [Explore all 125 Nikolai Gogol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) ## More Dead-souls quotes > [“There is absolutely no worse death curse than the humdrum daily existence of the living dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/there-is-absolutely-no-worse-death-curse-than-the-humdrum-daily/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) Browse all 2 Dead-souls quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In the old man's face there was nothing very special - save that the chin was so greatly projected that whenever he spoke he was forced to wipe it with a handkerchief to avoid dribbling.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nikolai Gogol" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing-very-special-save-that-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dead-souls" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing-very-special-save-that-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/nikolai-gogol-2690_dead-souls_in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing_875812.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/nikolai-gogol-2690_dead-souls_in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing_875812.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/nikolai-gogol-2690_dead-souls_in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing_875812.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the old man's face there was nothing very special - save that the chin was so greatly projected that…” — Nikolai Gogol", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nikolai Gogol", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In the old man's face there...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing-very-special-save-that-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/in-the-old-man-s-face-there-was-nothing-very-special-save-that-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```