--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Holding his breath, swaying drunkenly…" description: "\"“Holding his breath, swaying drunkenly beneath a bulb which illumined little more than grime and moisture, Moon stared awhile at the cement wall; it to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/peter-matthiessen-5795_weak-in-the-knees_holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-ben_2398337.jpg" --- # Holding his breath, swaying drunkenly beneath a bulb which… ![“Holding his breath, swaying drunkenly beneath a bulb which illumined little more than grime and moisture, Moon stared awhile at the cement wall; it took just such a hopeless international latrine in the early hours of a morning, when a man was weak in the knees, short in the breath, numb in the…” quote by Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/peter-matthiessen-5795_weak-in-the-knees_holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-ben_2398337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/peter-matthiessen-5795_weak-in-the-knees_holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-ben_2398337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/peter-matthiessen-5795_weak-in-the-knees_holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-ben_2398337.jpg) > ““Holding his breath, swaying drunkenly beneath a bulb which illumined little more than grime and moisture, Moon stared awhile at the cement wall; it took just such a hopeless international latrine in the early hours of a morning, when a man was weak in the knees, short in the breath, numb in the forehead and rotten in the gut, to make him wonder where he was, how he got there, where he was going; he realized that he did not know and never would. He had confronted this same latrine on every continent and not once had it come up with an answer; or rather, it always came up with the same answer, a suck and gurgle of unspeakable vileness, a sort of self-satisfied low chuckling: Go to it, man, you’re pissing your life away.”” [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In a grim setting, the narrator reflects on existential confusion, seeing life as a meaningless, repetitive waste. **In simple terms:** Life can feel pointless and repetitive. Key Takeaway Question purpose and avoid wasted effort. Themes existentialism despair meaninglessness routine Mood melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - nighttime contemplation - travel fatigue - mental health Key Concepts absurdity self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to routine? - How can we find meaning in monotony? A Different Perspective May be overly pessimistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confronted Latrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confronted-latrine-5997954/) [Drunkenly Beneath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunkenly-beneath-5997956/) [Moon Stared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-stared-2307959/) [Pissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pissing/) [Pissing Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pissing-life-5997955/) [Weak in the knees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-in-the-knees/) ## Related quotes > [“The moon stared at me through sprinkled nighttime stardust and I alone smile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-long/the-moon-stared-at-me-through-sprinkled-nighttime-stardust-and-i/) [Jay Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-long/) > [I get weak in the knees, fall head over heels baby, and every other cheesy cliche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-get-weak-in-the-knees-fall-head-over-heels-baby-and-every-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The first movie star I met was Norma Shearer. 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That is hard to imagine, even harder to accept, for among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/having-children-can-smooth-the-relationship-too-mother-and-daughter/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I'm sick of having to catch my breath every time I see you, I'm sick of falling on my ass from being weak in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blondie/i-m-sick-of-having-to-catch-my-breath-every-time-i-see-you-i-m-sick/) [Blondie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blondie/) > [ Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. \[. . . \] You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nearly-everybody-gets-twitterpated-in-the-springtime-you-begin-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You have this amazing ability to make me go weak in the knees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/you-have-this-amazing-ability-to-make-me-go-weak-in-the-knees/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I need somebody with staying power who will make me go weak in the knees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-need-somebody-with-staying-power-who-will-make-me-go-weak-in-the/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [Having casual conversations with the likes of Lena Dunham and Kim Kardashian makes me weak in the knees. I have so much respect and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-zimmer/having-casual-conversations-with-the-likes-of-lena-dunham-and-kim/) [Constance Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-zimmer/) > [You went out with a girl at first because the sheer sight of her made you weak in the knees. You fell in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/you-went-out-with-a-girl-at-first-because-the-sheer-sight-of-her-made/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Commitment. Someone who'll go the distance. I need somebody with staying power who'll make me go weak in the knees. Commitment. And everything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/commitment-someone-who-ll-go-the-distance-i-need-somebody-with/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [“Any girl who says she doesn’t keep a list of best kisses ever is lying. She may not have a pen-and-paper list, but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-blakely/any-girl-who-says-she-doesn-t-keep-a-list-of-best-kisses-ever-is/) [Lauren Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-blakely/) > [“Kiss me hot,heavy,wet & angry with that attitude like you do when your mouth yells it hates me but your tongue screams it can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-e-wagner/kiss-me-hot-heavy-wet-angry-with-that-attitude-like-you-do-when-your/) [Kerry E. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-e-wagner/) > [“Hildebrand turned after closing the door of his truck and the raven mocker struck. He sunk viselike talons into Hildebrand’s shoulders, flapping wildly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morris/hildebrand-turned-after-closing-the-door-of-his-truck-and-the-raven/) [Jim Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morris/) ## More by Peter Matthiessen > [Alec Wilkinson is a spare, clear, and lucid writer who works in stylistic simplicity with material that is not simple at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/alec-wilkinson-is-a-spare-clear-and-lucid-writer-who-works-in/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [Figures dark beneath their loads pass down the far bank of the river, rendered immortal by the streak of sunset upon their shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/figures-dark-beneath-their-loads-pass-down-the-far-bank-of-the-river/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [I think in any writing you're paying attention to detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/i-think-in-any-writing-you-re-paying-attention-to-detail/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [The great stillness in these landscapes that once made me restless seeps into me day by day, and with it the unreasonable feeling that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/the-great-stillness-in-these-landscapes-that-once-made-me-restless/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“...experience was static in the valley; it was older than time itself, for time was a thing of but two generations, dated by moons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/experience-was-static-in-the-valley-it-was-older-than-time-itself-for/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“The central feature of the practice of meditation and hard work known as Zen is that, as Matthiessen says, it “has no patience with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/the-central-feature-of-the-practice-of-meditation-and-hard-work-known/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [Be light, light, light - full of light!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/be-light-light-light-full-of-light/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [For some time I watch the coming of the night? Above is the glistening galaxy of childhood, now hidden in the Western world by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/for-some-time-i-watch-the-coming-of-the-night-above-is-the-glistening/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“Nonfiction at its best is like fashioning a cabinet. It can be elegant and very beautiful but it can never be sculpture. Captive to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/nonfiction-at-its-best-is-like-fashioning-a-cabinet-it-can-be-elegant/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [Soon the child’s clear eye is clouded over by ideas and opinions, preconceptions, and abstractions. Simple free being becomes encrusted with the burdensome armor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/soon-the-child-s-clear-eye-is-clouded-over-by-ideas-and-opinions/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“In the book of Job, the Lord demands, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?” “I was there!”-surely that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/in-the-book-of-job-the-lord-demands-where-wast-thou-when-i-laid-the/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [I meditate for the last time on this mountain that is bare, though others all around are white with snow. Like the bare peak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/i-meditate-for-the-last-time-on-this-mountain-that-is-bare-though/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [I was just very interested in the American frontier and the growth of capitalism - those enormous fortunes that were being made, more often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/i-was-just-very-interested-in-the-american-frontier-and-the-growth-of/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“A far cicada rings high and clear over the river’s heavy wash. Morning glory, a lone dandelion, cassia, orchids. So far from the nearest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/a-far-cicada-rings-high-and-clear-over-the-river-s-heavy-wash-morning/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [I ... had what Kierkegaard called 'the sickness of infinitude,' wandering from one path to another with no real recognition that I was embarked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/i-had-what-kierkegaard-called-the-sickness-of-infinitude-wandering/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) [Explore all 99 Peter Matthiessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) ## More Weak in the knees quotes > [I get weak in the knees, fall head over heels baby, and every other cheesy cliche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-get-weak-in-the-knees-fall-head-over-heels-baby-and-every-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Kiss me hot,heavy,wet & angry with that attitude like you do when your mouth yells it hates me but your tongue screams it can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-e-wagner/kiss-me-hot-heavy-wet-angry-with-that-attitude-like-you-do-when-your/) [Kerry E. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-e-wagner/) > [“Any girl who says she doesn’t keep a list of best kisses ever is lying. She may not have a pen-and-paper list, but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-blakely/any-girl-who-says-she-doesn-t-keep-a-list-of-best-kisses-ever-is/) [Lauren Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-blakely/) > [Commitment. Someone who'll go the distance. I need somebody with staying power who'll make me go weak in the knees. Commitment. And everything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/commitment-someone-who-ll-go-the-distance-i-need-somebody-with/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [You went out with a girl at first because the sheer sight of her made you weak in the knees. You fell in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/you-went-out-with-a-girl-at-first-because-the-sheer-sight-of-her-made/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Having casual conversations with the likes of Lena Dunham and Kim Kardashian makes me weak in the knees. I have so much respect and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-zimmer/having-casual-conversations-with-the-likes-of-lena-dunham-and-kim/) [Constance Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-zimmer/) > [I need somebody with staying power who will make me go weak in the knees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-need-somebody-with-staying-power-who-will-make-me-go-weak-in-the/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [You have this amazing ability to make me go weak in the knees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/you-have-this-amazing-ability-to-make-me-go-weak-in-the-knees/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [ Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. \[. . . \] You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nearly-everybody-gets-twitterpated-in-the-springtime-you-begin-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm sick of having to catch my breath every time I see you, I'm sick of falling on my ass from being weak in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blondie/i-m-sick-of-having-to-catch-my-breath-every-time-i-see-you-i-m-sick/) [Blondie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blondie/) > [Having children can smooth the relationship, too. Mother and daughter are now equals. That is hard to imagine, even harder to accept, for among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/having-children-can-smooth-the-relationship-too-mother-and-daughter/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I'll have you weak in the knees that you could hardly speak, Or we could do like Uncle L and swing an ep in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/q-tip/i-ll-have-you-weak-in-the-knees-that-you-could-hardly-speak-or-we/) [Q-Tip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/q-tip/) > [“The first movie star I met was Norma Shearer. I was eight years old at the time and going to school with Irving Thalberg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wagner/the-first-movie-star-i-met-was-norma-shearer-i-was-eight-years-old-at/) [Robert Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wagner/) > [“Hildebrand turned after closing the door of his truck and the raven mocker struck. He sunk viselike talons into Hildebrand’s shoulders, flapping wildly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morris/hildebrand-turned-after-closing-the-door-of-his-truck-and-the-raven/) [Jim Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morris/) > [“You know that feeling you get when you pass by a cop doing like 20 over, when your stomach hits the floor and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vyvyan/you-know-that-feeling-you-get-when-you-pass-by-a-cop-doing-like-20/) [Andrew Vyvyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vyvyan/) [Browse all 25 Weak in the knees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-in-the-knees/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Holding his breath, swaying drunkenly beneath a bulb which illumined little more than grime and moisture, Moon stared awhile at the cement wall; it took just such a hopeless international latrine in the early hours of a morning, when a man was weak in the knees, short in the breath, numb in the forehead and rotten in the gut, to make him wonder where he was, how he got there, where he was going; he realized that he did not know and never would. He had confronted this same latrine on every continent and not once had it come up with an answer; or rather, it always came up with the same answer, a suck and gurgle of unspeakable vileness, a sort of self-satisfied low chuckling: Go to it, man, you’re pissing your life away.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Matthiessen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-beneath-a-bulb-which-illumined/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Weak in the knees" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-beneath-a-bulb-which-illumined/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/peter-matthiessen-5795_weak-in-the-knees_holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-ben_2398337.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/peter-matthiessen-5795_weak-in-the-knees_holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-ben_2398337.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/peter-matthiessen-5795_weak-in-the-knees_holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-ben_2398337.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Holding his breath, swaying drunkenly beneath a bulb which illumined little more than grime and moisture…” — Peter Matthiessen", "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": "Peter Matthiessen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Holding his breath, swaying drunkenly beneath...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-beneath-a-bulb-which-illumined/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/holding-his-breath-swaying-drunkenly-beneath-a-bulb-which-illumined/#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 } } ] } ```