---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a sad fellow over on a bar…"
description: "\"There was a sad fellow over on a bar stool talking to the bartender, who was polishing a glass and listening with that plastic smile people wear when t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/raymond-chandler-629_bars_there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-sto_3146055.jpg"
---

#  There was a sad fellow over on a bar stool talking to the…

![“There was a sad fellow over on a bar stool talking to the bartender, who was polishing a glass and listening with that plastic smile people wear when they are trying not to scream.” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/raymond-chandler-629_bars_there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-sto_3146055.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/raymond-chandler-629_bars_there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-sto_3146055.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/raymond-chandler-629_bars_there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-sto_3146055.jpg)

> “There was a sad fellow over on a bar stool talking to the bartender, who was polishing a glass and listening with that plastic smile people wear when they are trying not to scream.”

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A bartender's forced smile hides inner turmoil, illustrating how people conceal pain behind polite façades.

**In simple terms:** People hide pain behind forced smiles.

Key Takeaway

Notice hidden distress in others.

Themes

appearance empathy social masks loneliness

Mood

melancholic observational

Type

literary social commentary

When to use this quote

- bars
- customer service
- personal interactions

Key Concepts

psychology social performance

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we mask our true feelings?
- How can we offer genuine support?

A Different Perspective

The smile may be a coping mechanism, not genuine happiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bartender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bartender/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/)

## Related quotes

> [So here I am - a 75-year-old man sitting on a bar stool in a blues club, trying to figure out exactly how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-guy/so-here-i-am-a-75-year-old-man-sitting-on-a-bar-stool-in-a-blues-club/)

[Buddy Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-guy/)

> [We really want Barstool Sports to be a brand that means something. It doesn't just have to be myself... you see the logo, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-portnoy/we-really-want-barstool-sports-to-be-a-brand-that-means-something-it/)

[Dave Portnoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-portnoy/)

> [“You can never tell who's sitting on the next bar stool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-hopkins/you-can-never-tell-who-s-sitting-on-the-next-bar-stool/)

Jerry Hopkins

> [I'm not body-conscious, but show me a woman who genuinely wants to show the tops of her thighs squashed on a leather bar stool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-skelton/i-m-not-body-conscious-but-show-me-a-woman-who-genuinely-wants-to/)

[Helen Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-skelton/)

> [“Cherry and Gary were at the bar, her perching on a bar stool and him standing, hip cocked and wrist limp, in a parody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jl-merrow-relief-valve/cherry-and-gary-were-at-the-bar-her-perching-on-a-bar-stool-and-him/)

JL Merrow Relief Valve

> [Some people work with a trainer, some people work with a stylist. I work with a celebrity fecalist. A fecalist is basically a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/some-people-work-with-a-trainer-some-people-work-with-a-stylist-i/)

[Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/)

> [... store of bees, in a dry and warme bee-house, comely made of fir boards, to sing, and sit, and feede upon your flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lawson/store-of-bees-in-a-dry-and-warme-bee-house-comely-made-of-fir-boards/)

[William Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lawson/)

> [Hail, high Excess especially in wine, To thee in worship do I bend the knee Who preach abstemiousness unto me My skull thy pulpit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hail-high-excess-especially-in-wine-to-thee-in-worship-do-i-bend-the/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [One falls to the ground in trying to sit on two stools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/one-falls-to-the-ground-in-trying-to-sit-on-two-stools/)

[Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/)

> [The 3-legged stool of understanding is held up by history, languages, and mathematics. Equipped with those three you can learn anything you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-3-legged-stool-of-understanding-is-held-up-by-history-languages/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [I will meet you in the dirtiest city you can dream of. We will drink cocktails so sweet they pucker our cheeks, as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-tea/i-will-meet-you-in-the-dirtiest-city-you-can-dream-of-we-will-drink/)

[Michelle Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-tea/)

> [My chin is weak. I find it hard to make decisions. For years I had been caught between the two stools of security on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/my-chin-is-weak-i-find-it-hard-to-make-decisions-for-years-i-had-been/)

[Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/)

> [My mother says I was two-and-a-half when I started playing. My father was a minister, and when he went to church in the morning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/my-mother-says-i-was-two-and-a-half-when-i-started-playing-my-father/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [Vee is my un-twin. She's green-eyed, milky blond, and a few pounds over curvy. I'm a smoky-eyed brunette with volumes of curly hair that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/vee-is-my-un-twin-she-s-green-eyed-milky-blond-and-a-few-pounds-over/)

[Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

## More by Raymond Chandler

> [Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the higher apes are so proficient, and lean back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/television-s-perfect-you-turn-a-few-knobs-a-few-of-those-mechanical/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-is-no-trap-so-deadly-as-the-trap-you-set-for-yourself/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [ “Hammett was the ace performer... He is said to have lacked heart; yet the story he himself thought the most of \[The Glass Key\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/hammett-was-the-ace-performer-he-is-said-to-have-lacked-heart-yet-the/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [She jerked away from me like a startled fawn might, if I had a startled fawn and it jerked away from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/she-jerked-away-from-me-like-a-startled-fawn-might-if-i-had-a/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-good-story-cannot-be-devised-it-has-to-be-distilled/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Dashiell Hammett took murder out of theVenetian vase and dropped it into the alley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/dashiell-hammett-took-murder-out-of-thevenetian-vase-and-dropped-it/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [ “He \[James Cain\] is every kind of writer I detest...a Proust in greasy overalls, a dirty little boy with a piece of chalk and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/he-james-cain-is-every-kind-of-writer-i-detest-a-proust-in-greasy/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/it-was-a-blonde-a-blonde-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-in-a-stained/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“I had been stalking the bluebottle fly for five minutes, waiting for him to sit down. He didn't want to sit down. He just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-had-been-stalking-the-bluebottle-fly-for-five-minutes-waiting-for/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“A three-piece Mexican band was making the kind of music a Mexican band always makes. Whatever they play, it all sounds the same. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-three-piece-mexican-band-was-making-the-kind-of-music-a-mexican/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Mostly I just kill time," he said, "and it dies hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/mostly-i-just-kill-time-he-said-and-it-dies-hard/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“The book was not new. Dates were stamped on the front endpaper, in and out dates. A rent book. A lending library of elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-book-was-not-new-dates-were-stamped-on-the-front-endpaper-in-and/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Without magic, there is no art. Without art, there is no idealism. Without idealism, there is no integrity. Without integrity, there is nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/without-magic-there-is-no-art-without-art-there-is-no-idealism/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“The homicide skipper that year was a Captain Gregorius, a type of copper that is getting rarer but by no means extinct, the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-homicide-skipper-that-year-was-a-captain-gregorius-a-type-of/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

[Explore all 430 Raymond Chandler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

## More Bars quotes

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Your thief looks Exactly like the rest, or rather better; 'Tis only at the bar, and in the dungeon, That wise men know your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/your-thief-looks-exactly-like-the-rest-or-rather-better-tis-only-at/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [While traveling, I love granola bars, trail mix nuts, dry cereal and fruit for on-the-go snacks. I also try and start the day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-rampone/while-traveling-i-love-granola-bars-trail-mix-nuts-dry-cereal-and/)

[Christie Rampone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-rampone/)

> [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/)

[Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/)

> [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/)

[W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/)

> [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/)

[Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/)

> [If you look at coffee, tea, food and juice, we think there are inherent opportunities. If you look at health bars or grab-and-go products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/if-you-look-at-coffee-tea-food-and-juice-we-think-there-are-inherent/)

[Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/)

> [At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/at-about-10-o-clock-in-the-morning-the-sun-threw-a-bright-dust-laden/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I bet a guy at a bar 50 bucks that I was more dysfunctional than he was. He raped me. So I tipped him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-a-guy-at-a-bar-50-bucks-that-i-was-more-dysfunctional-than-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I closed my own jazz bar so I could be a man who can write novels as I like. I was pleased about that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-closed-my-own-jazz-bar-so-i-could-be-a-man-who-can-write-novels-as/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [My parents were Orthodox Jews but not very regular Orthodox Jews. I was bar mitzvahed and all that. But God was hardly ever mentioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-parents-were-orthodox-jews-but-not-very-regular-orthodox-jews-i/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [I know a lot about Canadian politics. I lived in Canadian bars for six years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/i-know-a-lot-about-canadian-politics-i-lived-in-canadian-bars-for-six/)

[Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/)

> [History is the heavy traffic that prevents us from crossing the road. We're not especially interested in what it consists of. We wait, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/history-is-the-heavy-traffic-that-prevents-us-from-crossing-the-road/)

[Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/)

Browse all 1,768 Bars quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There was a sad fellow over on a bar stool talking to the bartender, who was polishing a glass and listening with that plastic smile people wear when they are trying not to scream.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Raymond Chandler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-stool-talking-to-the-bartender/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bars"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-stool-talking-to-the-bartender/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/raymond-chandler-629_bars_there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-sto_3146055.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/raymond-chandler-629_bars_there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-sto_3146055.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/raymond-chandler-629_bars_there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-sto_3146055.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There was a sad fellow over on a bar stool talking to the bartender, who was polishing a glass and listening…” — Raymond Chandler",
                "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": "Raymond Chandler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There was a sad fellow over...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-stool-talking-to-the-bartender/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-was-a-sad-fellow-over-on-a-bar-stool-talking-to-the-bartender/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```