--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You go in through double swing doors…" description: "\"“You go in through double swing doors. Inside the double doors there is a combination PBX and information desk at which sits one of those ageless women..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/raymond-chandler-629_ageless_you-go-in-through-double-swing-doors-ins_3180335.jpg" --- # You go in through double swing doors. Inside the double… ![“You go in through double swing doors. Inside the double doors there is a combination PBX and information desk at which sits one of those ageless women you see around municipal offices everywhere in the world. They were never young and will never be old. They have no beauty, no charm, no style…” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/raymond-chandler-629_ageless_you-go-in-through-double-swing-doors-ins_3180335.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/raymond-chandler-629_ageless_you-go-in-through-double-swing-doors-ins_3180335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da5/raymond-chandler-629_ageless_you-go-in-through-double-swing-doors-ins_3180335.jpg) > ““You go in through double swing doors. Inside the double doors there is a combination PBX and information desk at which sits one of those ageless women you see around municipal offices everywhere in the world. They were never young and will never be old. They have no beauty, no charm, no style. They don't have to please anybody. They are safe. They are civil without ever quite being polite and intelligent and knowledgeable without any real interest in anything. They are what human beings turn into when they trade life for existence and ambition for security.”” [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. The passage portrays bureaucratic workers who have lost vitality, becoming detached, safe, and unengaged, reflecting how ambition can erode humanity. **In simple terms:** Bureaucrats become lifeless, trading ambition for safety. Key Takeaway Beware sacrificing passion for security. Themes bureaucracy existentialism alienation Mood cynical reflective Type observational critical When to use this quote - government offices - career stagnation - personal reflection - life choices Key Concepts dehumanization careerism existential dread Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your life feel reduced to mere existence? - How can you retain curiosity while seeking security? A Different Perspective Such detachment may protect against failure but also stifles growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ageless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageless/) [Ageless Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageless-women-5824754/) [Doors Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors-inside-5824756/) [Double Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/double-doors-415400/) [Women Municipal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-municipal-5824755/) ## Related quotes > [“In office buildings and retail premises in which entry is through double doors and one of those doors is locked for no reason, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/in-office-buildings-and-retail-premises-in-which-entry-is-through/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Yo Mama's so fat, she's the reason they invented double doors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yo-mama-s-so-fat-she-s-the-reason-they-invented-double-doors/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“GOT A lot of stares the minute I walked through the double doors. Not surprising. Grandma Dotty had been so enthusiastic about the “punk”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/got-a-lot-of-stares-the-minute-i-walked-through-the-double-doors-not/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“The double doors separating the private dining room from the rest of Bernard’s swung open. A tall broad-shouldered body filled the doorway. Hugh d’Ambray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-double-doors-separating-the-private-dining-room-from-the-rest-of/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Today the wind and I burst through the double doors together, and it carries me like someone who's going places, because now it's official.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessi-kirby/today-the-wind-and-i-burst-through-the-double-doors-together-and-it/) [Jessi Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessi-kirby/) > [I feel that beauty and femininity are ageless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-feel-that-beauty-and-femininity-are-ageless/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [The ageless Dennis Wise, now in his thirties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-tyler/the-ageless-dennis-wise-now-in-his-thirties/) [Martin Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-tyler/) > [All good music, whatever its date, is ageless - as alive and significant today as it was when it was written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-warlock/all-good-music-whatever-its-date-is-ageless-as-alive-and-significant/) [Peter Warlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-warlock/) > [I like to consider myself young at heart and ageless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delisha-milton-jones/i-like-to-consider-myself-young-at-heart-and-ageless/) [DeLisha Milton-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delisha-milton-jones/) > [Music is neither old nor modern: it is either good or bad music, and the date at which it was written has no significance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-warlock/music-is-neither-old-nor-modern-it-is-either-good-or-bad-music-and/) [Peter Warlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-warlock/) > [Your inside person doesn’t age. Your inside person is soul, is heart, in the eternal now, the ageless, the old, the young, all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-inside-person-doesn-t-age-your-inside-person-is-soul-is-heart-in/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Movies make you immortal and ageless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-scott-thomas/movies-make-you-immortal-and-ageless/) [Kristin Scott Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-scott-thomas/) > [When I dream, I am ageless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-coatsworth/when-i-dream-i-am-ageless/) [Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-coatsworth/) > [My aging body transmits an ageless life stream. Molecular and atomic replacement change life's composition. Molecules take part in structure and in training, countless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/my-aging-body-transmits-an-ageless-life-stream-molecular-and-atomic/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/the-survival-of-the-fittest-is-the-ageless-law-of-nature-but-the/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) ## 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 Ageless quotes > [The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/the-survival-of-the-fittest-is-the-ageless-law-of-nature-but-the/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [My aging body transmits an ageless life stream. Molecular and atomic replacement change life's composition. Molecules take part in structure and in training, countless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/my-aging-body-transmits-an-ageless-life-stream-molecular-and-atomic/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [When I dream, I am ageless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-coatsworth/when-i-dream-i-am-ageless/) [Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-coatsworth/) > [Movies make you immortal and ageless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-scott-thomas/movies-make-you-immortal-and-ageless/) [Kristin Scott Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-scott-thomas/) > [Your inside person doesn’t age. Your inside person is soul, is heart, in the eternal now, the ageless, the old, the young, all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-inside-person-doesn-t-age-your-inside-person-is-soul-is-heart-in/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Music is neither old nor modern: it is either good or bad music, and the date at which it was written has no significance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-warlock/music-is-neither-old-nor-modern-it-is-either-good-or-bad-music-and/) [Peter Warlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-warlock/) > [I like to consider myself young at heart and ageless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delisha-milton-jones/i-like-to-consider-myself-young-at-heart-and-ageless/) [DeLisha Milton-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delisha-milton-jones/) > [All good music, whatever its date, is ageless - as alive and significant today as it was when it was written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-warlock/all-good-music-whatever-its-date-is-ageless-as-alive-and-significant/) [Peter Warlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-warlock/) > [The ageless Dennis Wise, now in his thirties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-tyler/the-ageless-dennis-wise-now-in-his-thirties/) [Martin Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-tyler/) > [I feel that beauty and femininity are ageless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-feel-that-beauty-and-femininity-are-ageless/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [Desire, when it stems from the heart and spirit, when it is pure and intense, possesses awesome electromagnetic energy. This energy is released into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/desire-when-it-stems-from-the-heart-and-spirit-when-it-is-pure-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sex and beauty are inseparable, like life and consciousness. And the intelligence which goes with sex and beauty, and arises out of sex and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/sex-and-beauty-are-inseparable-like-life-and-consciousness-and-the/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Inside, we are ageless and when we talk to ourselves, it’s the same age of the person we were talking to when we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/inside-we-are-ageless-and-when-we-talk-to-ourselves-it-s-the-same-age/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [In marriage there are no manners to keep up, and beneath the wildest accusations no real criticism. Each is familiar with that ancient child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enid-bagnold/in-marriage-there-are-no-manners-to-keep-up-and-beneath-the-wildest/) [Enid Bagnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enid-bagnold/) > [“Friendship is ageless. It is the spirit we should like and care for, not the shell that encases it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-is-ageless-it-is-the-spirit-we-should-like-and-care-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 69 Ageless quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ageless/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You go in through double swing doors. Inside the double doors there is a combination PBX and information desk at which sits one of those ageless women you see around municipal offices everywhere in the world. They were never young and will never be old. They have no beauty, no charm, no style. They don't have to please anybody. 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