--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You would open a drawer, which my father…" description: "\"You would open a drawer, which my father had jammed full of newspapers, and the bottom would drop out. There were buttons and screws and nails and bott..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/roz-chast-22729_book_you-would-open-a-drawer-which-my-father_2099991.jpg" --- # You would open a drawer, which my father had jammed full… ![“You would open a drawer, which my father had jammed full of newspapers, and the bottom would drop out. There were buttons and screws and nails and bottle caps and jar lids – the drawer of jar lids! Why? Because they're made of metal and maybe there'll be another war and we'll need the metal. A…” quote by Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/roz-chast-22729_book_you-would-open-a-drawer-which-my-father_2099991.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/roz-chast-22729_book_you-would-open-a-drawer-which-my-father_2099991.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/roz-chast-22729_book_you-would-open-a-drawer-which-my-father_2099991.jpg) > “You would open a drawer, which my father had jammed full of newspapers, and the bottom would drop out. There were buttons and screws and nails and bottle caps and jar lids – the drawer of jar lids! Why? Because they're made of metal and maybe there'll be another war and we'll need the metal. A friend of mine – I quote him in the book – says, 'You have found the source of the river eBay.'” [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The cartoon satirizes hoarding metal for future wars, likening it to finding a hidden source of endless supply. **In simple terms:** People stockpile resources fearing future conflict. Key Takeaway Consider the absurdity of over‑preparing. Themes humor war anxiety consumerism Mood wry ironic Type satirical commentary When to use this quote - personal budgeting - emergency preparedness - environmental policy - social commentary Key Concepts Satire resource hoarding future planning Questions to Reflect On - Is hoarding rational or fear‑driven? - What sustainable alternatives exist? A Different Perspective May trivialize serious preparedness concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Metals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metals/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I'm still stupid. I still do what I'm not supposed to do. Are you serious? I'm Jake 'The Snake,' man. I never claimed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-roberts/i-m-still-stupid-i-still-do-what-i-m-not-supposed-to-do-are-you/) [Jake Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-roberts/) > [If I could be more vague I'd write more about people in my life, but I hate hurting feelings or making people feel uncomfortable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-rose/if-i-could-be-more-vague-i-d-write-more-about-people-in-my-life-but-i/) [Caitlin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-rose/) > [“Terrific! Have you done Step Three?" He waggled his brows as he opened up the top left drawer of my dresser. "No. Hey! Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bardsley/terrific-have-you-done-step-three-he-waggled-his-brows-as-he-opened/) [Michele Bardsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bardsley/) > [When it comes to underwear, there's nothing worse than a visible panty line. Sometimes it seems like nobody knows that seamless underwear exists. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/when-it-comes-to-underwear-there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-visible-panty/) [Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/) > [The very act of drawing an object, however badly, swiftly takes the drawer from a woolly sense of what the object looks like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-very-act-of-drawing-an-object-however-badly-swiftly-takes-the/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [The Pulitzer isn't a physical object. You can't hold it in your hand. You get some money ($7,500 in my day), and you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/the-pulitzer-isn-t-a-physical-object-you-can-t-hold-it-in-your-hand/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I think a lot of playwrights have a script in their bottom drawer that hopefully no one will ever see about a bunch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-think-a-lot-of-playwrights-have-a-script-in-their-bottom-drawer/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [“This wasn’t the time or place for it, so I hid it away in a little drawer in the back of my mind, marked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrington/this-wasn-t-the-time-or-place-for-it-so-i-hid-it-away-in-a-little/) [Kim Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrington/) > [My mother was an artist, and I was fairly good at art as a child. I was always the best drawer in class, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-babbitt/my-mother-was-an-artist-and-i-was-fairly-good-at-art-as-a-child-i-was/) [Natalie Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-babbitt/) > [In the house, I have a drawer that's just filled with Carmex. It's just my thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/in-the-house-i-have-a-drawer-that-s-just-filled-with-carmex-it-s-just/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [I do triage on everything that comes through the door, and if it's not something we need (now, for real-not maybe someday) or something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-herman/i-do-triage-on-everything-that-comes-through-the-door-and-if-it-s-not/) Michelle Herman > [Talking raw papers and long leathers. Nigga, my drawer filled with couture textures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/talking-raw-papers-and-long-leathers-nigga-my-drawer-filled-with/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [ I sometimes try a variance of the drawer trick - \[I write it\] and then come back to it and see if it blows. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-morrison/i-sometimes-try-a-variance-of-the-drawer-trick-i-write-it-and-then/) [Travis Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-morrison/) > [“I've tucked those negative thoughts in a drawer, and for the most part, though I know the drawer still exists, it never gets opened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-martin-beckner/i-ve-tucked-those-negative-thoughts-in-a-drawer-and-for-the-most-part/) [K. Martin Beckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-martin-beckner/) > [Toss your dashed hopes not into a trash bin but into a drawer where you are likely to rummage some bright morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/toss-your-dashed-hopes-not-into-a-trash-bin-but-into-a-drawer-where/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) ## More by Roz Chast > [I think maybe to survive, I mean to just get through the day - I'm not saying that everything is hilariously funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-think-maybe-to-survive-i-mean-to-just-get-through-the-day-i-m-not/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [“Manhattan is a narrow island surrounded by various miscellaneous items.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/manhattan-is-a-narrow-island-surrounded-by-various-miscellaneous-items/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [You could pray all you want that you have a massive stroke while you're working and die, but possibly that won't happen, and you'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/you-could-pray-all-you-want-that-you-have-a-massive-stroke-while-you/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Grime is not like messiness or some fingerprints on a cabinet; it takes a long time to accumulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/grime-is-not-like-messiness-or-some-fingerprints-on-a-cabinet-it/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Childhood - that was not my favorite time in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/childhood-that-was-not-my-favorite-time-in-my-life/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [As I would soon learn myself, cleaning up what a parent leaves behind stirs up dust, both literal and metaphorical. It dredges up memories.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/as-i-would-soon-learn-myself-cleaning-up-what-a-parent-leaves-behind/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [Even under the best of circumstances - in twenty-first century America at least - caring for elderly parents ain't no place for sissies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/even-under-the-best-of-circumstances-in-twenty-first-century-america/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I used to love to draw things that made me laugh or made friends laugh. When I was 13 or 14, I started thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-used-to-love-to-draw-things-that-made-me-laugh-or-made-friends/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I gave up on ever trying to get 'my way.' I barely knew it existed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-gave-up-on-ever-trying-to-get-my-way-i-barely-knew-it-existed/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I love seeing original cartoons. 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When my father was clearly dying, my mother refused to acknowledge it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/my-parents-were-extremely-reluctant-when-my-father-was-clearly-dying/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) > [I like being able to go grocery shopping and not feel that Im fighting a thousand people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-chast/i-like-being-able-to-go-grocery-shopping-and-not-feel-that-im/) [Roz Chast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) [Explore all 27 Roz Chast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-chast/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“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/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You would open a drawer, which my father had jammed full of newspapers, and the bottom would drop out. 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