--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it greatly bothered him that I had such a…" description: "\"“it greatly bothered him that I had such a flunky job, washing cages and sweeping up dogs' hair; and also that I was no longer a college man but trying..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/saul-bellow-558_college-man_it-greatly-bothered-him-that-i-had-such_3131306.png" --- # it greatly bothered him that I had such a flunky job… ![“it greatly bothered him that I had such a flunky job, washing cages and sweeping up dogs' hair; and also that I was no longer a college man but trying to keep up on Helmholtz who was a dead number to him; in other words, that I should be of the unformed darkened-out mass. It was often that way…” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/saul-bellow-558_college-man_it-greatly-bothered-him-that-i-had-such_3131306.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/saul-bellow-558_college-man_it-greatly-bothered-him-that-i-had-such_3131306.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/saul-bellow-558_college-man_it-greatly-bothered-him-that-i-had-such_3131306.png) > ““it greatly bothered him that I had such a flunky job, washing cages and sweeping up dogs' hair; and also that I was no longer a college man but trying to keep up on Helmholtz who was a dead number to him; in other words, that I should be of the unformed darkened-out mass. It was often that way with me, that people would feel the world owed me distinctness.”” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels alienated by men jobs and intellectual pursuits, yearning for distinct identity amidst societal expectations. **In simple terms:** Feeling stuck in meaningless work while craving personal significance. Key Takeaway Seek work that aligns with your values and intellect. Themes alienation identity work intellectual pursuit Mood melancholic introspective Type literary existential When to use this quote - career counseling - academic study - creative writing - personal journaling Key Concepts existential angst social conformity Questions to Reflect On - What defines your sense of distinctness? - How can you reconcile personal aspirations with societal roles? A Different Perspective The desire for uniqueness can clash with practical necessities, creating tension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bothered Flunky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bothered-flunky-5539398/) [College Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-man-961601/) [Flunky Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flunky-job-5539399/) [Helmholtz Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helmholtz-dead-5539401/) [Owed Distinctness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owed-distinctness-5539400/) ## Related quotes > [I never did figure on being a college man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-iii/i-never-did-figure-on-being-a-college-man/) [Hank Williams III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-iii/) > [Black is beautiful when it is a slum kid studying to enter college, when it is a man learning new skills for a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-m-young/black-is-beautiful-when-it-is-a-slum-kid-studying-to-enter-college/) [Whitney M. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-m-young/) > [“There is a very big 'college' about how a man and a woman should interact with each other after marriage. However, people get married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/there-is-a-very-big-college-about-how-a-man-and-a-woman-should/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [A professional player is smarter than a college man. He uses his noodle. He knows what to do and when to do it. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-grange/a-professional-player-is-smarter-than-a-college-man-he-uses-his/) [Red Grange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-grange/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More College Man quotes > [I never did figure on being a college man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-iii/i-never-did-figure-on-being-a-college-man/) [Hank Williams III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-iii/) > [Black is beautiful when it is a slum kid studying to enter college, when it is a man learning new skills for a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-m-young/black-is-beautiful-when-it-is-a-slum-kid-studying-to-enter-college/) [Whitney M. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-m-young/) > [“There is a very big 'college' about how a man and a woman should interact with each other after marriage. However, people get married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/there-is-a-very-big-college-about-how-a-man-and-a-woman-should/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [A professional player is smarter than a college man. He uses his noodle. He knows what to do and when to do it. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-grange/a-professional-player-is-smarter-than-a-college-man-he-uses-his/) [Red Grange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-grange/) [Browse all 5 College Man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-man-961601/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“it greatly bothered him that I had such a flunky job, washing cages and sweeping up dogs' hair; and also that I was no longer a college man but trying to keep up on Helmholtz who was a dead number to him; in other words, that I should be of the unformed darkened-out mass. 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