--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He is altogether selfish, she thought in…" description: "\"He is altogether selfish, she thought in some surprise, the only man I have ever sat and talked to alone, and I am impatient; he is simply not very int..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/shirley-jackson-1526_impatient_he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in_1023705.jpg" --- # He is altogether selfish, she thought in some surprise… ![“He is altogether selfish, she thought in some surprise, the only man I have ever sat and talked to alone, and I am impatient; he is simply not very interesting.” quote by Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/shirley-jackson-1526_impatient_he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in_1023705.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/shirley-jackson-1526_impatient_he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in_1023705.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/shirley-jackson-1526_impatient_he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in_1023705.jpg) > “He is altogether selfish, she thought in some surprise, the only man I have ever sat and talked to alone, and I am impatient; he is simply not very interesting.” [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## 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 finds the man both selfish and uninteresting, yet feels impatient for deeper connection. **In simple terms:** She sees him as selfish and boring, yet craves intimacy. Key Takeaway Seek authentic connections. Themes relationships self‑perception impatience Mood reflective critical Type literary psychological When to use this quote - dating - friendship building - self‑reflection Key Concepts literary analysis human behavior loneliness Questions to Reflect On - Why do we label people before knowing them? - What does impatience reveal about our needs? A Different Perspective May misjudge others quickly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) ## Related quotes > [“I could just remember how my father used to say that the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-could-just-remember-how-my-father-used-to-say-that-the-reason-for-2/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“The dying are selfish, he thought; they want their moments to themselves, like children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/the-dying-are-selfish-he-thought-they-want-their-moments-to/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [Whenever I release a record, it's my record. It's not a selfish thought. I may work all year 'round for other people. 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He ate the Moon Pie; only skinny people can scarf down junk food like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/we-sat-there-not-talking-for-a-few-minutes-he-ate-the-moon-pie-only/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I found plain truth very interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-found-plain-truth-very-interesting/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [ It's a very interesting fight \[Klitchko vs Tyson Fury\] because this is the first time \[Wladimir\] Klitschko is fighting someone as big as him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennox-lewis/it-s-a-very-interesting-fight-klitchko-vs-tyson-fury-because-this-is/) [Lennox Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennox-lewis/) > [Christianity has a built-in defense system: anything that questions a belief, no matter how logical the argument is, is the work of Satan by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/christianity-has-a-built-in-defense-system-anything-that-questions-a/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [The key thing about me is that I'm really not very interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/the-key-thing-about-me-is-that-i-m-really-not-very-interesting/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) > [I think in Japan I think there is a lot of style and a lot of subcultures, but it will be interesting to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-schuman/i-think-in-japan-i-think-there-is-a-lot-of-style-and-a-lot-of/) [Scott Schuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-schuman/) > [The architect is very interesting because the architect is the commander, meaning the one who commands all the workers. The architect is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-architect-is-very-interesting-because-the-architect-is-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) ## More by Shirley Jackson > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-could-not-remember-ever-being-truly-happy-in-her-adult-life-her/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Upstairs Margaret said abruptly, 'I suppose it starts to happen first in the suburbs,' and when Brad said, 'What starts to happen?' she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/upstairs-margaret-said-abruptly-i-suppose-it-starts-to-happen-first/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“The beautiful clarity of all marked outlines occurred to her--there would be a deep satisfaction in strengthening fences, for instance, going along on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/the-beautiful-clarity-of-all-marked-outlines-occurred-to-her-there/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“And we held each other in the dark hall and laughed, with the tears running down our cheeks and echoes of our laughter going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/and-we-held-each-other-in-the-dark-hall-and-laughed-with-the-tears/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Why do people want to talk to each other? I mean, what are the things people always want to find out about other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/why-do-people-want-to-talk-to-each-other-i-mean-what-are-the-things/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“It was as though the people needed the ugliness of the village, and fed on it. 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I have three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/eleanor-i-plan-to-stay-up-and-read-for-a-while-are-you-still-reading/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Is everyone really crazy but me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/is-everyone-really-crazy-but-me/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/february-when-the-days-of-winter-seem-endless-and-no-amount-of/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“it’s quite a hazard, quite a hazard indeed, people knocking you down. Still, it’s a genuine pleasure to find one as willing as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-s-quite-a-hazard-quite-a-hazard-indeed-people-knocking-you-down/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [On the moon we have everything. Lettuce, and pumpkin pie and Amanita phalloides. We have cat-furred plants and horses dancing with their wings. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/on-the-moon-we-have-everything-lettuce-and-pumpkin-pie-and-amanita/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [She walked quickly around her one-room apartment. After more than four years in this one home she knew all its possibilities, how it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-walked-quickly-around-her-one-room-apartment-after-more-than-four/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [I very much dislike writing about myself or my work, and when pressed for autobiographical material can only give a bare chronological outline which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-very-much-dislike-writing-about-myself-or-my-work-and-when-pressed/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Explore all 224 Shirley Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## More Impatient quotes > [God is never late, we're just impatient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/god-is-never-late-we-re-just-impatient/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [There is no passion in nature so demoniacally impatient, as that of him who, shuddering upon the edge of a precipice, thus meditates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-no-passion-in-nature-so-demoniacally-impatient-as-that-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [I'm too direct and too unsparingly impatient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-m-too-direct-and-too-unsparingly-impatient/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [To be honest, I don't love the getting-ready-for-red-carpet thing. I like when it's done, the final product, but the actual doing of all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-stevens/to-be-honest-i-don-t-love-the-getting-ready-for-red-carpet-thing-i/) [Amber Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-stevens/) > [If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-a-sudden-jar-can-cause-me-to-speak-an-impatient-unloving-word-then/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [I'm a very, very impatient person when it comes to breaking news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donovan-mitchell/i-m-a-very-very-impatient-person-when-it-comes-to-breaking-news/) [Donovan Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donovan-mitchell/) > [Modern man is too impatient and wants to master the art of meditation immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rama-swami/modern-man-is-too-impatient-and-wants-to-master-the-art-of-meditation/) [Rama Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rama-swami/) > [“All this waiting. Waiting for the rain to stop. Waiting in traffic. Waiting for the bill. Waiting at the airport for an old friend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/all-this-waiting-waiting-for-the-rain-to-stop-waiting-in-traffic/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [We sat there, not talking, for a few minutes. He ate the Moon Pie; only skinny people can scarf down junk food like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/we-sat-there-not-talking-for-a-few-minutes-he-ate-the-moon-pie-only/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Not necessarily narrow so much as impatient, intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/not-necessarily-narrow-so-much-as-impatient-intense/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Impatient people rush to disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/impatient-people-rush-to-disaster/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am in no rush for success. I am patient, I know that it will come, until then I work for its arrival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/i-am-in-no-rush-for-success-i-am-patient-i-know-that-it-will-come/) Enhance Dreams > [He who knows how to wait for what he desires does not feel very desperate if he fails in obtaining it; and he, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/he-who-knows-how-to-wait-for-what-he-desires-does-not-feel-very/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Thought I'd give impatience a try. Got a little enveloped in time. Cuz I watch you come and watch you go and it don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-ready-set/thought-i-d-give-impatience-a-try-got-a-little-enveloped-in-time-cuz/) [The Ready Set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-ready-set/) > [“When you are waiting for a train, don't keep perpetually looking to see if it is coming. The time of its arrival is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-waiting-for-a-train-don-t-keep-perpetually-looking-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 654 Impatient quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He is altogether selfish, she thought in some surprise, the only man I have ever sat and talked to alone, and I am impatient; he is simply not very interesting.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Jackson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in-some-surprise-the-only-man-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Impatient" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in-some-surprise-the-only-man-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/shirley-jackson-1526_impatient_he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in_1023705.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/shirley-jackson-1526_impatient_he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in_1023705.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5d/shirley-jackson-1526_impatient_he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in_1023705.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He is altogether selfish, she thought in some surprise, the only man I have ever sat and talked to alone…” — Shirley Jackson", "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": "Shirley Jackson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He is altogether selfish, she thought...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in-some-surprise-the-only-man-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/he-is-altogether-selfish-she-thought-in-some-surprise-the-only-man-i/#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 } } ] } ```