--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I took my coffee into the dining room and…" description: "\"I took my coffee into the dining room and settled down with the morning paper. A woman in New York had had twins in a taxi. A woman in Ohio had just ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/shirley-jackson-1526_accounts_i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-an_1379559.jpg" --- # I took my coffee into the dining room and settled down… ![“I took my coffee into the dining room and settled down with the morning paper. A woman in New York had had twins in a taxi. A woman in Ohio had just had her seventeenth child. A twelve-year-old girl in Mexico had given birth to a thirteen-pound boy. The lead article on the woman's page was about…” quote by Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/shirley-jackson-1526_accounts_i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-an_1379559.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/shirley-jackson-1526_accounts_i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-an_1379559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/shirley-jackson-1526_accounts_i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-an_1379559.jpg) > “I took my coffee into the dining room and settled down with the morning paper. A woman in New York had had twins in a taxi. A woman in Ohio had just had her seventeenth child. A twelve-year-old girl in Mexico had given birth to a thirteen-pound boy. The lead article on the woman's page was about how to adjust the older child to the new baby. I finally found an account of an axe murder on page seventeen, and held my coffee cup up to my face to see if the steam might revive me.” [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 uses shocking news headlines to illustrate humanity’s constant exposure to tragedy, seeking distraction in mundane rituals. **In simple terms:** People are surrounded by tragedy and seek normalcy. Key Takeaway Find moments of calm amid chaos. Themes tragedy media distraction normalcy Mood somber introspective analytical Type observational literary When to use this quote - reading newspaper - drinking coffee - processing news - seeking escape Key Concepts psychology social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with overwhelming news? - Can routine help process grief? A Different Perspective Escapism may numb awareness of real issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Article Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/article-woman-4774919/) [Articles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articles/) [Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Coffee cup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee-cup/) [Cups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cups/) [Dining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dining/) [Dining room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dining-room/) [Dining rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dining-rooms/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-birth-455697/) [Held Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-coffee-3452826/) [Mexico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexico/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Morning Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning-paper-264134/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [New baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-baby/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Ohio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ohio/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Pounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pounds/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Steam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steam/) [Taxi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxi/) [Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirteen/) [Took Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-coffee-1453310/) [Twelve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twelve/) [Twins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twins/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“But Eve had already scented it, already—despite herself—begun to smile. “It’s coffee,” she murmured, unaware of the way her voice softened as she reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/but-eve-had-already-scented-it-already-despite-herself-begun-to-smile/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [When the girl sitting at the next table looked away from a moment, Dirk leaned over and took her coffee. He knew that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-the-girl-sitting-at-the-next-table-looked-away-from-a-moment/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When the girl sitting at the next table looked away for a moment, Dirk leaned over and took her coffee. He knew that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-the-girl-sitting-at-the-next-table-looked-away-for-a-moment-dirk/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Did you see what you just did? You took the coffee can with you to the counter." "So what?" "You didn't have to. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/did-you-see-what-you-just-did-you-took-the-coffee-can-with-you-to-the/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [He mulled that over. "Sheriff Connally woulda let us shoot 'em." I reached over and took his coffee away from him. "Yep. Lucian probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/he-mulled-that-over-sheriff-connally-woulda-let-us-shoot-em-i-reached/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [My office is trashed,” he grumped as he squished across his damp carpet and took the coffee that I was holding out to him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/my-office-is-trashed-he-grumped-as-he-squished-across-his-damp-carpet/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“Soy milk and two sugars." Just this past week, Rachel had become convinced that how people took their coffee gave some secret insight into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/soy-milk-and-two-sugars-just-this-past-week-rachel-had-become/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [For years I have read the morning paper and harrumphed. There's a lot to harrumph about now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/for-years-i-have-read-the-morning-paper-and-harrumphed-there-s-a-lot/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [“When I wake up in the morning, I immediately check the morning paper. If my name is not in the obituaries, I get up”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/when-i-wake-up-in-the-morning-i-immediately-check-the-morning-paper/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [The days of waiting for your morning paper to show up in your driveway and tell you what the main stories are? Those days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-bream/the-days-of-waiting-for-your-morning-paper-to-show-up-in-your/) [Shannon Bream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-bream/) > [“And by the way, my dear,' he said, 'you might just mention to Mrs. Sutton that if she must read the morning paper before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/and-by-the-way-my-dear-he-said-you-might-just-mention-to-mrs-sutton/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [My first job, 9 years old, part-time, was selling Christmas cards door-to-door. Ten years old, my brother and I had paper routes. We delivered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-dejoria/my-first-job-9-years-old-part-time-was-selling-christmas-cards-door/) [John Paul DeJoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-dejoria/) > [I can only tell you that eggs, country ham, biscuits, a pot of coffee, a morning paper, a table by the window overlooking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/i-can-only-tell-you-that-eggs-country-ham-biscuits-a-pot-of-coffee-a/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Who else wakes up in the morning and checks their Facebook like its the morning paper?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-else-wakes-up-in-the-morning-and-checks-their-facebook-like-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even as a little kid, I was fascinated by newspapers and magazines. They were my TV. I'd be the first one up to grab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/even-as-a-little-kid-i-was-fascinated-by-newspapers-and-magazines/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) ## 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. The houses and the stores seemed to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-as-though-the-people-needed-the-ugliness-of-the-village-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Eleanor—“I plan to stay up and read for a while.” “Are you still reading Pamela?” Eleanor asked the doctor. “Volume two. 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 Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) [Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I took my coffee into the dining room and settled down with the morning paper. A woman in New York had had twins in a taxi. A woman in Ohio had just had her seventeenth child. A twelve-year-old girl in Mexico had given birth to a thirteen-pound boy. The lead article on the woman's page was about how to adjust the older child to the new baby. I finally found an account of an axe murder on page seventeen, and held my coffee cup up to my face to see if the steam might revive me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Jackson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-and-settled-down-with-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accounts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-and-settled-down-with-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/shirley-jackson-1526_accounts_i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-an_1379559.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/shirley-jackson-1526_accounts_i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-an_1379559.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/shirley-jackson-1526_accounts_i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-an_1379559.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I took my coffee into the dining room and settled down with the morning paper. A woman in New York had had…” — 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": "I took my coffee into the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-and-settled-down-with-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-took-my-coffee-into-the-dining-room-and-settled-down-with-the/#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 } } ] } ```