--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the evening bus, the tense, pinched…" description: "\"On the evening bus, the tense, pinched faces of young file clerks and elderly secretaries tell us more than we care to know. On the expressways, middle..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/studs-terkel-3020_behinds_on-the-evening-bus-the-tense-pinched-fac_1870727.jpg" --- # On the evening bus, the tense, pinched faces of young file… ![“On the evening bus, the tense, pinched faces of young file clerks and elderly secretaries tell us more than we care to know. On the expressways, middle management men pose without grace behind their wheels as they flee city and job.” quote by Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/studs-terkel-3020_behinds_on-the-evening-bus-the-tense-pinched-fac_1870727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/studs-terkel-3020_behinds_on-the-evening-bus-the-tense-pinched-fac_1870727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/studs-terkel-3020_behinds_on-the-evening-bus-the-tense-pinched-fac_1870727.jpg) > “On the evening bus, the tense, pinched faces of young file clerks and elderly secretaries tell us more than we care to know. On the expressways, middle management men pose without grace behind their wheels as they flee city and job.” [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Everyday commuters reveal the stress and alienation of modern work life, exposing deeper societal pressures. **In simple terms:** Commutes show hidden work stress. Key Takeaway Listen to commuter stories. Themes workplace stress commuting alienation Mood reflective empathetic Type observational social critique When to use this quote - Public transport design - mental health support - employer empathy Key Concepts Sociology of labor urban fatigue Questions to Reflect On - What does a commuter’s expression tell about their job? - How can workplaces reduce travel stress? A Different Perspective Commuter fatigue can be misread as personal failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Elderly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elderly/) [Evening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evening/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Middle management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-management/) ## Related quotes > [“As the streets begin to overflow with police cruisers and satellite vehicles, with fire trucks and ambulances on high alert, you continue walking ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-womack/as-the-streets-begin-to-overflow-with-police-cruisers-and-satellite/) Kenneth Womack > [“Scores climb with titles, from the bottom of the corporate ladder upward toward middle management. 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Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Sound waves, regardless of their frequency or intensity, can only be detected by the Mole Fly’s acute sense of smell—it is a little known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/sound-waves-regardless-of-their-frequency-or-intensity-can-only-be/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“It’s like my dreams were worn away by paper cuts, and at some point I woke up and realized that, ‘Hey, you aren’t going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-e-carr/it-s-like-my-dreams-were-worn-away-by-paper-cuts-and-at-some-point-i/) R.E. Carr > [“Companies, as they grow to become multi-billion-dollar entities, somehow lose their vision,” he told Playboy in 1985. “They insert lots of layers of middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lashinsky/companies-as-they-grow-to-become-multi-billion-dollar-entities/) [Adam Lashinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lashinsky/) > [I've been promoted to middle management. I never thought I'd sink so low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gould/i-ve-been-promoted-to-middle-management-i-never-thought-i-d-sink-so/) Tim Gould > [Schmoozers are brownnosers, sycophants more suited to middle management than to the Wild West of the entrepreneurial world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahl-raz/schmoozers-are-brownnosers-sycophants-more-suited-to-middle/) [Tahl Raz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahl-raz/) > [“productivity meetings were just about the least productive thing ever devised by middle management, and that was saying plenty. Those corporate frat boys were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-chercover/productivity-meetings-were-just-about-the-least-productive-thing-ever/) [Sean Chercover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-chercover/) > [Real management is developing people through work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agha-hasan-abedi/real-management-is-developing-people-through-work/) Agha Hasan Abedi > [“I walked the short distance to Nogizaka, then strolled up and down Gaienhigashi-dori. It took awhile, but I finally spotted it. There was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-walked-the-short-distance-to-nogizaka-then-strolled-up-and-down/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“When I was a young man I worked for a very good company that was very well run by very nice people who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-bing/when-i-was-a-young-man-i-worked-for-a-very-good-company-that-was-very/) [Stanley Bing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-bing/) > [I'm far less bothered by on screen stars earning the big bucks than the legions of middle management behind the scenes at the BBC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/i-m-far-less-bothered-by-on-screen-stars-earning-the-big-bucks-than/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [If it wasn't for 'Under the Skin,' I would more than likely be in some kind of middle management job in marketing, and deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pearson/if-it-wasn-t-for-under-the-skin-i-would-more-than-likely-be-in-some/) [Adam Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-pearson/) ## More by Studs Terkel > [My epitaph? My epitaph will be, 'Curiosity did not kill this cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/my-epitaph-my-epitaph-will-be-curiosity-did-not-kill-this-cat/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“It was in ’35—we had this campaign to raise a million tax dollars. In the town of Phillips, one evening, during a blizzard, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/it-was-in-35-we-had-this-campaign-to-raise-a-million-tax-dollars-in/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I read somewhere that when a person takes part in community action, his health improves. Something happens to him or to her biologically. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-read-somewhere-that-when-a-person-takes-part-in-community-action/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Don't be an examiner, be the interested inquirer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/don-t-be-an-examiner-be-the-interested-inquirer/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Hope never trickles down. It always springs up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/hope-never-trickles-down-it-always-springs-up/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I never drove a car. I'm hopeless that way. I press the wrong buttons on the tape recorder. But if the person I'm interviewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-never-drove-a-car-i-m-hopeless-that-way-i-press-the-wrong-buttons/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/to-survive-the-day-is-triumph-enough-for-the-walking-wounded-among/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“I’ll never forget that Depression Easter Sunday. Our son was four years old. I bought ten or fifteen cents’ worth of eggs. You didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-ll-never-forget-that-depression-easter-sunday-our-son-was-four/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [All you need in life is truth and beauty and you can find both at the Public Library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/all-you-need-in-life-is-truth-and-beauty-and-you-can-find-both-at-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Reading a book should not be a passive exercise, but rather a raucous conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/reading-a-book-should-not-be-a-passive-exercise-but-rather-a-raucous/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I hope for peace and sanity - it's the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-hope-for-peace-and-sanity-it-s-the-same-thing/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“The total cost of the Federal Arts Project was only $23 million. Many of these paintings, sculptures and prints were given to museums, courthouses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-total-cost-of-the-federal-arts-project-was-only-23-million-many/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I find labels "liberal" and "conservative" of little meaning. Our language has become perverted along with the thoughts of many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-find-labels-liberal-and-conservative-of-little-meaning-our-language/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“Who knows Bob’s name in this outfit—let alone his lame child’s? (“The last place I worked for, I was let go,” recalls the bank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/who-knows-bob-s-name-in-this-outfit-let-alone-his-lame-child-s-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [The trouble with censorship is that once it starts it is hard to stop. Just about every book contains something that someone objects to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-trouble-with-censorship-is-that-once-it-starts-it-is-hard-to-stop/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) [Explore all 142 Studs Terkel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## More Behinds quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/) [Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/) [Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "On the evening bus, the tense, pinched faces of young file clerks and elderly secretaries tell us more than we care to know. 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