Skip to content

Bad idea Quote by Tao Lin

“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to music. Outside there were trees, a ditch, a bridge; another parking lot. It was very dark. Maybe the Sasquatch would run out from the woods. Chelsea wouldn’t be afraid. She…” quote by Tao Lin
Download Open image
““In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to music. Outside there were trees, a ditch, a bridge; another parking lot. It was very dark. Maybe the Sasquatch would run out from the woods. Chelsea wouldn’t be afraid. She would calmly watch the Sasquatch jog into the ditch then out, hairy and strong and mysterious—to be so large yet so unknown; how could one cope except by running?—smash through some bushes, and sprint, perhaps, behind Wal-Mart, leaping over a shopping cart and barking. Did the Sasquatch bark? It used to alarm Chelsea that this might be all there was to her life, these hours alone each day and night—thinking things and not sharing them and then forgetting—the possibility of that would shock her a bit, trickily, like a three-part realization: that there was a bad idea out there; that that bad idea wasn’t out there, but here; and that she herself was that bad idea. But recently, and now, in her car, she just felt calm and perceiving, and a little consoled, even, by the sad idea of her own life, as if it were someone else’s, already happened, in some other world, placed now in the core of her, like a pillow that was an entire life, of which when she felt exhausted by aloneness she could crumple and fall towards, like a little bed, something she could pretend, and believe, even (truly and unironically believe; why not?), was a real thing that had come from far away, through a place of no people, a place of people, and another place of no people, as a gift, for no occasion, but just because she needed—or perhaps deserved; did the world try in that way? to make things fair?—it.””

Tao Lin

About This Quote

Chelsea confronts existential loneliness, imagining a Sasquatch as a metaphor for unknown fears and the feeling of being a 'bad idea' in her own life, ultimately finding a bittersweet calm in self‑reflection.

In simple terms: Loneliness, self‑identity, confronting the unknown.

Key Takeaway

Accepting inner turmoil can bring quiet peace.

Themes

existentialism identity loneliness imagination self‑acceptance

Mood

melancholic contemplative wistful

Type

narrative philosophical

When to use this quote

  • late‑night drives
  • quiet moments alone
  • imagining mythical encounters
  • reflecting on life purpose

Key Concepts

metaphor inner dialogue self‑perception

Practical Applications

  • creative writing
  • therapeutic journaling

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does the Sasquatch symbolize for Chelsea?
  • How can embracing discomfort lead to inner calm?
4.3 out of 5 (10 ratings)

More by Tao Lin

Explore all 133 Tao Lin quotes

More Bad idea quotes

Browse all 545 Bad idea quotes