---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To begin with I thought we were driving…"
description: "\"“To begin with I thought we were driving around in circles until I realised that Herr Starbuck owned dozens of coffee houses.”\" — Timur Vermes"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/timur-vermes-28814_quote_to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving_1678090.jpg"
---

#  To begin with I thought we were driving around in circles…

![“To begin with I thought we were driving around in circles until I realised that Herr Starbuck owned dozens of coffee houses.” quote by Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/timur-vermes-28814_quote_to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving_1678090.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/timur-vermes-28814_quote_to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving_1678090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/timur-vermes-28814_quote_to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving_1678090.jpg)

> ““To begin with I thought we were driving around in circles until I realised that Herr Starbuck owned dozens of coffee houses.””

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Initially confused about the setting, the narrator realizes they are in a coffee house owned by Herr Starbuck, a play on a famous literary name.

**In simple terms:** Thought we were circling, then learned we were at a coffee shop.

Key Takeaway

Recognize hidden references in surroundings.

Themes

confusion realization literary reference

Mood

curious playful

Type

literary cultural

When to use this quote

- travel
- urban exploration
- reading clubs

Key Concepts

identity place recognition

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden meanings have you discovered?
- How does recognizing a reference change perception?

A Different Perspective

The reference may be obscure to some.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Circles Realised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles-realised-927647/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Coffee houses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee-houses/) [Dozens Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozens-coffee-927646/) [Herr Starbuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herr-starbuck-927645/) [Starbuck Owned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starbuck-owned-927644/)

## Related quotes

> [The greatest part of mankind labor under one delirium or another; and Don Quixote differed from the rest, not in madness, but the species…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/the-greatest-part-of-mankind-labor-under-one-delirium-or-another-and/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [The most reserved of men, that will not exchange two syllables together in an English coffee-house, should they meet at Ispahan, would drink sherbet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/the-most-reserved-of-men-that-will-not-exchange-two-syllables/)

[William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/)

> [I sang in the coffee houses . . . in the early 60's with no idea of success in terms of records or television.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-collins/i-sang-in-the-coffee-houses-in-the-early-60-s-with-no-idea-of-success/)

[Judy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-collins/)

> [What happened was, I always wanted to be a singer/songwriter kind of guy like a James Taylor or Crosby, Stills and Nash type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/what-happened-was-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-singer-songwriter-kind-of/)

[Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/)

> [...Dean Mohamet, a Muslim landowner from Patna who had followed his British patron to Ireland. There he soon eloped with, and later marries, Jean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dalrymple/dean-mohamet-a-muslim-landowner-from-patna-who-had-followed-his/)

[William Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dalrymple/)

> [To the haranguers of the populace among the ancients, succeed among the moderns your writers of political pamphlets and news-papers, and your coffee-house talkers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/to-the-haranguers-of-the-populace-among-the-ancients-succeed-among/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [I was in a Led Zeppelin cover band in high school, and my highlight was playing "Misty Mountain Hop" at a coffee house in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-legrand/i-was-in-a-led-zeppelin-cover-band-in-high-school-and-my-highlight/)

[Victoria Legrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-legrand/)

> [I've been close friends with Katy since teenagers, before she was Katy Perry. She's always been a great resource for me to pull from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mckee/i-ve-been-close-friends-with-katy-since-teenagers-before-she-was-katy/)

[Bonnie McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mckee/)

> [I heard an Englishman, who had been long resident in America, declare that in following, in meeting, or in overtaking, in the street, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/i-heard-an-englishman-who-had-been-long-resident-in-america-declare/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [In my head, I wanted to be Madonna, but the music I was writing on paper was not what you'd choreograph dancers in costumes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mckee/in-my-head-i-wanted-to-be-madonna-but-the-music-i-was-writing-on/)

[Bonnie McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mckee/)

> [Let no man grumble when his friends fall off, As they will do like leaves at the first breeze; When your affairs come round,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/let-no-man-grumble-when-his-friends-fall-off-as-they-will-do-like/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [I did the coffee house thing - we have coffee houses where people play, or we used to - and when I was 14,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-fallon/i-did-the-coffee-house-thing-we-have-coffee-houses-where-people-play/)

[Brian Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-fallon/)

> [Our printing press is the Internet. Our coffee houses are social networks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/our-printing-press-is-the-internet-our-coffee-houses-are-social/)

[Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/)

> [Everything I loved had been dead for two centuries - or, as in the case of Graeco-Roman classicism, for two milenniums. I am never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/everything-i-loved-had-been-dead-for-two-centuries-or-as-in-the-case/)

[H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/)

> [For those two years in college I was constantly singing and writing and playing in coffee houses and stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogelberg/for-those-two-years-in-college-i-was-constantly-singing-and-writing/)

[Dan Fogelberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogelberg/)

## More by Timur Vermes

> [“In Berlin I have time and again met people who make no secret of the fact that their only reason for stirring at such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/in-berlin-i-have-time-and-again-met-people-who-make-no-secret-of-the/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

> [“the moment a politician removes his shirt, his policies are dead in the water. All he will say is, “Look, my dear fellow countrymen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/the-moment-a-politician-removes-his-shirt-his-policies-are-dead-in/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

> [“But with superior morale, with an unwavering, fanatical spirit, everything is possible!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/but-with-superior-morale-with-an-unwavering-fanatical-spirit/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

> [“It came as no surprise to learn of the success the Swede has recently enjoyed with his furniture. In that rotten state of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/it-came-as-no-surprise-to-learn-of-the-success-the-swede-has-recently/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

> [“There are always advantages to having reached a certain time in one's life. I am most pleased that I did not come to politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/there-are-always-advantages-to-having-reached-a-certain-time-in-one-s/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

> [“And stop smoking," I yelled after him. "You smell like cheap ham!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/and-stop-smoking-i-yelled-after-him-you-smell-like-cheap-ham/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

> [“Es war nicht alles schlecht.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/es-war-nicht-alles-schlecht/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

> [“What irritates me most of all about these morning people is their horribly good temper, as if they have been up for three hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/what-irritates-me-most-of-all-about-these-morning-people-is-their-2/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

> [“This black wardrobe all the time. This dark lipstick, this face which you always make up to look so pale, or at least that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/this-black-wardrobe-all-the-time-this-dark-lipstick-this-face-which/)

[Timur Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

[Explore all 10 Timur Vermes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/)

## More Coffee quotes

> [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/)

[Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/)

> [I had developed a relationship with one of the anti-abortion sidewalk counselors who stood in front of my facility. We talked regularly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/i-had-developed-a-relationship-with-one-of-the-anti-abortion-sidewalk/)

[Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [I like to sit down, relax, have a cup of coffee on the terrace and read a book. I like to travel the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-vos/i-like-to-sit-down-relax-have-a-cup-of-coffee-on-the-terrace-and-read/)

[Marianne Vos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-vos/)

> [White Coffee Really Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-saicha/white-coffee-really-helps/)

[Anwar Saicha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-saicha/)

> [“The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/the-whole-purpose-of-places-like-starbucks-is-for-people-with-no/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [Coffee and tobacco are complete repose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/coffee-and-tobacco-are-complete-repose/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/)

[Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/)

> [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/)

[Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/)

> [If Japanese tea 'stands,' it acquires a coarse bitterness and an unwholesome astringency. Milk and sugar are not used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-bird/if-japanese-tea-stands-it-acquires-a-coarse-bitterness-and-an/)

[Isabella Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-bird/)

> [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/)

[John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/)

> [I don't typically drink coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cavallari/i-don-t-typically-drink-coffee/)

[Kristin Cavallari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cavallari/)

> [I put hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I have. It's sweet, sexy, and cleansing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-put-hibiscus-flower-in-every-cup-of-tea-i-have-it-s-sweet-sexy-and/)

[Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/)

> [“That is why I love Starbucks. It doesn't matter how much money you have or what social world you're from, chances are you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyra-davis/that-is-why-i-love-starbucks-it-doesn-t-matter-how-much-money-you/)

[Kyra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyra-davis/)

[Browse all 3,625 Coffee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“To begin with I thought we were driving around in circles until I realised that Herr Starbuck owned dozens of coffee houses.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Timur Vermes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving-around-in-circles-until-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Coffee"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving-around-in-circles-until-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/timur-vermes-28814_quote_to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving_1678090.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/timur-vermes-28814_quote_to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving_1678090.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/timur-vermes-28814_quote_to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving_1678090.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To begin with I thought we were driving around in circles until I realised that Herr Starbuck owned dozens…” — Timur Vermes",
                "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": "Timur Vermes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timur-vermes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“To begin with I thought we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving-around-in-circles-until-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timur-vermes/to-begin-with-i-thought-we-were-driving-around-in-circles-until-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
