--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As far as I could tell, he earned his…" description: "\"“As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a year by wandering the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, smiling at the pretty girls and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/tom-perrotta-3008_earned_as-far-as-i-could-tell-he-earned-his-hun_70905.png" --- # As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a… ![“As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a year by wandering the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, smiling at the pretty girls and scowling at the boys who didn't play sports. Somebody should have stuck a broom in his hand and made him an honest man.” quote by Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/tom-perrotta-3008_earned_as-far-as-i-could-tell-he-earned-his-hun_70905.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/tom-perrotta-3008_earned_as-far-as-i-could-tell-he-earned-his-hun_70905.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/tom-perrotta-3008_earned_as-far-as-i-could-tell-he-earned-his-hun_70905.png) > ““As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a year by wandering the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, smiling at the pretty girls and scowling at the boys who didn't play sports. Somebody should have stuck a broom in his hand and made him an honest man.”” [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A satirical observation that superficial charm and social status can mask a lack of genuine achievement, suggesting that appearances are deceptive. **In simple terms:** Looks successful but is idle. Key Takeaway Charm can hide emptiness. Themes satire social critique appearance vs reality masculinity class Mood wry cynical ironic Type satirical observational When to use this quote - office politics - college campus - social gatherings - sports teams Key Concepts status authenticity gender roles work ethic Practical Applications - character development in fiction - social commentary Questions to Reflect On - What does true success look like? - How do we judge character based on appearance? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boys Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys-didn-300412/) [Earned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earned/) [Earned Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earned-thousand-930908/) [Honest man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-man/) [Play Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-sports/) [Pretty girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-girls/) [Tell Earned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-earned-930909/) ## Related quotes > [I've always felt heroic about my life... As a child, I remember little girls in the playground moaning about how boys could do more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-ve-always-felt-heroic-about-my-life-as-a-child-i-remember-little/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [“The boys didn’t say a word. They stared at their mother, through to the back of her eyes, looking for her, but unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holliday-vann/the-boys-didn-t-say-a-word-they-stared-at-their-mother-through-to-the/) [Holliday Vann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holliday-vann/) > [School was great. 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Boys didn't look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-michele/i-was-never-pretty-enough-to-be-the-pretty-girl-and-i-was-never/) [Lea Michele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-michele/) > [When I was young, boys didn't type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-was-young-boys-didn-t-type/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Like, I played baseball with all boys. They didn't want to play catch with me. I mean, it's the story of everything I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mendoza/like-i-played-baseball-with-all-boys-they-didn-t-want-to-play-catch/) [Jessica Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mendoza/) > [My mother told me to stay away from boys, but that didn't work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/my-mother-told-me-to-stay-away-from-boys-but-that-didn-t-work-out/) [Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/) > [“I had no interest in football or basketball but had learned it was best to pretend otherwise. 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So the way I see it, as her man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/as-i-m-concerned-fin-you-did-not-fuck-up-those-boys-didn-t-touch-my/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [If you polled them the year I graduated, they would have said that I was a slut, and the most I had ever done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/if-you-polled-them-the-year-i-graduated-they-would-have-said-that-i/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [Youth is an amazing thing: I think back on when we did The Lost Boys, and I didn't think I could do anything wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiefer-sutherland/youth-is-an-amazing-thing-i-think-back-on-when-we-did-the-lost-boys/) [Kiefer Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiefer-sutherland/) > [I played sports. The acting thing was just a direct blessing from the Lord, because I lost my discipline to play sports, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-benson-miller/i-played-sports-the-acting-thing-was-just-a-direct-blessing-from-the/) [Omar Benson Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-benson-miller/) ## More by Tom Perrotta > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“thinking how good it was to be free, away from the baby and from Tom, too, the two people who couldn’t help reminding her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/thinking-how-good-it-was-to-be-free-away-from-the-baby-and-from-tom/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [It's like the human race has been programmed for misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/it-s-like-the-human-race-has-been-programmed-for-misery/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“She took care of evyone with the same no-nonsense air of friendliness and good cheer that made her seem so paradoxically wholesome, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/she-took-care-of-evyone-with-the-same-no-nonsense-air-of-friendliness/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [Back then, when everybody thought the world would last forever, nobody had time for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/back-then-when-everybody-thought-the-world-would-last-forever-nobody/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“Stan and Rudy are grown men. It's too late to shape their minds, to teach them values and a sense of compassion. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/stan-and-rudy-are-grown-men-it-s-too-late-to-shape-their-minds-to/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I write about kids growing up, I write a lot about schools and parents, and all of my experiences with those things have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-write-about-kids-growing-up-i-write-a-lot-about-schools-and-parents/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [You could say that this book is ripped from the headlines, but that wouldn't be fair. Bret Anthony Johnston's riveting novel picks up where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/you-could-say-that-this-book-is-ripped-from-the-headlines-but-that/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [The interesting part about the writing process is that you can never see all the way to the end, not if something is happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/the-interesting-part-about-the-writing-process-is-that-you-can-never/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“Something had happened to him ove the past couple of years, something to do with being home with Aaron, sinking into the rhythm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/something-had-happened-to-him-ove-the-past-couple-of-years-something/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“They were good listeners, worldly yet easily shocked, hungry for details, curious and nonjudgmental at the same time, always happy to give advice, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/they-were-good-listeners-worldly-yet-easily-shocked-hungry-for/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I read 'The Great Gatsby' in high school and was hypnotized by the beauty of the sentences and moved by the story about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-read-the-great-gatsby-in-high-school-and-was-hypnotized-by-the/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I no longer believe that just about everything is funny, if viewed from the proper angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-no-longer-believe-that-just-about-everything-is-funny-if-viewed/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“us, Will had invited his camp counselor buddy, Dylan, and Dylan had brought along his roommate, this annoying kid named Sanjay. I mean, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/us-will-had-invited-his-camp-counselor-buddy-dylan-and-dylan-had/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“We all basically live in a world that we define by the people who have disappeared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/we-all-basically-live-in-a-world-that-we-define-by-the-people-who/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) [Explore all 141 Tom Perrotta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) ## More Earned quotes > [We earned any fans with the way we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-white/we-earned-any-fans-with-the-way-we-play/) [Jimmy White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-white/) > [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [I began with small roles in successful movies like 'No Country For Old Men' by the Coen brothers; but it was 'The Last Exorcism'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-landry-jones/i-began-with-small-roles-in-successful-movies-like-no-country-for-old/) [Caleb Landry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-landry-jones/) > [At Inter, I earned my wages based on the results on the field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-mancini/at-inter-i-earned-my-wages-based-on-the-results-on-the-field/) [Roberto Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-mancini/) > [I have earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life I have never obstructed justice,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-have-earned-every-cent-and-in-all-of-my-years-of-public-life-i-have/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [I moved to New York aged 16, and worked part-time in a Korean store in South Bronx selling groceries, bread and confectionery. I earned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/i-moved-to-new-york-aged-16-and-worked-part-time-in-a-korean-store-in/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [I could have earned lots of crores by doing hundreds of more 'Rangeela' that came my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urmila-matondkar/i-could-have-earned-lots-of-crores-by-doing-hundreds-of-more-rangeela/) [Urmila Matondkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urmila-matondkar/) > [We often learn the hard way that our world is ruled by external factors. We don't always get what is rightfully ours, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/we-often-learn-the-hard-way-that-our-world-is-ruled-by-external/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [It took me nine years to get my first release. I have worked for it. I have earned it. I couldn't have asked for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-tripathi/it-took-me-nine-years-to-get-my-first-release-i-have-worked-for-it-i/) [Shweta Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-tripathi/) > [“President Trump has earned the title of ‘The Lying President’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/president-trump-has-earned-the-title-of-the-lying-president/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Trust is earned, Never bought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-wagner/trust-is-earned-never-bought/) [Jacob Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-wagner/) > [There is a legitimate concern about wealth distribution in the United States, but the answer is not to scapegoat any individual who makes over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/there-is-a-legitimate-concern-about-wealth-distribution-in-the-united/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) > [Women have shown their skills and that's why they have been accepted in the industry. It's through their skill that they have managed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/women-have-shown-their-skills-and-that-s-why-they-have-been-accepted/) [Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/) > [“They can take me as they find me,' says Ron. 'I've earned this face, it tells a story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-osman/they-can-take-me-as-they-find-me-says-ron-i-ve-earned-this-face-it/) [Richard Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-osman/) > [There is no happiness that isn't earned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/there-is-no-happiness-that-isn-t-earned/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) [Browse all 350 Earned quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earned/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a year by wandering the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, smiling at the pretty girls and scowling at the boys who didn't play sports. 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