--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a garbage man in New Jersey in…" description: "\"I was a garbage man in New Jersey in summers during college at Yale. Everybody else got to go to Switzerland and I got to go to the dump.\" — Tom Perrotta" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/tom-perrotta-3008_college_i-was-a-garbage-man-in-new-jersey-in-sum_1111287.png" --- # I was a garbage man in New Jersey in summers during… ![“I was a garbage man in New Jersey in summers during college at Yale. Everybody else got to go to Switzerland and I got to go to the dump.” quote by Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/tom-perrotta-3008_college_i-was-a-garbage-man-in-new-jersey-in-sum_1111287.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/tom-perrotta-3008_college_i-was-a-garbage-man-in-new-jersey-in-sum_1111287.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c35/tom-perrotta-3008_college_i-was-a-garbage-man-in-new-jersey-in-sum_1111287.png) > “I was a garbage man in New Jersey in summers during college at Yale. Everybody else got to go to Switzerland and I got to go to the dump.” [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. Economic disparity forces some to endure men work while peers enjoy privilege. **In simple terms:** Hard work vs privilege. Key Takeaway Recognize inequality. Themes class inequality labor Mood empathetic reflective Type narrative social commentary When to use this quote - college life - summer jobs - career planning Key Concepts social mobility privilege gap Questions to Reflect On - How does background shape opportunities? - What can be done to level the playing field? A Different Perspective Hard work can also lead to success; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Switzerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/switzerland/) ## Related quotes > [I just got back from Switzerland, which I've never been to. I went to Switzerland and Amsterdam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/i-just-got-back-from-switzerland-which-i-ve-never-been-to-i-went-to/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [Why does the garbage man always forget the white trash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-sawyer/why-does-the-garbage-man-always-forget-the-white-trash/) [Peyton Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-sawyer/) > [I play a garbage man who moonlights as a stand-up comedian. Terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-nelson/i-play-a-garbage-man-who-moonlights-as-a-stand-up-comedian-terrible/) [Judd Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-nelson/) > [“A well paid garbage man smells of success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilburn-hall/a-well-paid-garbage-man-smells-of-success/) [Kilburn Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilburn-hall/) > [“A cop is closer to a garbage man than he is to a lawyer. The cop isn’t in the middle of the two—he’s on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-cop-is-closer-to-a-garbage-man-than-he-is-to-a-lawyer-the-cop-isn-t/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-speak-to-everyone-in-the-same-way-whether-he-is-the-garbage-man-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It's hysterical that I'm going to marry a garbage man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-pivarnick/it-s-hysterical-that-i-m-going-to-marry-a-garbage-man/) [Angelina Pivarnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-pivarnick/) > [“With a sense of humor like that, you could make a living as a garbage man anywhere in the country.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/with-a-sense-of-humor-like-that-you-could-make-a-living-as-a-garbage/) [jim butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“And lastly, I'd like to thank my dead bunny... and the garbage man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-scott/and-lastly-i-d-like-to-thank-my-dead-bunny-and-the-garbage-man/) Cara Scott > [If the garbage man calls, tell him we don't want any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/if-the-garbage-man-calls-tell-him-we-don-t-want-any/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [You could be the world's best garbage man, the world's best model; it don't matter what you do if you're the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/you-could-be-the-world-s-best-garbage-man-the-world-s-best-model-it/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [My German heritage, it's through food. Growing up in Switzerland, the thing that I remember the most is the food. And so the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-tatiana-of-greece-and-denmark/my-german-heritage-it-s-through-food-growing-up-in-switzerland-the/) [Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-tatiana-of-greece-and-denmark/) > [My wife and I have spent most of our lives in France, and we are both pretty well bilingual, my wife more purely than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/my-wife-and-i-have-spent-most-of-our-lives-in-france-and-we-are-both/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“On the basis of decades of experiments, plants are starting to be regarded as beings capable of calculation and choice, learning and memory. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-mancuso/on-the-basis-of-decades-of-experiments-plants-are-starting-to-be/) Stefano Mancuso > [Switzerland is a country where very few things begin, but many things end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/switzerland-is-a-country-where-very-few-things-begin-but-many-things/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## 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/) > [“As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a year by wandering the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, smiling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/as-far-as-i-could-tell-he-earned-his-hundred-thousand-a-year-by/) [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. 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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/) [Explore all 141 Tom Perrotta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) ## More College quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [My first ever job after college was as a flight attendant. I wanted to travel and could not afford it, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/my-first-ever-job-after-college-was-as-a-flight-attendant-i-wanted-to/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. 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I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Some people, you know, should just go to college and do what they do and have a great job and not worry about trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/some-people-you-know-should-just-go-to-college-and-do-what-they-do/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Children should finish school and even go to college if they can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fuller/children-should-finish-school-and-even-go-to-college-if-they-can/) [Robert Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fuller/) > [I was totally sober in college and really, really focused. I just took the time when other people might be partying and just made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-flay/i-was-totally-sober-in-college-and-really-really-focused-i-just-took/) [K. Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-flay/) > [In college we didn't pass block the way they do in the pros - they played the I-formation at Wisconsin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-webster/in-college-we-didn-t-pass-block-the-way-they-do-in-the-pros-they/) [Mike Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-webster/) > [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [Doing away with separate black colleges meets resistance from alumni and other blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/doing-away-with-separate-black-colleges-meets-resistance-from-alumni/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [My son going to college is a big milestone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gore/my-son-going-to-college-is-a-big-milestone/) [Frank Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gore/) > [The reason I got into acting was not to explore myself. 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