---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These days he was like a zombie, all grim…"
description: "\"“These days he was like a zombie, all grim business, just another jerk with an erection.”\" — Tom Perrotta"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-perrotta-3008_business_these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim_1520219.png"
---

#  These days he was like a zombie, all grim business, just…

![“These days he was like a zombie, all grim business, just another jerk with an erection.” quote by Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-perrotta-3008_business_these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim_1520219.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-perrotta-3008_business_these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim_1520219.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-perrotta-3008_business_these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim_1520219.png)

> ““These days he was like a zombie, all grim business, just another jerk with an erection.””

[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 character is depicted as emotionally numb and driven by base impulses, highlighting dehumanization.

**In simple terms:** He feels like a zombie, only focused on crude urges.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address emotional numbness.

Themes

alienation dehumanization desire masculinity

Mood

somber critical

Type

literary character study

When to use this quote

- workplace stress
- relationship strain
- mental health
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What causes his numbness?
- How can empathy restore humanity?

A Different Perspective

The description may oversimplify complex emotional states.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Erection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erection/) [Jerk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jerk/) [Jerk Erection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jerk-erection-5617278/) [Just Jerk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-jerk-1498417/) [Like Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-zombie-969385/) [Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zombie/) [Zombie Grim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zombie-grim-5617279/)

## Related quotes

> [“Never make yourself the issue. Just because the other side is a jerk doesn't mean you should be a jerk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-diamond/never-make-yourself-the-issue-just-because-the-other-side-is-a-jerk/)

[Stuart Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-diamond/)

> [“He’s not an JERK, he’s just a JERK to you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-wade/he-s-not-an-jerk-he-s-just-a-jerk-to-you/)

[Renee Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-wade/)

> [You're either humble or you're not. If you were a jerk before the fame, you just become a jerk with a bigger spotlight. Whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/you-re-either-humble-or-you-re-not-if-you-were-a-jerk-before-the-fame/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [“Sorry to disappoint you. He's not evil. He's just a jerk. Sometimes it's a fine line.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia-margaret-stohl-2/sorry-to-disappoint-you-he-s-not-evil-he-s-just-a-jerk-sometimes-it-s/)

[Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia-margaret-stohl-2/)

> [Maybe I am just a jerk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/maybe-i-am-just-a-jerk/)

[Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/)

> [Sometimes people change their minds, sometimes they meet someone else, sometimes they get sober, and sometimes he was just a jerk who you're lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-behrendt/sometimes-people-change-their-minds-sometimes-they-meet-someone-else/)

[Greg Behrendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-behrendt/)

> [When I couldn't write, I felt like a zombie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/when-i-couldn-t-write-i-felt-like-a-zombie/)

[Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/)

> [I read the books the day before I had met with the director Catherine Hardwicke. The first I heard of it was my agent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-facinelli/i-read-the-books-the-day-before-i-had-met-with-the-director-catherine/)

[Peter Facinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-facinelli/)

> [I like zombie movies. I like 'The Walking Dead;' I like the metaphor of it, simply because when we go with the zombie concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-like-zombie-movies-i-like-the-walking-dead-i-like-the-metaphor-of/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [If I will ever lose you... Yes I can live and go on, but it will be like being a ZOMBIE. Moving but Lifeless...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mharwhyn/if-i-will-ever-lose-you-yes-i-can-live-and-go-on-but-it-will-be-like/)

[MHARWHYN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mharwhyn/)

> [I felt like a zombie. I couldnt access my heart. I couldnt access my emotions. I couldnt connect. It was terrible, it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-felt-like-a-zombie-i-couldnt-access-my-heart-i-couldnt-access-my/)

[Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/)

> [A strange, glazed expression came into his eyes and he staggered around the cabin looking for all the world like a zombie unwilling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-fanthorpe/a-strange-glazed-expression-came-into-his-eyes-and-he-staggered/)

[Lionel Fanthorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-fanthorpe/)

> [“I must have looked like a zombie when I opened the door. Tyler literally recoiled when he saw me, and then he chuckled. “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-brogan/i-must-have-looked-like-a-zombie-when-i-opened-the-door-tyler/)

[Tracy Brogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-brogan/)

> [“The conversation limped along this line of thought much like a zombie: lifeless and mindless and making a jelly of whatever healthy brains were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hockensmith/the-conversation-limped-along-this-line-of-thought-much-like-a-zombie/)

[Steve Hockensmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hockensmith/)

> [If it shuffles like a zombie, stinks like a zombie, and moans like a zombie, make sure it isn't your mom, then shoot it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-cowles/if-it-shuffles-like-a-zombie-stinks-like-a-zombie-and-moans-like-a/)

[Rock Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-cowles/)

## 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. 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/)

[Explore all 141 Tom Perrotta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

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

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

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

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“These days he was like a zombie, all grim business, just another jerk with an erection.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Perrotta"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim-business-just-another-jerk/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim-business-just-another-jerk/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-perrotta-3008_business_these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim_1520219.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-perrotta-3008_business_these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim_1520219.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e1/tom-perrotta-3008_business_these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim_1520219.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“These days he was like a zombie, all grim business, just another jerk with an erection.” — Tom Perrotta",
                "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": "Tom Perrotta",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“These days he was like a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim-business-just-another-jerk/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/these-days-he-was-like-a-zombie-all-grim-business-just-another-jerk/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
