--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What was that sound? That rustling noise?…" description: "\"“What was that sound? That rustling noise? It could be heard in the icy North, where there was not one leaf left upon one tree, it could be heard in th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/tom-robbins-169_face-value_what-was-that-sound-that-rustling-noise_1490186.jpg" --- # What was that sound? That rustling noise? It could be… ![“What was that sound? That rustling noise? It could be heard in the icy North, where there was not one leaf left upon one tree, it could be heard in the South, where the crinoline skirts lay deep in the mothballs, as still and quiet as wool. It could be heard from sea to shining sea, o'er purple…” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/tom-robbins-169_face-value_what-was-that-sound-that-rustling-noise_1490186.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/tom-robbins-169_face-value_what-was-that-sound-that-rustling-noise_1490186.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/336/tom-robbins-169_face-value_what-was-that-sound-that-rustling-noise_1490186.jpg) > ““What was that sound? That rustling noise? It could be heard in the icy North, where there was not one leaf left upon one tree, it could be heard in the South, where the crinoline skirts lay deep in the mothballs, as still and quiet as wool. It could be heard from sea to shining sea, o'er purple mountains' majesty and upon the fruited plain. What was it? Why, it was the rustle of thousands of bags of potato chips being pulled from supermarket racks; it was the rustle of plastic bags being filled with beer and soda pop and quarts of hard liquor; it was the rustle of newspaper pages fanning as readers turned eagerly to the sports section; it was the rustle of currency changing hands as tickets were scalped for forty times their face value and two hundred and seventy million dollars were waged upon one or the other of two professional football teams. It was the rustle of Super Bowl week...”” [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage sat how consumerism and mass events permeate every corner of society, turning ordinary sounds into symbols of excess and spectacle. **In simple terms:** Consumerism fills even the quietest places. Key Takeaway Recognize the hidden costs of mass consumption. Themes consumerism materialism culture spectacle Mood critical reflective Type observational satirical When to use this quote - shopping malls - sports events - media coverage - holiday sales - concerts Key Concepts capitalism mass media psychology of desire Questions to Reflect On - How does mass consumption shape your daily life? - Can you find balance between enjoyment and excess? A Different Perspective It overlooks personal agency and the joy some find in these rituals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Face value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-value/) [Rustling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rustling/) [Soda pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soda-pop/) [Super bowl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/super-bowl/) ## Related quotes > [His voice was as intimate as the rustle of sheets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/his-voice-was-as-intimate-as-the-rustle-of-sheets/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [“You do look a little pale," the army woman said. "I thought maybe it was air sickness." "Pure hunger" She gave him a professional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/you-do-look-a-little-pale-the-army-woman-said-i-thought-maybe-it-was/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [My mind is led astray by every faint rustle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/my-mind-is-led-astray-by-every-faint-rustle/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“there was such a lot of whispering that it sounded like a thousand leaves rustling at once!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enid-blyton/there-was-such-a-lot-of-whispering-that-it-sounded-like-a-thousand/) [Enid Blyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enid-blyton/) > [“Don't you have any clothes?" "Quite honestly, no I don't." "Cover yourself up!" "Fine." There was a rustling sound. "Okay I'm covered. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rowen/don-t-you-have-any-clothes-quite-honestly-no-i-don-t-cover-yourself/) [Michelle Rowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rowen/) > [“fortunately it came out as a mere breath of sound. Another body turned over, rustling,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/fortunately-it-came-out-as-a-mere-breath-of-sound-another-body-turned/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“Happiness is the potential of sharing destiny and letting loose. We may see it burgeoning in the curve of a sensitive vibe and growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/happiness-is-the-potential-of-sharing-destiny-and-letting-loose-we/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The rustling of the leaves is like a low hymn to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellis/the-rustling-of-the-leaves-is-like-a-low-hymn-to-nature/) [James Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellis/) > [“His fur prickled deliciously in the light wind, and the rustling leaves seemed to whisper his name into the shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/his-fur-prickled-deliciously-in-the-light-wind-and-the-rustling/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [I met this cowboy with a brown paper hat, paper waistcoat and paper trousers. He was wanted for rustling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/i-met-this-cowboy-with-a-brown-paper-hat-paper-waistcoat-and-paper/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [“Words being but a breath, the stir of awakened minds is like the rustling of leaves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/words-being-but-a-breath-the-stir-of-awakened-minds-is-like-the/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [The love goes where it wants; you hear it rustling but you do not know where it's going and where it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksis-kivi/the-love-goes-where-it-wants-you-hear-it-rustling-but-you-do-not-know/) [Aleksis Kivi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksis-kivi/) > [“A brief rustling that broke off short, as if startled at itself, then deadly silence, that agonising, watchful hush, fraught with its own betrayal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-meyrink/a-brief-rustling-that-broke-off-short-as-if-startled-at-itself-then/) [Gustav Meyrink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-meyrink/) > [The leaves of memory seemed to make A mournful rustling in the dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-leaves-of-memory-seemed-to-make-a-mournful-rustling-in-the-dark/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“I am captivated by the beautiful colors of Fall, Show me,show me, Show me All! Orange, yellow, purple, reddish-brown, And the rustling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-j-forde-2/i-am-captivated-by-the-beautiful-colors-of-fall-show-me-show-me-show/) [Charmaine J. Forde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-j-forde-2/) ## More by Tom Robbins > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. 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It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More Face value quotes > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. 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Nothing creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brito/autonomous-people-assert-themselves-against-the-status-quo-they-don-t/) Maria Brito > [The main idea of making a movie is to provide entertainment. But as a director, I also say what I want to say with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/the-main-idea-of-making-a-movie-is-to-provide-entertainment-but-as-a/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [I not only think but also look and study things carefully. When I travel around, I look at things carefully, make comparisons of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/i-not-only-think-but-also-look-and-study-things-carefully-when-i/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [People take things at face value on social media. Earnestness is the assumption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/people-take-things-at-face-value-on-social-media-earnestness-is-the/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [People look at you, and they think they know you. They think they can place you in a certain category by what they think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett-bell/people-look-at-you-and-they-think-they-know-you-they-think-they-can/) [Jurnee Smollett-Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett-bell/) > [A lot of books, if you take them at face value, they're just not gonna work as films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/a-lot-of-books-if-you-take-them-at-face-value-they-re-just-not-gonna/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [Irony ruined everything Even the best exploitation movies were never meant to be 'so bad they were good'. 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Why, it was the rustle of thousands of bags of potato chips being pulled from supermarket racks; it was the rustle of plastic bags being filled with beer and soda pop and quarts of hard liquor; it was the rustle of newspaper pages fanning as readers turned eagerly to the sports section; it was the rustle of currency changing hands as tickets were scalped for forty times their face value and two hundred and seventy million dollars were waged upon one or the other of two professional football teams. 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