--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Justin had learned long ago that looking…" description: "\"“Justin had learned long ago that looking for truth in a bar is like looking for sex in a convent, you might eventually find something worth all the tr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/william-lashner-11715_long-ago_justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking_2669963.jpg" --- # Justin had learned long ago that looking for truth in a… ![“Justin had learned long ago that looking for truth in a bar is like looking for sex in a convent, you might eventually find something worth all the trouble, but the search will be long and full of the deepest frustrations.” quote by William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/william-lashner-11715_long-ago_justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking_2669963.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/william-lashner-11715_long-ago_justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking_2669963.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/william-lashner-11715_long-ago_justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking_2669963.jpg) > ““Justin had learned long ago that looking for truth in a bar is like looking for sex in a convent, you might eventually find something worth all the trouble, but the search will be long and full of the deepest frustrations.”” [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking truth in casual places leads to frustration and prolonged effort, often yielding little reward. **In simple terms:** Finding truth in bars is frustrating and inefficient. Key Takeaway Avoid searching for deep truths in unsuitable settings. Themes truth frustration search inefficiency Mood cynical reflective Type literary observational When to use this quote - personal relationships - journalistic investigation - self‑reflection - spiritual quest Key Concepts existentialism human nature social settings Questions to Reflect On - Is the setting appropriate for the truth you seek? - What alternatives could provide clearer insight? A Different Perspective Truth may be found elsewhere with less effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Obviously, I'm not behind the bar like I used to be. But something that I always loved about that job was the creative process.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-madix/obviously-i-m-not-behind-the-bar-like-i-used-to-be-but-something-that/) [Ariana Madix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-madix/) > [It was one of the few places where someone remembered his name. Yeah, okay, so he felt like Sam Malone on Cheers, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/it-was-one-of-the-few-places-where-someone-remembered-his-name-yeah/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“If I want a man I'll go to a cheap bar, like any other sane woman. I, for one, haven't hit rock bottom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-prescott/if-i-want-a-man-i-ll-go-to-a-cheap-bar-like-any-other-sane-woman-i/) [Eleanor Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-prescott/) > [“Libby stood at the bar like something that had been hastily added at the end of a painting that hasn't quite dried yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/libby-stood-at-the-bar-like-something-that-had-been-hastily-added-at/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [Meeting people at the bar is like going to the grocery store when your hungry - you bring home sh\*t you don't need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/meeting-people-at-the-bar-is-like-going-to-the-grocery-store-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm that person in the bar who's like, "Can they turn the music down? I would like to chat."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/i-m-that-person-in-the-bar-who-s-like-can-they-turn-the-music-down-i-2/) [Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/) > [“As time’s gone on, I’ve probably become a lot more like him (John Rebus): I drink at his bar and I like to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/as-time-s-gone-on-i-ve-probably-become-a-lot-more-like-him-john-rebus/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [I'm that person in the bar who's like 'Can they turn the music down ? I would like to chat.' I don't like clothes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/i-m-that-person-in-the-bar-who-s-like-can-they-turn-the-music-down-i/) [Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/) > [I would never talk to a girl in a bar, like a pick-up thing. But I could talk to anyone if they wore a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-finn/i-would-never-talk-to-a-girl-in-a-bar-like-a-pick-up-thing-but-i/) [Craig Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-finn/) > [“And I wandered from bar to bar like a sleepwalker,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-charriere/and-i-wandered-from-bar-to-bar-like-a-sleepwalker/) [Henri Charrière](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-charriere/) > [I feel like the sexy clothes put a bar between you. It's like putting an alcohol drenched piece of wood between you and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thandie-newton/i-feel-like-the-sexy-clothes-put-a-bar-between-you-it-s-like-putting/) [Thandie Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thandie-newton/) > [Girls like to monkey bar...They like to hold on to one until they move on to the next one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/girls-like-to-monkey-bar-they-like-to-hold-on-to-one-until-they-move/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was kind of like the Rhea Perlman of the bar. I was like Carla on 'Cheers.' People were more afraid of me. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-rauch/i-was-kind-of-like-the-rhea-perlman-of-the-bar-i-was-like-carla-on/) [Melissa Rauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-rauch/) > [“See you around soon?" he asks me. "Because if you're this fun with your back on a metal bar, I'd like to see you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/see-you-around-soon-he-asks-me-because-if-you-re-this-fun-with-your/) [C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/) > [Really I peeped dude at the bar like really Lookin like he want a good time like really Said he had a friend for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/really-i-peeped-dude-at-the-bar-like-really-lookin-like-he-want-a/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) ## More by William Lashner > [“We put the fun in dysfunction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/we-put-the-fun-in-dysfunction/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“We were, all of us, prisoners of our character, unable to alter our true inner natures. When we said we had changed, what had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/we-were-all-of-us-prisoners-of-our-character-unable-to-alter-our-true/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [I try to write stories that are thrilling and full of mystery and funny all at the same time, stories that raise moral questions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/i-try-to-write-stories-that-are-thrilling-and-full-of-mystery-and/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [If he ever had a bright idea it would be beginner's luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/if-he-ever-had-a-bright-idea-it-would-be-beginner-s-luck/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“Unlike the rest of you, I cheerfully admit to my own utter selfishness. I am self-made, self-absorbed, self-serving, self-referential, even self-deprecating, in a charming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/unlike-the-rest-of-you-i-cheerfully-admit-to-my-own-utter-selfishness/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“It’s all part of the bartender’s creed: make them fresh, make them cold, but most of all, if they’re a little overeager, make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/it-s-all-part-of-the-bartender-s-creed-make-them-fresh-make-them-cold/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“That was part of the job, to pretend to listen, to feign concern. There are three professions who play at that game; barkeeps are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/that-was-part-of-the-job-to-pretend-to-listen-to-feign-concern-there/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“I received some really bad news. I’m not okay.” A bolt of terror slashed through me. She had some sort of disease, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/i-received-some-really-bad-news-i-m-not-okay-a-bolt-of-terror-slashed/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“There I sat, in the wreckage of my apartment, in the wreckage of my life – no love, no prospects, a gnawing sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/there-i-sat-in-the-wreckage-of-my-apartment-in-the-wreckage-of-my/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“Class divisions as clear as those between Harrington and myself always bring out my best, or at least my most petty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/class-divisions-as-clear-as-those-between-harrington-and-myself/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“The campus was Disney-fascist, a relentlessly upbeat place to wither and die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/the-campus-was-disney-fascist-a-relentlessly-upbeat-place-to-wither/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“It was still quiet at the bar, early afternoon, before the happy-hour crowd arrived with their after-work bonhomie, and even as the barkeep kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/it-was-still-quiet-at-the-bar-early-afternoon-before-the-happy-hour/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“I expect to lose. I always do. And life seems eager to exceed my expectations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/i-expect-to-lose-i-always-do-and-life-seems-eager-to-exceed-my/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“Everyone has something to teach you, Duddleman, if you can bear to stay quiet enough to listen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/everyone-has-something-to-teach-you-duddleman-if-you-can-bear-to-stay/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [“Life is unbearably perverse; that which we most seek to avoid always becomes unavoidable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/life-is-unbearably-perverse-that-which-we-most-seek-to-avoid-always/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) [Explore all 57 William Lashner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) ## More Long ago quotes > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [There must be a technique for meeting pain. There must be a technique of endurance based on the power of the soul to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stannard-baker/there-must-be-a-technique-for-meeting-pain-there-must-be-a-technique/) [Ray Stannard Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stannard-baker/) > [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Up until 1986, the top marginal rate, the top statutory rate was 50 percent. Now it's 35 percent. And all the pressure is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/up-until-1986-the-top-marginal-rate-the-top-statutory-rate-was-50/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [I was landscaping not too long ago, so I'm extremely grateful for the people supporting me in wrestling. Not that landscaping is terrible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/i-was-landscaping-not-too-long-ago-so-i-m-extremely-grateful-for-the/) [Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/) > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“We were putting into these gomers our fear of death, but who knew if they feared death? Perhaps they welcomed death like a dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-shem/we-were-putting-into-these-gomers-our-fear-of-death-but-who-knew-if/) [Samuel Shem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-shem/) > [“...The devil had long ago taken a shine to Tert Card, filled him like a cream horn with itch and irritation. His middle name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-annie-proulx-author/the-devil-had-long-ago-taken-a-shine-to-tert-card-filled-him-like-a/) E. Annie Proulx (Author > [So here is my story, may it bring Some smiles and a tear or so, It happened once upon a time, Far away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/so-here-is-my-story-may-it-bring-some-smiles-and-a-tear-or-so-it/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/) Molly Caldwell Crosby > [He had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/he-had-long-ago-learned-that-society-imposes-insults-that-must-be/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) [Browse all 2,059 Long ago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Justin had learned long ago that looking for truth in a bar is like looking for sex in a convent, you might eventually find something worth all the trouble, but the search will be long and full of the deepest frustrations.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Lashner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking-for-truth-in-a-bar-is-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Long ago" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking-for-truth-in-a-bar-is-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/william-lashner-11715_long-ago_justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking_2669963.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/william-lashner-11715_long-ago_justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking_2669963.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5a/william-lashner-11715_long-ago_justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking_2669963.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Justin had learned long ago that looking for truth in a bar is like looking for sex in a convent, you might…” — William Lashner", "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": "William Lashner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Justin had learned long ago that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking-for-truth-in-a-bar-is-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/justin-had-learned-long-ago-that-looking-for-truth-in-a-bar-is-like/#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 } } ] } ```