The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
It was the time of year, the time of day, for a small insistent sadness to pass into the texture of things. Dusk, silence, iron chill. Something lonely in the bone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the melancholic atmosphere of dusk and its ability to evoke feelings of loneliness and sadness.
In this quote by Don DeLillo, the author captures the essence of dusk as a time that inspires a deep, almost tangible sense of sadness. The imagery of the 'iron chill' and the 'silence' evokes a mood where external elements mirror internal emotions, suggesting that certain times of the day resonate with our feelings of solitude and melancholy. It portrays how moments in nature can be intertwined with human emotions, revealing the complexity of our experiences in a seemingly quiet world.
Themes
SadnessDuskLonelinessEmotionSilenceMelancholy
In practice
Example use cases
In a book club discussion about the symbolism of nature in literature, this quote can illustrate how settings can influence emotional tones.
More from Don Delillo
All quotes →War is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to say something good about their country.
Don DelilloRead
American writers ought to stand and live in the margins, and be more dangerous.
Don DelilloRead
For me, writing is a concentrated form of thinking.
Don DelilloRead
I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.
Don DelilloRead
[I]n the American soul there is a lonely individual standing in a vast landscape. He is either on a horse or driving a car, depending, and either way he’s carrying a gun. This is one of the essential images in American mythology.
Don DelilloRead
Similar quotes
I do know my own mind,' protested Anne. 'The trouble is, my mind changes and then I have to get acquainted with it all over again.
Lucy Maud MontgomeryRead
Do as you would be done by, is the surest method of pleasing.
Lord ChesterfieldRead
All religions accept that there is something called 'criminality.' And criminality cannot be excused by religious fervour.
Wole SoyinkaRead
Religious ideas and practices take root not because they are promoted by forceful theologians, nor because they can be shown to have a sound historical or rational basis, but because they are found in practice to give the faithful a sense of sacred transcendence.
Karen ArmstrongRead
One sometimes feels a guest of one's time and not a member of its household.
George F. KennanRead
We believe in resolving all disputes peacefully.
Atal Bihari VajpayeeRead