--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If darkness is really not darkness at…" description: "\"“If darkness is really not darkness at all, but rather, the absence of light, then my flaws are not really flaws at all, but rather, the absence of y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/beth-hyland-92134_darkness_if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-al_3143650.jpg" --- # If darkness is really not darkness at all, but rather, the… ![“If darkness is really not darkness at all, but rather, the absence of light, then my flaws are not really flaws at all, but rather, the absence of you. ~ Christopher Poindexter” quote by Beth Hyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/beth-hyland-92134_darkness_if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-al_3143650.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/beth-hyland-92134_darkness_if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-al_3143650.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/beth-hyland-92134_darkness_if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-al_3143650.jpg) > ““If darkness is really not darkness at all, but rather, the absence of light,  then my flaws are not really flaws at all,  but rather, the absence of you. ~ Christopher Poindexter”” [Beth Hyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hyland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Flaws seem insignificant when compared to the absence of a beloved one. **In simple terms:** Missing love makes flaws feel irrelevant. Key Takeaway Value love over perfection. Themes love loss absence self‑acceptance perception Mood melancholic poetic Type literary romantic When to use this quote - unrequited love - personal insecurity - self‑criticism Key Concepts relationship self‑image emotional void comparative perspective Questions to Reflect On - What does “absence of you” symbolize? - How do we reconcile flaws without love? A Different Perspective Love may not fill the void of loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence-light-313861/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-absence-313860/) [Darkness Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-really-5117760/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Really Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-darkness-5613146/) ## Related quotes > [“Darkness is not the absence of light. The light will always be there. Darkness only occurs when you move far away from the light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-m-lubao/darkness-is-not-the-absence-of-light-the-light-will-always-be-there/) [Nelson M. Lubao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-m-lubao/) > [“Darkness is the absence of light. Happiness is the absence of pain. Anger is the absence of joy. Jealousy is the absence of confidence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-bowen/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light-happiness-is-the-absence-of-pain/) [Jess Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-bowen/) > [Darkness is the absence of light. Absences do not exist. Sin does not exist .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light-absences-do-not-exist-sin-does-not/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“Darkness is an absence of light. Ego is an absence of awareness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/darkness-is-an-absence-of-light-ego-is-an-absence-of-awareness/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Darkness is the absence of light so it doesn't chase it but rather it just is. Light is circumstantial and brought by something where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light-so-it-doesn-t-chase-it-but-rather-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Darkness is the absence of light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-ravikant/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light/) [Kamal Ravikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-ravikant/) > [“Darkness is the absence of light. Therefore, darkness is always fleeing from where light is and scurrying off to where it is not. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light-therefore-darkness-is-always-fleeing/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The darkness is really out there. It's not something that's in my head, just. It's in my work because it's in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-darkness-is-really-out-there-it-s-not-something-that-s-in-my-head/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Without the darkness, we can't really appreciate the light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-archuleta/without-the-darkness-we-can-t-really-appreciate-the-light/) [David Archuleta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-archuleta/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the absence of light, only darkness is left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reyna-pryde/in-the-absence-of-light-only-darkness-is-left/) [Reyna Pryde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reyna-pryde/) > [“Evil is a word we use to describe the absence of Good, just as we use the word darkness to describe the absence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/evil-is-a-word-we-use-to-describe-the-absence-of-good-just-as-we-use/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [“Until we understand what the land is, we are at odds with everything we touch. And to come to that understanding it is necessary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/until-we-understand-what-the-land-is-we-are-at-odds-with-everything/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Darkness is absence of light. Shadow is diminution of light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/darkness-is-absence-of-light-shadow-is-diminution-of-light/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“What was dark but the absence of light?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-malerman/what-was-dark-but-the-absence-of-light/) [Josh Malerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-malerman/) ## More by Beth Hyland > [“When I am silent, I have thunder hidden inside.  ~ Rumi”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hyland/when-i-am-silent-i-have-thunder-hidden-inside-rumi/) [Beth Hyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hyland/) [Explore all 2 Beth Hyland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hyland/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/) [anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Even in darkness your lips taste of sunshine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/even-in-darkness-your-lips-taste-of-sunshine/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does he look like? The question was soft- tentative. I knew who he meant. I interlaced my fingers through Rhysand's and squeezed tightly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/what-does-he-look-like-the-question-was-soft-tentative-i-knew-who-he/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/) [Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If darkness is really not darkness at all, but rather, the absence of light,  then my flaws are not really flaws at all,  but rather, the absence of you. ~ Christopher Poindexter”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Beth Hyland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hyland/if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-all-but-rather-the-absence-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Darkness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hyland/if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-all-but-rather-the-absence-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/beth-hyland-92134_darkness_if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-al_3143650.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/beth-hyland-92134_darkness_if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-al_3143650.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/beth-hyland-92134_darkness_if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-al_3143650.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If darkness is really not darkness at all, but rather, the absence of light, then my flaws are not really…” — Beth Hyland", "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": "Beth Hyland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hyland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If darkness is really not darkness...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hyland/if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-all-but-rather-the-absence-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hyland/if-darkness-is-really-not-darkness-at-all-but-rather-the-absence-of/#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 } } ] } ```