--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And as for the vague something --- was it…" description: "\"“And as for the vague something --- was it a sinister or a sorrowful, a designing or a desponding expression? --- that opened upon a careful observer, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlotte-bronte-144_abyss_and-as-for-the-vague-something-was-it-a_1071955.jpg" --- # And as for the vague something --- was it a sinister or a… ![“And as for the vague something --- was it a sinister or a sorrowful, a designing or a desponding expression? --- that opened upon a careful observer, now and then, in his eye, and closed again before one could fathom the strange depth partially disclosed; that something which used to make me fear…” quote by Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlotte-bronte-144_abyss_and-as-for-the-vague-something-was-it-a_1071955.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlotte-bronte-144_abyss_and-as-for-the-vague-something-was-it-a_1071955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/charlotte-bronte-144_abyss_and-as-for-the-vague-something-was-it-a_1071955.jpg) > ““And as for the vague something --- was it a sinister or a sorrowful, a designing or a desponding expression? --- that opened upon a careful observer, now and then, in his eye, and closed again before one could fathom the strange depth partially disclosed; that something which used to make me fear and shrink, as if I had been wandering amongst volcanic-looking hills, and had suddenly felt the ground quiver, and seen it gape: that something, I, at intervals, beheld still; and with throbbing heart, but not with palsied nerves. Instead of wishing to shun, I longed only to dare --- to divine it; and I thought Miss Ingram happy, because one day she might look into the abyss at her leisure, explore its secrets and analyse their nature.”” [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator describes an unsettling, ambiguous expression that both frightens and intrigues, prompting a desire to understand rather than avoid it. **In simple terms:** A strange look both scares and draws curiosity. Key Takeaway Embrace mystery, seek understanding. Themes fear curiosity introspection Mood intrigued thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - art analysis - psychological study Key Concepts psychology ambivalence perception Questions to Reflect On - What does this expression reveal about hidden emotions? - How can confronting the unknown foster growth? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Analysis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysis/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Psyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psyche/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Vague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vague/) ## Related quotes > [“I have lost patience with the idea of an insignificant human being standing up above the rest of us--whether he is called Reverend or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rogan/i-have-lost-patience-with-the-idea-of-an-insignificant-human-being/) [Charlotte Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rogan/) > [“Some knowledge comes not from curiosity, but from fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelika-regossi/some-knowledge-comes-not-from-curiosity-but-from-fear/) [Angelika Regossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelika-regossi/) > [“Sometimes, I think that we each inhabit alternative bubbles of reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-s-wikarski/sometimes-i-think-that-we-each-inhabit-alternative-bubbles-of-reality/) N.S. Wikarski > [“Sometimes we disassociates from the past in order to face the future without fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kc-rhoads/sometimes-we-disassociates-from-the-past-in-order-to-face-the-future/) [KC Rhoads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kc-rhoads/) > [I longed for a power of vision which might overpass that limit; which might reach the busy world, towns, regions full of life I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-longed-for-a-power-of-vision-which-might-overpass-that-limit-which/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“As I reached the highest step, I turned. Spread along the platform was a mass of bobbing black hair like a long wave of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/as-i-reached-the-highest-step-i-turned-spread-along-the-platform-was/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [I was in a garden at the Rodin Museum. For a few minutes I was alone, sitting on a bench between two long hedges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/i-was-in-a-garden-at-the-rodin-museum-for-a-few-minutes-i-was-alone/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“The feeling he had nourished and given prominence to was one of thankfulness for his escape: he was like a traveller so grateful for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-feeling-he-had-nourished-and-given-prominence-to-was-one-of/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [They were singing, Gillette, the best a man can get, with a lot of guys hugging their fathers and sailing and riding bikes. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/they-were-singing-gillette-the-best-a-man-can-get-with-a-lot-of-guys/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [“Suddenly, he felt that the world had no place for him, despite how large it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/suddenly-he-felt-that-the-world-had-no-place-for-him-despite-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The music is just so rich and part of the culture there. I suddenly felt like I needed to go on this mission to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-perrineau/the-music-is-just-so-rich-and-part-of-the-culture-there-i-suddenly/) [Harold Perrineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-perrineau/) > [“What did I feel? Appalled. Astonished. Bewildered. I thought I was doing so well. I thought I was charming the hell out of him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/what-did-i-feel-appalled-astonished-bewildered-i-thought-i-was-doing/) [Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/) > [“She felt really alone now. But here's the thing- suddenly she felt as though she belonged inside the aloneness, and that feeling made her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/she-felt-really-alone-now-but-here-s-the-thing-suddenly-she-felt-as/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“I’ve been so careful my whole life that I don’t even want to imagine what I’ve missed.” Sara realized she was speaking so quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mcvea/i-ve-been-so-careful-my-whole-life-that-i-don-t-even-want-to-imagine/) [Heather McVea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mcvea/) > [“Suddenly it felt like there was a ticking time bomb in the house. I didn’t have all the time in the world to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-anders/suddenly-it-felt-like-there-was-a-ticking-time-bomb-in-the-house-i/) [Natasha Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-anders/) ## More by Charlotte Bronte > [When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should - so hard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-we-are-struck-at-without-a-reason-we-should-strike-back-again/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“A deal of people, Miss, are for trusting all to Providence; but I say Providence will not dispense with the means, though He often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/a-deal-of-people-miss-are-for-trusting-all-to-providence-but-i-say/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“This night is not calm; the equinox still struggles in its storms. 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With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Poverty, for me, is synonymous with degradation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/poverty-for-me-is-synonymous-with-degradation/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [When his first-born was put into his arms, he could see that the boy had inherited his own eyes, as they once were -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-his-first-born-was-put-into-his-arms-he-could-see-that-the-boy/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Talented people almost always know full well the excellence that is in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/talented-people-almost-always-know-full-well-the-excellence-that-is/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Not one spark of spirit, not one symptom of resistance, would they have shown till the hand of the Corsican bandit had grasped that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/not-one-spark-of-spirit-not-one-symptom-of-resistance-would-they-have/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Love can excuse anything except meanness; but meanness kills love, cripples even natural affection; without esteem true love cannot exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/love-can-excuse-anything-except-meanness-but-meanness-kills-love/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I think you will learn to be natural with me, as I find it impossible to be conventional with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-think-you-will-learn-to-be-natural-with-me-as-i-find-it-impossible/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“You are no ruin sir--no lighting-struck tree: you are green and vigorous. 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