--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They were watching, out there past men's…" description: "\"They were watching, out there past men's knowing, where stars are drowning and whales ferry their vast souls through the black and seamless sea.\" — Cor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/cormac-mccarthy-181_black_they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s_1691478.jpg" --- # They were watching, out there past men's knowing, where… ![“They were watching, out there past men's knowing, where stars are drowning and whales ferry their vast souls through the black and seamless sea.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/cormac-mccarthy-181_black_they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s_1691478.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/cormac-mccarthy-181_black_they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s_1691478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/cormac-mccarthy-181_black_they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s_1691478.jpg) > “They were watching, out there past men's knowing, where stars are drowning and whales ferry their vast souls through the black and seamless sea.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## 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 describes an otherworldly observation where stars and whales symbolize deep, mysterious forces beyond human comprehension. **In simple terms:** Mysteries beyond human knowledge, like stars and whales, move unseen. Key Takeaway Contemplate the vast unknown. Themes mystery cosmos nature existence Mood wonderful melancholic Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - stargazing - marine biology - philosophical reflection - writing inspiration Key Concepts cosmic awe symbolic imagery transcendence Questions to Reflect On - What does the sea of stars represent for you? - How do you feel about humanity’s limited understanding? A Different Perspective The language is obscure and may alienate some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning/) [Drowning Whales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning-whales-1059912/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-knowing-269222/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stars Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars-drowning-1059913/) [Whales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whales/) ## Related quotes > [He rose and turned toward the lights of town. The tidepools bright as smelterpots among the dark rocks where the phosphorescent seacrabs clambered back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-rose-and-turned-toward-the-lights-of-town-the-tidepools-bright-as/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present. History is a hill or high point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-disadvantage-of-men-not-knowing-the-past-is-that-they-do-not-know-2/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Generally, I just think there is a real lacking in men knowing how to hit on women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-ratajkowski/generally-i-just-think-there-is-a-real-lacking-in-men-knowing-how-to/) [Emily Ratajkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-ratajkowski/) > [It is a strong proof of men knowing most things before birth, that when mere children they grasp innumerable facts with such speed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/it-is-a-strong-proof-of-men-knowing-most-things-before-birth-that/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [That men have an interest in knowing the world which surrounds them, and consequently that their reflection should have been applied to it at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-durkheim/that-men-have-an-interest-in-knowing-the-world-which-surrounds-them/) [Emile Durkheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-durkheim/) > [“This could have occurred nowhere but in England, where men and sea interpenetrate, so to speak—the sea entering into the life of most men,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/this-could-have-occurred-nowhere-but-in-england-where-men-and-sea/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I will not be concerned at other men's not knowing me;I will be concerned at my own want of ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/i-will-not-be-concerned-at-other-men-s-not-knowing-me-i-will-be/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“I was stunned. I was, and I knew it, an ordinary person who long after he was grown retained the childhood assumption that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-finney/i-was-stunned-i-was-and-i-knew-it-an-ordinary-person-who-long-after/) [Jack Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-finney/) > [The disadvantage of men not knowing the past is that they do not know the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-disadvantage-of-men-not-knowing-the-past-is-that-they-do-not-know/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [It is pretty clear in the Bible story that the whale swallowing Jonah wasn't meant as a punishment from God, it was God saving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-vischer/it-is-pretty-clear-in-the-bible-story-that-the-whale-swallowing-jonah/) [Phil Vischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-vischer/) > [“Whales have been evolving for thirty million years. To our one million. A sperm whale’s brain is seven times the size of mine… The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/whales-have-been-evolving-for-thirty-million-years-to-our-one-million/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Brooding, she changed the pool into the sea, and made the minnows into sharks and whales, and cast vast clouds over this tiny world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/brooding-she-changed-the-pool-into-the-sea-and-made-the-minnows-into/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [There is the life of the plankton in almost endless variety; there are the many kinds of fish, both surface and bottom living; there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-hardy/there-is-the-life-of-the-plankton-in-almost-endless-variety-there-are/) [Alister Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-hardy/) > [Now behind the eyes and secrets of the dreamers in the streets rocked to sleep by the sea, see the titbits and topsyturvies, bobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/now-behind-the-eyes-and-secrets-of-the-dreamers-in-the-streets-rocked/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) > [Suddenly the full long wail of a ship's horn surged through the open window and flooded the dim room - a cry of boundless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/suddenly-the-full-long-wail-of-a-ship-s-horn-surged-through-the-open/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [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/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) [Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) [Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They were watching, out there past men's knowing, where stars are drowning and whales ferry their vast souls through the black and seamless sea.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cormac McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s-knowing-where-stars-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s-knowing-where-stars-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/cormac-mccarthy-181_black_they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s_1691478.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/cormac-mccarthy-181_black_they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s_1691478.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/656/cormac-mccarthy-181_black_they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s_1691478.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They were watching, out there past men's knowing, where stars are drowning and whales ferry their vast souls…” — Cormac McCarthy", "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": "Cormac McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "They were watching, out there past...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s-knowing-where-stars-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-were-watching-out-there-past-men-s-knowing-where-stars-are/#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 } } ] } ```