--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's darkness in this world you can't…" description: "\"“There's darkness in this world you can't learn about by watching TV and reading books.”\" — Dennis Lehane" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/dennis-lehane-1503_books_there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t_2111269.jpg" --- # There's darkness in this world you can't learn about by… ![“There's darkness in this world you can't learn about by watching TV and reading books.” quote by Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/dennis-lehane-1503_books_there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t_2111269.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/dennis-lehane-1503_books_there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t_2111269.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/dennis-lehane-1503_books_there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t_2111269.jpg) > ““There's darkness in this world you can't learn about by watching TV and reading books.”” [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Some truths are only grasped through lived experience, not passive observation. **In simple terms:** Experience teaches what media cannot. Key Takeaway Seek direct engagement. Themes experience knowledge learning Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - travel - volunteering - hands‑on work Key Concepts epistemology humanism Questions to Reflect On - What have you learned outside books? - How can you safely gain real‑world insight? A Different Perspective Personal experience can be risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-world-378072/) [Reading books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-books/) [Tv Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv-reading-4264051/) [Watching tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching-tv/) ## Related quotes > [Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we keep trying to slay them in the outer world. And we find that we cannot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/until-we-have-met-the-monsters-in-ourselves-we-keep-trying-to-slay/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [There's too much darkness in the world. Everywhere you turn, someone is tryin' to tear someone down in some way; everywhere you go, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-keys/there-s-too-much-darkness-in-the-world-everywhere-you-turn-someone-is/) [Alicia Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-keys/) > [ It was the last generation of writers \[ the Cheers\] that had grown up reading books instead of watching TV. So you weren't getting… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratzenberger/it-was-the-last-generation-of-writers-the-cheers-that-had-grown-up/) [John Ratzenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratzenberger/) > [I found out a long time ago that if I indulged by stuffing my face with great food, lying about reading books and watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-welch/i-found-out-a-long-time-ago-that-if-i-indulged-by-stuffing-my-face/) [Raquel Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-welch/) > [“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one single candle -St. Francis of Assisi”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-a-zanni/all-the-darkness-in-the-world-cannot-extinguish-the-light-of-one/) [G.A. Zanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-a-zanni/) > [All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-the-darkness-in-the-world-cannot-extinguish-the-light-of-a-single/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now in darkness, world stops turning, as you hear the bodies burning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-sabbath/now-in-darkness-world-stops-turning-as-you-hear-the-bodies-burning/) [Black Sabbath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-sabbath/) > [You can not make yourself whole again by brooding one hundred percent of the time on the darkness of the world. We are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-van-sertima/you-can-not-make-yourself-whole-again-by-brooding-one-hundred-percent/) [Ivan van Sertima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-van-sertima/) > [“There's a darkness in the world, and that sometimes we know that our only real purpose is just to bear witness to it so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-dilts/there-s-a-darkness-in-the-world-and-that-sometimes-we-know-that-our/) [Tyler Dilts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-dilts/) > [You want to put out good vibes for the viewers, even if so many stories that have to be told and that need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-hawke/you-want-to-put-out-good-vibes-for-the-viewers-even-if-so-many/) [Maya Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-hawke/) > [“The forces of darkness in the world today threaten the very foundations of human civilization, but they are no match for the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-h-calloway/the-forces-of-darkness-in-the-world-today-threaten-the-very/) [Donald H. Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-h-calloway/) > [“Could they have the light without the darkness of this world?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/could-they-have-the-light-without-the-darkness-of-this-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Who would sharpen a point aginst the darkness of the world?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/who-would-sharpen-a-point-aginst-the-darkness-of-the-world/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [Every moment you are present, there is a little less darkness in our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-jacobson/every-moment-you-are-present-there-is-a-little-less-darkness-in-our/) [Leonard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-jacobson/) > [I believe that there are forces of light and darkness in the world, and I don't want to be a contributor to the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-believe-that-there-are-forces-of-light-and-darkness-in-the-world/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## More by Dennis Lehane > [He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [I held her, he wanted to say, and if I knew for certain that all it would take to hold her again would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-held-her-he-wanted-to-say-and-if-i-knew-for-certain-that-all-it/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Everyone I know lies, breaks their word, and has perfectly legitimate excuses for why they do. Except you. Haven't you ever noticed that? Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/everyone-i-know-lies-breaks-their-word-and-has-perfectly-legitimate/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“If a man was lucky, he was moving toward something his whole life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/if-a-man-was-lucky-he-was-moving-toward-something-his-whole-life/) [dennis lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“After my daughter was born, I'd considered buying a shotgun to ward off potention suitors fourteen or so years up the road. Now, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/after-my-daughter-was-born-i-d-considered-buying-a-shotgun-to-ward/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“I once again felt an odd flush of admiration for my partner's faith in a religion I had long ago abandoned. She doesn't advertise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-once-again-felt-an-odd-flush-of-admiration-for-my-partner-s-faith/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“And she was-definitely-a woman who did not shrink from gauntlets, but stepped up to them, and said, Okay, bring it. Bring your worst. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/and-she-was-definitely-a-woman-who-did-not-shrink-from-gauntlets-but/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Jimmy looked back over at his wife, and Celeste could feel the tenderest of aches in the look. She could feel another teardrop piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/jimmy-looked-back-over-at-his-wife-and-celeste-could-feel-the/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“She told him that he had the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard, that it sounded like whiskey and wood smoke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-told-him-that-he-had-the-most-beautiful-voice-she-d-ever-heard/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [My daughter squealed again and both Bubba and I winced. It’s not an attractive sound, that. It’s high-pitched and it enters your ear canals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/my-daughter-squealed-again-and-both-bubba-and-i-winced-it-s-not-an/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“It’s been a complicated decade for me.” She”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/it-s-been-a-complicated-decade-for-me-she/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“The only people who ask questions like ‘Did he want to be something besides a bartender?’ are people who can become whatever they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/the-only-people-who-ask-questions-like-did-he-want-to-be-something/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Love, impossible, yet there was no mistaking it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/love-impossible-yet-there-was-no-mistaking-it/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“She blew a stream of smoke up at the empty clotheslines. 'These silly dreams you have when you're young. I mean, what, Katie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-blew-a-stream-of-smoke-up-at-the-empty-clotheslines-these-silly/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“He looked back at the page, got one last glimpse before the match blew itself out. Going to find you today, Andrew. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-looked-back-at-the-page-got-one-last-glimpse-before-the-match-blew/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) [Explore all 231 Dennis Lehane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There's darkness in this world you can't learn about by watching TV and reading books.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dennis Lehane" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t-learn-about-by-watching-tv/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t-learn-about-by-watching-tv/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/dennis-lehane-1503_books_there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t_2111269.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/dennis-lehane-1503_books_there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t_2111269.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/dennis-lehane-1503_books_there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t_2111269.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's darkness in this world you can't learn about by watching TV and reading books.” — Dennis Lehane", "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": "Dennis Lehane", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There's darkness in this world you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t-learn-about-by-watching-tv/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/there-s-darkness-in-this-world-you-can-t-learn-about-by-watching-tv/#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 } } ] } ```