--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a night it was! The jagged masses of…" description: "\"“What a night it was! The jagged masses of heavy dark cloud were rolling at intervals from horizon to horizon, and thin white wreaths covered the stars..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/e-nesbit-12141_atmosphere_what-a-night-it-was-the-jagged-masses-of_2234782.jpg" --- # What a night it was! The jagged masses of heavy dark cloud… ![“What a night it was! The jagged masses of heavy dark cloud were rolling at intervals from horizon to horizon, and thin white wreaths covered the stars. Through all the rush of the cloud river the moon swam, breasting the waves and disappearing again in the darkness. I walked up and down, drinking…” quote by E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/e-nesbit-12141_atmosphere_what-a-night-it-was-the-jagged-masses-of_2234782.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/e-nesbit-12141_atmosphere_what-a-night-it-was-the-jagged-masses-of_2234782.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/e-nesbit-12141_atmosphere_what-a-night-it-was-the-jagged-masses-of_2234782.jpg) > ““What a night it was! The jagged masses of heavy dark cloud were rolling at intervals from horizon to horizon, and thin white wreaths covered the stars. Through all the rush of the cloud river the moon swam, breasting the waves and disappearing again in the darkness. I walked up and down, drinking in the beauty of the quiet earth and the changing sky. The night was absolutely silent. Nothing seemed to be abroad. There was no scurrying of rabbits, or twitter of the half-asleep birds. And though the clouds went sailing across the sky, the wind that drove them never came low enough to rustle the dead leaves in the woodland paths. Across the meadows I could see the church tower standing out black and grey against the sky. ("Man Size In Marble")”” [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) ## 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 paints a vivid night scene, emphasizing silence, shifting clouds, and the moon’s movement over a still landscape. **In simple terms:** A quiet night with clouds, moon, and a lone church tower. Key Takeaway Observe and appreciate nature’s subtle beauty. Themes nature solitude observation beauty Mood calm reflective Type descriptive poetic When to use this quote - night walks - stargazing - meditation - writing inspiration Key Concepts transcendence mindfulness poetic imagery Questions to Reflect On - How does silence affect your thoughts? - What emotions does the moon evoke? A Different Perspective The description may romanticize solitude, overlooking potential dangers of isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [“Could I contain the darkness that always walked with me, beneath my skin, ever ready to be freed? The monster that they made me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/could-i-contain-the-darkness-that-always-walked-with-me-beneath-my/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“Raistlin did not walk the paths of light, nor did he walk the shadowed paths of darkness. He walked his own path, in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-weis/raistlin-did-not-walk-the-paths-of-light-nor-did-he-walk-the-shadowed/) [Margaret Weis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-weis/) > [“Someone, somewhere, had tied up the darkness, he thought as he went: the bag of darkness had been tied at the mouth, enclosing within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/someone-somewhere-had-tied-up-the-darkness-he-thought-as-he-went-the/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [She was coming. I watched the slight figure grow out of the dusk between the trees, and the darkness in which I had walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-johnston/she-was-coming-i-watched-the-slight-figure-grow-out-of-the-dusk/) [Mary Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-johnston/) > [“I thought of us lying down on some grassy patch of SeaWorld together, me on my back and she on her side with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-thought-of-us-lying-down-on-some-grassy-patch-of-seaworld-together/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [..because when we look up into the sky at night there will be no darkness, just the blazing light of billions and billions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/because-when-we-look-up-into-the-sky-at-night-there-will-be-no/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [When I was little, I used to think that the sky at night was a big, black blanket that separated heaven from earth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-jones-gunn/when-i-was-little-i-used-to-think-that-the-sky-at-night-was-a-big/) [Robin Jones Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-jones-gunn/) > [ \[I\]t seemed as if the streets were absorbed by the sky, and the night were all in the air. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-t-seemed-as-if-the-streets-were-absorbed-by-the-sky-and-the-night/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I miss you more than the sun misses the sky at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-miss-you-more-than-the-sun-misses-the-sky-at-night/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You cannot appreciate the beauty of the sky at night without these five shining lights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/onew/you-cannot-appreciate-the-beauty-of-the-sky-at-night-without-these/) [Onew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/onew/) > [“And I kept thinking about how sky is a singular noun, as if it's one thing. But the sky isn't one thing. The sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-i-kept-thinking-about-how-sky-is-a-singular-noun-as-if-it-s-one/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“moon was sewn into the sky that night. Clouds were stitched around it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/moon-was-sewn-into-the-sky-that-night-clouds-were-stitched-around-it/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Just because a man glances up at the sky at night does not make him an astronomer, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/just-because-a-man-glances-up-at-the-sky-at-night-does-not-make-him/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [“how many people never see how beautiful the sky is at night because they simply don’t take the time to look up?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-e-anderson/how-many-people-never-see-how-beautiful-the-sky-is-at-night-because/) [Suzanne E. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-e-anderson/) > [“It’s a red sky every night with Cosmic Ordering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/it-s-a-red-sky-every-night-with-cosmic-ordering/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) ## More by E. Nesbit > [Time and space are only forms of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/time-and-space-are-only-forms-of-thought/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“I don't agree with you in the least," said Temple— "about marriage, I mean. A man ought to want to get married—" "To anybody?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-don-t-agree-with-you-in-the-least-said-temple-about-marriage-i-mean/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [I think everyone in the world is friends if you can only get them to see you don't want to be un-friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-think-everyone-in-the-world-is-friends-if-you-can-only-get-them-to/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“Our darling Roberta, No sorrow shall hurt her If we can prevent it Her whole life long. Her birthday's our fete day, We'll make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/our-darling-roberta-no-sorrow-shall-hurt-her-if-we-can-prevent-it-her/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [Then suddenly Jack was a changed boy. Something wonderful had happened to him, and it had made him different. It sometimes happened to people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/then-suddenly-jack-was-a-changed-boy-something-wonderful-had-happened/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [The ones as big as sheep were easier to avoid, because you could see them coming, but when they flew in at the window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/the-ones-as-big-as-sheep-were-easier-to-avoid-because-you-could-see/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“Oh, Helen, I don't want to.' 'Then don't,' said Helen. 'Ah, but I do want to, too.' 'Then do,' said she. 'But don't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/oh-helen-i-don-t-want-to-then-don-t-said-helen-ah-but-i-do-want-to/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“The ones I got are all right,’ Jane said; ‘I know they are, because the man at the shop said they were worth thribble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/the-ones-i-got-are-all-right-jane-said-i-know-they-are-because-the/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/there-is-no-bond-like-the-bond-of-having-read-and-liked-the-same-books/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [I'll plant and water, sow and weed, Till not an inch of earth shows brown, And take a vow of each small seed To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/i-ll-plant-and-water-sow-and-weed-till-not-an-inch-of-earth-shows/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“For really there is nothing like wings for getting you into trouble. But, on the other hand, if you are in trouble, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/for-really-there-is-nothing-like-wings-for-getting-you-into-trouble/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [Also she had the power of silent sympathy. That sounds rather dull, I know, but it's not so dull as it sounds. It just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/also-she-had-the-power-of-silent-sympathy-that-sounds-rather-dull-i/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“Boys and girls are only little men and women. And WE are much harder and hardier than they are--" (Peter liked the "we." Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/boys-and-girls-are-only-little-men-and-women-and-we-are-much-harder/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [“This shows you that even mistakes are sometimes valuable, so do not be hard on grown-up people if they are wrong sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/this-shows-you-that-even-mistakes-are-sometimes-valuable-so-do-not-be/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) > [There is no bond like having read and liked the same books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-nesbit/there-is-no-bond-like-having-read-and-liked-the-same-books/) [E. Nesbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) [Explore all 56 E. Nesbit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-nesbit/) ## More Atmosphere quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) > [Pause before you get home and prepare your heart. A peaceful heart leads to a peaceful atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-burns/pause-before-you-get-home-and-prepare-your-heart-a-peaceful-heart/) [Jim Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-burns/) > [Sometimes a minute is really the difference between success and failure. There are times when you finish with ten seconds left, and one extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-symon/sometimes-a-minute-is-really-the-difference-between-success-and/) [Michael Symon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-symon/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“Atmosphere" is a massive song. A lot of people say it's their favorite Joy Division song, but it's not mine; it reminds me too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hook/atmosphere-is-a-massive-song-a-lot-of-people-say-it-s-their-favorite/) [Peter Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hook/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [Each year we pump at least six billion tons of heat-trapping carbon into the innermost layer of our atmosphere, whose outer extent is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/each-year-we-pump-at-least-six-billion-tons-of-heat-trapping-carbon/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [It was clear to me that the White House's solemn atmosphere would not civilize Trump. But the merciless nepotism with which he conducts politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/it-was-clear-to-me-that-the-white-house-s-solemn-atmosphere-would-not/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [“Bjerknes had come up with equations capable of describing the behavior of the atmosphere. The state of the atmosphere at any point could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullen/bjerknes-had-come-up-with-equations-capable-of-describing-the/) [Heidi Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullen/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [ Jowett, in his day, did probably more than any other single man to let some fresh air into the exhausted atmosphere of the \[Oxford\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jowett/jowett-in-his-day-did-probably-more-than-any-other-single-man-to-let/) [Benjamin Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jowett/) Browse all 1,572 Atmosphere quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What a night it was! The jagged masses of heavy dark cloud were rolling at intervals from horizon to horizon, and thin white wreaths covered the stars. Through all the rush of the cloud river the moon swam, breasting the waves and disappearing again in the darkness. I walked up and down, drinking in the beauty of the quiet earth and the changing sky. The night was absolutely silent. Nothing seemed to be abroad. There was no scurrying of rabbits, or twitter of the half-asleep birds. 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