--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is, some say, in God a deep but…" description: "\"“There is, some say, in God a deep but dazzling darkness . . .” That was it, exactly: an inky darkness that was also full to brimming with light.”\" — E..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/eben-alexander-18167_darkness_there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazz_2258273.jpg" --- # There is, some say, in God a deep but dazzling darkness… ![“There is, some say, in God a deep but dazzling darkness . . .” That was it, exactly: an inky darkness that was also full to brimming with light.” quote by Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/eben-alexander-18167_darkness_there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazz_2258273.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/eben-alexander-18167_darkness_there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazz_2258273.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/eben-alexander-18167_darkness_there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazz_2258273.jpg) > ““There is, some say, in God a deep but dazzling darkness . . .” That was it, exactly: an inky darkness that was also full to brimming with light.”” [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divine darkness can be both terrifying and illuminating, suggesting that profound mystery holds both fear and insight. **In simple terms:** Mystery holds fear and light. Key Takeaway Embrace unknown as source of insight. Themes spirituality mystery light darkness Mood awe curious Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - meditation retreats - creative brainstorming - nighttime reflection - rituals Key Concepts theology consciousness studies Questions to Reflect On - How does confronting darkness foster growth? - What practices reveal hidden light? A Different Perspective Some view darkness as purely negative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Brimming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-brimming-5186319/) [Darkness Exactly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-exactly-5186320/) [Dazzling Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dazzling-darkness-441877/) [Deep Dazzling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-dazzling-441878/) [Inky Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inky-darkness-5186318/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) ## Related quotes > [“There is in God a deep but dazzling darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-vaughan/there-is-in-god-a-deep-but-dazzling-darkness/) [Henry Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-vaughan/) > [There is in God, some say, a deep but dazzling darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/there-is-in-god-some-say-a-deep-but-dazzling-darkness/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Suddenly I remembered a line in a poem by Vaughan: 'There is in God (some say) a deep but dazzling darkness' – and the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/suddenly-i-remembered-a-line-in-a-poem-by-vaughan-there-is-in-god/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [That we may merge into the deep and dazzling darkness, vanish into it, dissolve in it forever in an unbelievable bliss beyond imagination, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-of-nyssa/that-we-may-merge-into-the-deep-and-dazzling-darkness-vanish-into-it/) [Gregory of Nyssa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-of-nyssa/) > [The truth isn't always a blinding light. Sometimes it's a deep and dazzling darkness, that illuminates - and burns - just as surely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-truth-isn-t-always-a-blinding-light-sometimes-it-s-a-deep-and/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There is in God - some say - A deep, but dazzling darkness; as men here Say it is late and dusky, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-vaughan/there-is-in-god-some-say-a-deep-but-dazzling-darkness-as-men-here-say/) [Henry Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-vaughan/) > [“Where is the absurdity of the world? Is it this resplendent glow or the memory of its absence? With so much sun in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/where-is-the-absurdity-of-the-world-is-it-this-resplendent-glow-or/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“According to Dionysius, the Divine Darkness appears dark only because it is so dazzlingly bright-- a paradox I have attempted to understand by looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/according-to-dionysius-the-divine-darkness-appears-dark-only-because/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [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 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) ## More by Eben Alexander > [My journey deep into coma, outside this lowly physical realm and into the loftiest dwelling place of the almighty Creator, revealed the indescribably immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/my-journey-deep-into-coma-outside-this-lowly-physical-realm-and-into/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [Communicating with God is the most extraordinary experience imaginable, yet at the same time it's the most natural one of all, because God is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/communicating-with-god-is-the-most-extraordinary-experience/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [I understand what happens to the brain when people are near death, and I had always believed there were good scientific explanations for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/i-understand-what-happens-to-the-brain-when-people-are-near-death-and/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [“My experience showed me that the death of the body and the brain are not the end of consciousness, that human experience continues beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/my-experience-showed-me-that-the-death-of-the-body-and-the-brain-are/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [“Death: It is the greatest adventure. 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That it is, instead, a kind of reducing valve or filter, shifting the larger, nonphysical consciousness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/the-brain-itself-does-not-produce-consciousness-that-it-is-instead-a/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [How did I gain from not remembering my earthly self? It allowed me to go deep into realms beyond the worldly without having to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/how-did-i-gain-from-not-remembering-my-earthly-self-it-allowed-me-to/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [I'm not the first person to have discovered evidence that consciousness exists beyond the body. Brief, wonderful glimpses of this realm are as old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/i-m-not-the-first-person-to-have-discovered-evidence-that/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [Love is, without a doubt, the basis of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/love-is-without-a-doubt-the-basis-of-everything/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [Evil was necessary because without it free will was impossible, and without free will there could be no growth—no forward movement, no chance for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/evil-was-necessary-because-without-it-free-will-was-impossible-and/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [“Hallucinogens affect the neocortex, and my neocortex wasn’t available to be affected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/hallucinogens-affect-the-neocortex-and-my-neocortex-wasn-t-available/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) > [“Our choice is not whether or not to be interested in philosophical questions, but whether or not to become conscious of the fact that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/our-choice-is-not-whether-or-not-to-be-interested-in-philosophical/) [Eben Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) [Explore all 33 Eben Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/) ## 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": "“There is, some say, in God a deep but dazzling darkness . . .” That was it, exactly: an inky darkness that was also full to brimming with light.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eben Alexander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazzling-darkness-that-was-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Darkness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazzling-darkness-that-was-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/eben-alexander-18167_darkness_there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazz_2258273.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/eben-alexander-18167_darkness_there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazz_2258273.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/794/eben-alexander-18167_darkness_there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazz_2258273.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is, some say, in God a deep but dazzling darkness . . .” That was it, exactly: an inky darkness that…” — Eben Alexander", "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": "Eben Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-alexander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is, some say, in God...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazzling-darkness-that-was-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-alexander/there-is-some-say-in-god-a-deep-but-dazzling-darkness-that-was-it/#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 } } ] } ```