---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more we frequent men, the blacker our…"
description: "\"“The more we frequent men, the blacker our thoughts; and when, to clarify them, we return to our solitude, we find there the shadow they have cast.”\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/emil-m-cioran-2951_all-gall-is-divided_the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our_2276256.jpg"
---

#  The more we frequent men, the blacker our thoughts; and…

![“The more we frequent men, the blacker our thoughts; and when, to clarify them, we return to our solitude, we find there the shadow they have cast.” quote by Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/emil-m-cioran-2951_all-gall-is-divided_the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our_2276256.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/emil-m-cioran-2951_all-gall-is-divided_the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our_2276256.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/emil-m-cioran-2951_all-gall-is-divided_the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our_2276256.jpg)

> ““The more we frequent men, the blacker our thoughts; and when, to clarify them, we return to our solitude, we find there the shadow they have cast.””

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Frequent social interaction darkens our thoughts; solitude reveals the shadows we project.

**In simple terms:** Too much contact clouds mind; alone we see our true selves.

Key Takeaway

Balance social life with reflective solitude.

Themes

solitude thought self‑reflection darkness clarity

Mood

contemplative melancholic introspective

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- creative work
- personal introspection
- mental health
- writing

Key Concepts

Existentialism psychology philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- What does solitude reveal about your inner biases?
- How can we maintain clarity while staying connected?

A Different Perspective

Isolation can become harmful if excessive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[All-gall-is-divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-gall-is-divided/) [Blacker Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blacker-thoughts-5295373/) [Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cioran/) [Frequent Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frequent-men-5295375/) [Men Blacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-blacker-5295374/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Return Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return-solitude-1743205/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Solitude Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude-shadow-4916850/)

## Related quotes

> [I am no longer alone with myself, and I can only artificially recall the scary and beautiful feeling of solitude. This is the shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-no-longer-alone-with-myself-and-i-can-only-artificially-recall/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Call it insensitivity or a passion for remorse, I have never undertaken to rescue what little Absolute this world contains.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/call-it-insensitivity-or-a-passion-for-remorse-i-have-never/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“As far back as I can remember, I’ve utterly destroyed within myself the pride of being human. And I saunter to the periphery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-ve-utterly-destroyed-within-myself/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“What are the occupations of the sage? He resigns himself to seeing, to eating, etc…., he accepts in spite of himself this “wound with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/what-are-the-occupations-of-the-sage-he-resigns-himself-to-seeing-to/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“You with your veins full of night — you have no more place among men than an epitaph in the middle of a circus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/you-with-your-veins-full-of-night-you-have-no-more-place-among-men/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“A little more fervor in my nihilism and I might — gainsaying everything — shake off my doubts and triumph over them. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/a-little-more-fervor-in-my-nihilism-and-i-might-gainsaying-everything/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“If only we could return to those ages when no utterance shackled existence, to the laconism of interjections, to the joyous stupor of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/if-only-we-could-return-to-those-ages-when-no-utterance-shackled/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“The cynicism of utter solitude is a calvary relieved by insolence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-cynicism-of-utter-solitude-is-a-calvary-relieved-by-insolence/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Mystery — a word we use to deceive others, to convince them we are "deeper" than they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/mystery-a-word-we-use-to-deceive-others-to-convince-them-we-are/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Stoicism for show: to be an enthusiast of nil admirari, an hysteric of ataraxia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/stoicism-for-show-to-be-an-enthusiast-of-nil-admirari-an-hysteric-of/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“My greed for agonies has made me die so many times that it strikes me as indecent to keep on abusing a corpse from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/my-greed-for-agonies-has-made-me-die-so-many-times-that-it-strikes-me/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“The best of myself, that point of light which distances me from everything, I owe to my infrequent encounters with a few bitter fools,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-best-of-myself-that-point-of-light-which-distances-me-from/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“I am not very sociable and am always glad to return to solitude and the freedom that goes with solitude. This desire for freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/i-am-not-very-sociable-and-am-always-glad-to-return-to-solitude-and/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [“I should be able to return to solitude each time as to the place I have never described to anybody, as the place which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-should-be-able-to-return-to-solitude-each-time-as-to-the-place-i/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [“The return of solitude was not quite as Dina expected it to be. These many years I made a virtue of inescapable reality, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/the-return-of-solitude-was-not-quite-as-dina-expected-it-to-be-these/)

[Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/)

## More by Emil M. Cioran

> [“If we do not regard ourselves as entrusted with a mission, existence is difficult; action, impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/if-we-do-not-regard-ourselves-as-entrusted-with-a-mission-existence/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“In the fact of being born there is such an absence of necessity that when you think about it a little more than usual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/in-the-fact-of-being-born-there-is-such-an-absence-of-necessity-that/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Filming a scene, there are countless takes of the same incident. Someone watching in the street - obviously a provincial - can't get over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/filming-a-scene-there-are-countless-takes-of-the-same-incident/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“If I reflect on any moment of my life, the most feverish or the most neutral, what remains? — and what difference is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/if-i-reflect-on-any-moment-of-my-life-the-most-feverish-or-the-most/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“You’re against everything that’s been done since the last war,” said the very up-to-date lady. “You’ve got the wrong date: I’m against everything that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/you-re-against-everything-that-s-been-done-since-the-last-war-said/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Call it insensitivity or a passion for remorse, I have never undertaken to rescue what little Absolute this world contains.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/call-it-insensitivity-or-a-passion-for-remorse-i-have-never/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Nothing more aggravating than a seamless, unremitting irony which leaves you no time to breathe and still less to think; which instead of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/nothing-more-aggravating-than-a-seamless-unremitting-irony-which/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“What makes bad poets worse is that they read only poets (just as bad philosophers read only philosophers), whereas they would benefit much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/what-makes-bad-poets-worse-is-that-they-read-only-poets-just-as-bad/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“The worst crimes are committed out of enthusiasm, a morbid state responsible for almost all public and private disasters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-worst-crimes-are-committed-out-of-enthusiasm-a-morbid-state/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“There is nothing to say about anything. So there can be no limit to the number of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/there-is-nothing-to-say-about-anything-so-there-can-be-no-limit-to/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Every form of haste, even toward the good, betrays some mental disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/every-form-of-haste-even-toward-the-good-betrays-some-mental-disorder/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“The emphasis on birth is no more than the craving for the insoluble carried to the point of insanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-emphasis-on-birth-is-no-more-than-the-craving-for-the-insoluble/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“There are nights that the most ingenious torturers could not have invented. We emerge from them in pieces, stupid, dazed, with neither memories nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/there-are-nights-that-the-most-ingenious-torturers-could-not-have/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“When I torment myself a little too much for not working, I tell myself that I might just as well be dead and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/when-i-torment-myself-a-little-too-much-for-not-working-i-tell-myself/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Truth remains hidden to the man filled with desire and hatred” (Buddha)…. Which is to say, to every man alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/truth-remains-hidden-to-the-man-filled-with-desire-and-hatred-buddha/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

[Explore all 117 Emil M. Cioran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

## More All-gall-is-divided quotes

> [“Call it insensitivity or a passion for remorse, I have never undertaken to rescue what little Absolute this world contains.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/call-it-insensitivity-or-a-passion-for-remorse-i-have-never/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“My greed for agonies has made me die so many times that it strikes me as indecent to keep on abusing a corpse from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/my-greed-for-agonies-has-made-me-die-so-many-times-that-it-strikes-me/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Stoicism for show: to be an enthusiast of nil admirari, an hysteric of ataraxia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/stoicism-for-show-to-be-an-enthusiast-of-nil-admirari-an-hysteric-of/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“Mystery — a word we use to deceive others, to convince them we are "deeper" than they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/mystery-a-word-we-use-to-deceive-others-to-convince-them-we-are/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“The cynicism of utter solitude is a calvary relieved by insolence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-cynicism-of-utter-solitude-is-a-calvary-relieved-by-insolence/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“If only we could return to those ages when no utterance shackled existence, to the laconism of interjections, to the joyous stupor of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/if-only-we-could-return-to-those-ages-when-no-utterance-shackled/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“A little more fervor in my nihilism and I might — gainsaying everything — shake off my doubts and triumph over them. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/a-little-more-fervor-in-my-nihilism-and-i-might-gainsaying-everything/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“You with your veins full of night — you have no more place among men than an epitaph in the middle of a circus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/you-with-your-veins-full-of-night-you-have-no-more-place-among-men/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“What are the occupations of the sage? He resigns himself to seeing, to eating, etc…., he accepts in spite of himself this “wound with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/what-are-the-occupations-of-the-sage-he-resigns-himself-to-seeing-to/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“As far back as I can remember, I’ve utterly destroyed within myself the pride of being human. And I saunter to the periphery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-ve-utterly-destroyed-within-myself/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [“The best of myself, that point of light which distances me from everything, I owe to my infrequent encounters with a few bitter fools,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-best-of-myself-that-point-of-light-which-distances-me-from/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

[Browse all 12 All-gall-is-divided quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-gall-is-divided/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The more we frequent men, the blacker our thoughts; and when, to clarify them, we return to our solitude, we find there the shadow they have cast.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emil M. Cioran"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our-thoughts-and-when-to-clarify/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "All-gall-is-divided"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our-thoughts-and-when-to-clarify/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/emil-m-cioran-2951_all-gall-is-divided_the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our_2276256.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/emil-m-cioran-2951_all-gall-is-divided_the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our_2276256.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/emil-m-cioran-2951_all-gall-is-divided_the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our_2276256.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The more we frequent men, the blacker our thoughts; and when, to clarify them, we return to our solitude, we…” — Emil M. Cioran",
                "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": "Emil M. Cioran",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The more we frequent men, the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our-thoughts-and-when-to-clarify/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/the-more-we-frequent-men-the-blacker-our-thoughts-and-when-to-clarify/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```