--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Technically, on the spectrum of very bad…" description: "\"Technically, on the spectrum of very bad things, they did nothing truly wicked. But of course, that spectrum has no measure for the greatest of all car..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/galt-niederhoffer-23538_bad-thing_technically-on-the-spectrum-of-very-bad_248697.jpg" --- # Technically, on the spectrum of very bad things, they did… ![“Technically, on the spectrum of very bad things, they did nothing truly wicked. But of course, that spectrum has no measure for the greatest of all carnal sins, the kind that occurs before skin touches skin, before wondering turns to yearning, yearning to having, having to holding for dear life…” quote by Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/galt-niederhoffer-23538_bad-thing_technically-on-the-spectrum-of-very-bad_248697.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/galt-niederhoffer-23538_bad-thing_technically-on-the-spectrum-of-very-bad_248697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/galt-niederhoffer-23538_bad-thing_technically-on-the-spectrum-of-very-bad_248697.jpg) > “Technically, on the spectrum of very bad things, they did nothing truly wicked. But of course, that spectrum has no measure for the greatest of all carnal sins, the kind that occurs before skin touches skin, before wondering turns to yearning, yearning to having, having to holding for dear life, when two people cling to each other so desperately that even when they lie, inches apart, neither is fully satisfied until the light between them turns to darkness.” [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) ## 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 intense, unfulfilled longing that surpasses ordinary wrongdoing, emphasizing a deep, almost spiritual craving for connection that remains unsatisfied. **In simple terms:** A powerful, unfulfilled yearning for closeness. Key Takeaway Recognize and address unmet emotional needs. Themes desire longing unfulfillment spirituality Mood melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationship counseling - personal reflection - creative writing - therapy - spiritual practice Key Concepts existential yearning human connection Questions to Reflect On - What unmet need fuels this longing? - How can one find fulfillment without despair? A Different Perspective The intensity may be exaggerated, making it hard to apply practically. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sins/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) [Yearning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yearning/) ## Related quotes > [I felt for the tormented whirlwinds Damned for their carnal sins Committed when they let their passions rule their reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/i-felt-for-the-tormented-whirlwinds-damned-for-their-carnal-sins/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [“And I was told about this torture, that it was the Hell of carnal sins when reasons give way to desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/and-i-was-told-about-this-torture-that-it-was-the-hell-of-carnal-sins/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [And yet day and night meet fleetingly at twilight and dawn," he said, lowering his voice again and narrowing his eyes and moving his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/and-yet-day-and-night-meet-fleetingly-at-twilight-and-dawn-he-said/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“She had the simultaneous urge to run away from the approaching menace and run toward him and hold on for dear life. The problem,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hunter/she-had-the-simultaneous-urge-to-run-away-from-the-approaching-menace/) [Elizabeth Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hunter/) > [My life is full of stories, and your the best one in it, your make me smile from ear to ear, knowing your calling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-life-is-full-of-stories-and-your-the-best-one-in-it-your-make-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If the writer wants to create suspense, or build tension, or make the reader wait and wonder, or join a journey of discovery, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-peter-clark/if-the-writer-wants-to-create-suspense-or-build-tension-or-make-the/) [Roy Peter Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-peter-clark/) > [“The forests shook with the awful thunder of the guns, which stirred a wild agitation among the denizens of the day. 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I'm still that person who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/privacy-has-been-the-hardest-thing-to-give-up-i-m-still-hanging-on-to/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [You start out with the sublime and you end up in an alley jerking away for dear life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/you-start-out-with-the-sublime-and-you-end-up-in-an-alley-jerking/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Oz closed his eyes and grit his teeth. 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And if I hold on to anyone, if I'm holding on for dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/i-feel-like-im-in-this-river-just-getting-swept-along-and-if-i-hold/) [Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/) ## More by Galt Niederhoffer > [“Rivalry glued the girls together in a way that regular contact could not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/rivalry-glued-the-girls-together-in-a-way-that-regular-contact-could/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“Their looks and personalities were still intact, but some thing had atrophied ever so slightly. Their faces bore the distinct wear of goals gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/their-looks-and-personalities-were-still-intact-but-some-thing-had/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“Love and hysteria are easily mistaken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/love-and-hysteria-are-easily-mistaken/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“Physical attraction did its part to glue them together, but something stronger than sexual attraction sealed the bond. 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She knew exactly where she was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/the-map-was-just-an-accessory-she-knew-exactly-where-she-was/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“The crux of the problem was this: He was at once everything and nothing she needed. Seen from afar, they were picturesque, a symphony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/the-crux-of-the-problem-was-this-he-was-at-once-everything-and/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“The state of being lost, he seemed to imply, granted him a kind of freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/the-state-of-being-lost-he-seemed-to-imply-granted-him-a-kind-of/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“He began to view writing as a petty ambition, a frivolous and indulgent whim, creativity itself as the pathology of the very young or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/he-began-to-view-writing-as-a-petty-ambition-a-frivolous-and/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“The sound of his voice was an overwhelming relief, like remembering the name of a beloved song or returning to a childhood haunt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/the-sound-of-his-voice-was-an-overwhelming-relief-like-remembering/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“Occasionally, she wondered if all couples struggled so much to understand one another, spoke so little at dinner together, spent so much time camped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/occasionally-she-wondered-if-all-couples-struggled-so-much-to/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“There was no one--nothing else in the world--that had this unbelievable effect on him: thrilling electrification. 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That life could be planned like the perfect summer picnic drained it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/there-was-something-horribly-depressing-she-felt-about-watching-the/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) > [“And she had been in love enough times to rule out the possibility that this was merely some feat of nostalgia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galt-niederhoffer/and-she-had-been-in-love-enough-times-to-rule-out-the-possibility/) [Galt Niederhoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) [Explore all 25 Galt Niederhoffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galt-niederhoffer/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. 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Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Technically, on the spectrum of very bad things, they did nothing truly wicked. 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