--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had never seen such eyes before, not…" description: "\"“He had never seen such eyes before, not even in the faces of soldiers unmanned in the midst of great carnage. Eyes like black mirrors, at once shallow..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/greg-iles-4609_grief-and-loss_he-had-never-seen-such-eyes-before-not-e_1002463.png" --- # He had never seen such eyes before, not even in the faces… ![“He had never seen such eyes before, not even in the faces of soldiers unmanned in the midst of great carnage. Eyes like black mirrors, at once shallow and bottomless. He had the feeling that if he pressed his finger to one of those eyes, it would shatter and fall inward through a black cavern of…” quote by Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/greg-iles-4609_grief-and-loss_he-had-never-seen-such-eyes-before-not-e_1002463.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/greg-iles-4609_grief-and-loss_he-had-never-seen-such-eyes-before-not-e_1002463.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/greg-iles-4609_grief-and-loss_he-had-never-seen-such-eyes-before-not-e_1002463.png) > ““He had never seen such eyes before, not even in the faces of soldiers unmanned in the midst of great carnage. Eyes like black mirrors, at once shallow and bottomless. He had the feeling that if he pressed his finger to one of those eyes, it would shatter and fall inward through a black cavern of grief and loss that could never be filled.”” [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes a haunting, depthless gaze that feels both fragile and infinite, suggesting that confronting deep sorrow can feel overwhelming and unfillable. **In simple terms:** A powerful, unsettling stare that seems to hold endless grief. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and process deep emotional pain. Themes grief psychology perception trauma empathy humanity Mood somber intense thoughtful Type literary psychological emotional When to use this quote - personal loss - war trauma - mental health counseling - artistic expression - literary analysis Key Concepts existential dread emotional depth psychic injury Questions to Reflect On - What does this image reveal about coping with loss? - How can we support those facing profound grief? A Different Perspective The metaphor may be overly dramatic for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grief and loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-and-loss/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [“He shifts and my eyes shatter into thousands of pieces that ricochet around the room, capturing a million snapshots, a million moments in time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/he-shifts-and-my-eyes-shatter-into-thousands-of-pieces-that-ricochet/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“Jews put black over mirrors during times os mourning so they wouldn't think about themselves. But I never did look in mirrors anyway, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/jews-put-black-over-mirrors-during-times-os-mourning-so-they-wouldn-t/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [Why do we close our eyes when we sleep, when we cry, when we imagine, when we kiss, when we pray? Because, the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-we-close-our-eyes-when-we-sleep-when-we-cry-when-we-imagine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've waited for what seems like a lifetime, to be seen in someone's eyes the way I am seen by you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-oscar/i-ve-waited-for-what-seems-like-a-lifetime-to-be-seen-in-someone-s/) Joyce Oscar > [“If there were God, never would He have permitted what I have seen with my eyes. Let them have God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/if-there-were-god-never-would-he-have-permitted-what-i-have-seen-with/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“God, his eyes! I've never seen eyes that make me want to gasp and giggle and do a strip tease all at once. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/god-his-eyes-i-ve-never-seen-eyes-that-make-me-want-to-gasp-and/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [“I had never seen eyes like his. Dark green. Smoldering. Ready to undress a woman with a single glance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-reed/i-had-never-seen-eyes-like-his-dark-green-smoldering-ready-to-undress/) [J.C. Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-reed/) > [I know America's great not because I read about it in a book but because I've seen it with my own eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-know-america-s-great-not-because-i-read-about-it-in-a-book-but/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“His eyes. Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/his-eyes-katsa-had-never-seen-such-eyes-one-was-silver-and-the-other/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [Real Beauty can only be seen with two eyes. One eye that's blind, and one that's forgiving .S.Robichaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-robichaud/real-beauty-can-only-be-seen-with-two-eyes-one-eye-that-s-blind-and/) [Sara Robichaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-robichaud/) > [You wouldn't say ' You've got the crappest eyes I've ever seen. Your eyes make me physically sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rennison/you-wouldn-t-say-you-ve-got-the-crappest-eyes-i-ve-ever-seen-your/) [Louise Rennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rennison/) > [“The mask's back in place. The heard-it-all smile. The seen-it-all eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-young/the-mask-s-back-in-place-the-heard-it-all-smile-the-seen-it-all-eyes/) [Moira Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-young/) > [Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-are-without-compassion-cannot-see-what-is-seen-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I saw power, yet meekness, forcefulness, yet gentleness, discipline, yet compassion. I had never seen eyes like His.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-black/i-saw-power-yet-meekness-forcefulness-yet-gentleness-discipline-yet/) [Chuck Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-black/) > [“My eyes would have told you everything you wanted to know in the parlor ... You would never have spouted that drivel about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/my-eyes-would-have-told-you-everything-you-wanted-to-know-in-the/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) ## More by Greg Iles > [“path of least resistance, or the walk over hot coals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/path-of-least-resistance-or-the-walk-over-hot-coals/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. But when he moved on to guitar, I realized two things:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/like-my-best-friend-i-asked-for-drums-for-christmas-and-got-them-but/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“We do not just belong to this universe, we are it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/we-do-not-just-belong-to-this-universe-we-are-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“The mills of the gods grind slowly…but they grind to dust. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-mills-of-the-gods-grind-slowly-but-they-grind-to-dust/) [greg iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [...the larger world lay not across oceans but within the human mind and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-larger-world-lay-not-across-oceans-but-within-the-human-mind-and/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Experiences are like hoarded gold. Whenever I dole out a piece of my private suffering, that is when I get letters from all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/experiences-are-like-hoarded-gold-whenever-i-dole-out-a-piece-of-my/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“Because death is the end, and if a man doesn’t speak before it silences him, then the things he holds closest die with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/because-death-is-the-end-and-if-a-man-doesn-t-speak-before-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I deal with the human psychology and evil. They are my twin issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-deal-with-the-human-psychology-and-evil-they-are-my-twin-issues/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“When we reach the intersection with Homochitto Street, I turn right, into town, and soon we’re passing Dunleith, the antebellum mansion that I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/when-we-reach-the-intersection-with-homochitto-street-i-turn-right/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [The South is the home of 'an eye for an eye.' 'Turning the other cheek'? The South can't see that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-south-is-the-home-of-an-eye-for-an-eye-turning-the-other-cheek/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Some things we must pass over in silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/some-things-we-must-pass-over-in-silence/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“Let me tell you a secret, Caitlin. We’re still in the cave. It’s just bigger, and we wear nicer clothes. We make alliances and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/let-me-tell-you-a-secret-caitlin-we-re-still-in-the-cave-it-s-just/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I'll read anything that's good. I have no artificial barriers based on genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ll-read-anything-that-s-good-i-have-no-artificial-barriers-based-on/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [My father has always been the heart of my Penn Cage novels,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/my-father-has-always-been-the-heart-of-my-penn-cage-novels/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I've learned as much about writing from songwriters as I have from other writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ve-learned-as-much-about-writing-from-songwriters-as-i-have-from/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) [Explore all 106 Greg Iles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## More Grief and loss quotes > [“When I can’t fight, I need you to fight harder. When I can’t be strong anymore, I need you to be stronger." - Neela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-seril/when-i-can-t-fight-i-need-you-to-fight-harder-when-i-can-t-be-strong/) Steven Seril > [“It is said that Time soothes mourning – No, Time makes nothing happen; it merely makes the emotivity of mourning pass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/it-is-said-that-time-soothes-mourning-no-time-makes-nothing-happen-it/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [“If I hear the term ‘healing journey’ one more f–king time… It is not a ‘healing journey.’ It’s a ‘numb slog.’ It’s just a,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-i-hear-the-term-healing-journey-one-more-f-king-time-it-is-not-a/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [“No sunset winks, but surely be followed by the sunrise! - Try to remember this on your moments of despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamine-pearlheart/no-sunset-winks-but-surely-be-followed-by-the-sunrise-try-to-remember/) [Lamine Pearlheart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamine-pearlheart/) > [Man, when he does not grieve, hardly exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/man-when-he-does-not-grieve-hardly-exists/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [“We continued talking as my purchases were rung up—about the first Christmas, the sadness of ending up in a cemetery on a holiday, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-potter-kenyon/we-continued-talking-as-my-purchases-were-rung-up-about-the-first/) [Mary Potter Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-potter-kenyon/) > [“Though it’s reasons to burn may vary... you are always the fuel of my fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/though-it-s-reasons-to-burn-may-vary-you-are-always-the-fuel-of-my/) [Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/) > [“She had thought that when someone died, it would be like they went into a different room. She had not known that life itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/she-had-thought-that-when-someone-died-it-would-be-like-they-went/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“I miss that feeling of connection. Knowing he was out there somewhere thinking about me at the same time I was thinking about him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/i-miss-that-feeling-of-connection-knowing-he-was-out-there-somewhere/) [Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/) > [“Whenever something scary happens or I want to comment on something, like Joyce and Hopper’s constant bickering, which is getting annoying, I glance toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-latos/whenever-something-scary-happens-or-i-want-to-comment-on-something/) Alexandra Latos > [“Grief is a ghost that shows up uninvited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-burgunder/grief-is-a-ghost-that-shows-up-uninvited/) [Brittany Burgunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-burgunder/) > [“The opposite of grief is not laughter or happiness or joy. It is love. It is love. It is love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akif-kichloo/the-opposite-of-grief-is-not-laughter-or-happiness-or-joy-it-is-love/) Akif Kichloo > [“Grief is not a feeling it is a capacity. It is not something that disables you, we are not on the receiving end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jenkinson/grief-is-not-a-feeling-it-is-a-capacity-it-is-not-something-that/) Stephen Jenkinson > [“... he wasn't crying for the woman who had died. He was crying for the woman she had been.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-sala/he-wasn-t-crying-for-the-woman-who-had-died-he-was-crying-for-the/) [Sharon Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-sala/) > [“The only place I ever felt at home was with you. There isn’t a place for me anywhere anymore… I’ve been evicted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/the-only-place-i-ever-felt-at-home-was-with-you-there-isn-t-a-place/) [Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/) [Browse all 237 Grief and loss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-and-loss/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He had never seen such eyes before, not even in the faces of soldiers unmanned in the midst of great carnage. Eyes like black mirrors, at once shallow and bottomless. 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