--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing…" description: "\"Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.\" — H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/hal-holbrook-17109_abyss_man-looks-in-the-abyss-there-s-nothing-s_1714650.png" --- # Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at… ![“Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.” quote by Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/hal-holbrook-17109_abyss_man-looks-in-the-abyss-there-s-nothing-s_1714650.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/hal-holbrook-17109_abyss_man-looks-in-the-abyss-there-s-nothing-s_1714650.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/hal-holbrook-17109_abyss_man-looks-in-the-abyss-there-s-nothing-s_1714650.png) > “Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.” [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing the void reveals one's true self and prevents despair. **In simple terms:** Seeing emptiness shows who you are. Key Takeaway Know yourself to avoid falling into emptiness. Themes self‑discovery existential resilience Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal crisis - loneliness - ethical decisions Key Concepts identity character morality Questions to Reflect On - What does the abyss represent for you? - How can you confront emptiness constructively? A Different Perspective Self‑reflection can be uncomfortable and may not always lead to clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I had no problem working for 15 hours straight when I was producing someone else, but I couldn't do it with my own songs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-had-no-problem-working-for-15-hours-straight-when-i-was-producing/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [Madness is the WHO staring into the abyss and denying it is there. Madness is an ostrich who sticks her head in the sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/madness-is-the-who-staring-into-the-abyss-and-denying-it-is-there/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Being an entrepreneur is like eating glass and staring into the abyss of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/being-an-entrepreneur-is-like-eating-glass-and-staring-into-the-abyss/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [The abyss you stare into and that stares back at you is your reflection in the mirror - we all have it - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-abyss-you-stare-into-and-that-stares-back-at-you-is-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This is how a man looks when he's deciding that the risk of death is better than the risk of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-deciding-that-the-risk-of-death-is/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [A pessimist is a man who looks both ways when he crosses the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/a-pessimist-is-a-man-who-looks-both-ways-when-he-crosses-the-street/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [I hate a man who looks dirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-hate-a-man-who-looks-dirty/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [Describe your perfect man who looks like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/describe-your-perfect-man-who-looks-like-me/) [Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/) > [Every women deserves a man who looks at her every day like its the first time he saw her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itsme867/every-women-deserves-a-man-who-looks-at-her-every-day-like-its-the/) Itsme867 > [The way a man looks at himself in a mirror will tell you if he can ever care about anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/the-way-a-man-looks-at-himself-in-a-mirror-will-tell-you-if-he-can/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [“The more a man looks at a thing, the less he can see it, and the more a man learns a thing, the less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-more-a-man-looks-at-a-thing-the-less-he-can-see-it-and-the-more-a/) [G.K. 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It's how it sells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/success-is-no-longer-content-it-s-how-it-sells/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [Man is the religious animal. He is the only one that's got true religion, several of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/man-is-the-religious-animal-he-is-the-only-one-that-s-got-true/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [I don't have a director. The audience directs me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/i-don-t-have-a-director-the-audience-directs-me/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [I developed a resistance to authority. Not to discipline - I learned that. But to authority. I like to think for myself. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/i-developed-a-resistance-to-authority-not-to-discipline-i-learned/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [I like to be who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/i-like-to-be-who-i-am/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [ \[Mark\] Twain called Congress "the only distinctly native criminal class in America. We've lately sent a United States Senator to the penitentiary." That was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/mark-twain-called-congress-the-only-distinctly-native-criminal-class/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [Death ends a life. But it doesn't end a relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/death-ends-a-life-but-it-doesn-t-end-a-relationship/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [There was so much to learn and it was all fun. 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Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/we-live-in-a-democracy-we-have-this-extraordinary-opportunity-to-use/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [Mark Twain cannot be defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/mark-twain-cannot-be-defined/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [Please don't refer to me as "channeling Mark Twain." I'm an actor. Not a channeler. That word is an iPhone shortcut. Acting is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/please-don-t-refer-to-me-as-channeling-mark-twain-i-m-an-actor-not-a/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [I walked the streets of New York for two years begging for a job, and I couldn't get one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/i-walked-the-streets-of-new-york-for-two-years-begging-for-a-job-and/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) > [I got a feeling about political correctness. I hate it. It causes us to lie silently instead of saying what we think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-holbrook/i-got-a-feeling-about-political-correctness-i-hate-it-it-causes-us-to/) [Hal Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) [Explore all 38 Hal Holbrook quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-holbrook/) ## More Abyss quotes > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [In the end things must be as they are and have always been--the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-end-things-must-be-as-they-are-and-have-always-been-the-great/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I admire the Elsie Tanners and Barbara Windsors of the world: people who have crawled back from the abyss. I'm quite camp in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-admire-the-elsie-tanners-and-barbara-windsors-of-the-world-people/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) > [I look into my heart and see the abyss looking back at me.' 'I won't let you fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-look-into-my-heart-and-see-the-abyss-looking-back-at-me-i-won-t-let/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/there-is-no-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-not-even-in-the-deepest-parts/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [“But first whom shall we send In search of this new world, whom shall we find Sufficient? Who shall tempt, with wand'ring feet The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/but-first-whom-shall-we-send-in-search-of-this-new-world-whom-shall/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Many women don’t know what orgasm is. Many men don’t know was total orgasm is. Many only achieve a local orgasm, a genital orgasm;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-women-don-t-know-what-orgasm-is-many-men-don-t-know-was-total/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fear not. For fear itself is fed by fear, and all fears pass. Did no one tell you so? Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) [Browse all 625 Abyss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. 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