--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You are walking along a road peacefully…" description: "\"“You are walking along a road peacefully. You trip. You fall into blackness. That's the past - or perhaps the future. And you know that there is no pas..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/jean-rhys-2447_blackness_you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully_235385.png" --- # You are walking along a road peacefully. You trip. You… ![“You are walking along a road peacefully. You trip. You fall into blackness. That's the past - or perhaps the future. And you know that there is no past, no future, there is only this blackness, changing faintly, slowly, but always the same.” quote by Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/jean-rhys-2447_blackness_you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully_235385.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/jean-rhys-2447_blackness_you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully_235385.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/jean-rhys-2447_blackness_you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully_235385.png) > ““You are walking along a road peacefully. You trip. You fall into blackness. That's the past - or perhaps the future. And you know that there is no past, no future, there is only this blackness, changing faintly, slowly, but always the same.”” [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life feels like a road that can suddenly become dark and uncertain, suggesting that past and future are illusory and only the present moment truly exists. **In simple terms:** The present is all we truly have. Key Takeaway Stay mindful of the now. Themes existentialism time mindfulness Mood contemplative philosophical Type literary reflective When to use this quote - meditation - stressful moments - creative blocks - life transitions Key Concepts philosophy psychology temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance present awareness with learning from the past? - What practices help us stay grounded? A Different Perspective Focusing only on the present may ignore valuable lessons from past experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blackness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackness/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There's a fount about to stream, There's a light about to beam, There's a warmth about to glow, There's a flower about to blow;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-mackay/there-s-a-fount-about-to-stream-there-s-a-light-about-to-beam-there-s/) [Charles Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-mackay/) > [It made her think of Laika, the dog. The man-made satellite streaking soundlessly across the blackness of outer space. The dark, lustrous eyes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/it-made-her-think-of-laika-the-dog-the-man-made-satellite-streaking/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [all outcast peoples struggle to be recognized as individuals. The damage of oppression is that it robs you of your individuality. You're just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/all-outcast-peoples-struggle-to-be-recognized-as-individuals-the/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [“A Black Madonna: the blackness of death, but also the blackness of good soil, dark with decay, which gives rise to life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/a-black-madonna-the-blackness-of-death-but-also-the-blackness-of-good/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [There's so much material out there that's unnecessarily racist. It takes a shot at what is 'urban' or demonstrates blackness with some sassy, neck-jiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-williams/there-s-so-much-material-out-there-that-s-unnecessarily-racist-it/) [Jesse Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-williams/) > [Life is fleeting. And if you're ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when when the stars are strung across the velvety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/life-is-fleeting-and-if-you-re-ever-distressed-cast-your-eyes-to-the/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [If you have money and you have fame, but you don't have any confidence in your blackness, then it's all for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mooney/if-you-have-money-and-you-have-fame-but-you-don-t-have-any-confidence/) [Paul Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mooney/) > [I kept staring into the blackness of the woods, drawn into the darkness as I always had been. I suddenly realized how alone I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/i-kept-staring-into-the-blackness-of-the-woods-drawn-into-the/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [I'm just challenging white supremacy at its intellectual heart every day. It's a pedagogy that I deploy against some of the most vicious resistance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-m-just-challenging-white-supremacy-at-its-intellectual-heart-every/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out. It was a hell beyond expression. I thank God it always passed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/despair-was-a-heavy-blackness-that-let-no-light-in-or-out-it-was-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [One time he was asked if he believed in an afterlife. After a moment's hesitation he said no, that he thought there was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/one-time-he-was-asked-if-he-believed-in-an-afterlife-after-a-moment-s/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [As a queer woman of colour I've been asked to be more urban, as if my brand of Blackness wasn't quite Black enough. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/as-a-queer-woman-of-colour-i-ve-been-asked-to-be-more-urban-as-if-my/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [You know,” he said, “I wish you could see this cave.” “What’s it like?” He paused. “It’s...beautiful, really.” “Tell me.” And so Po described…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/you-know-he-said-i-wish-you-could-see-this-cave-what-s-it-like-he/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [“The worst fear of the race yes, the world suddenly transformed into a senseless nightmare, horrible dissolution of things. Nothing compares, even oblivion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-worst-fear-of-the-race-yes-the-world-suddenly-transformed-into-a/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [Sure, I’m dramatic and sloppily semi-cynical and semi-sentimental. But, in leisure years I could grow and choose my way. Now I am living on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/sure-i-m-dramatic-and-sloppily-semi-cynical-and-semi-sentimental-but/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## More by Jean Rhys > [Of course she had some pathetic illusions about herself or she would not be able to go on living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/of-course-she-had-some-pathetic-illusions-about-herself-or-she-would/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [As soon as I turned the key I saw it hanging, the color of fire and sunset. the colour of flamboyant flowers. ‘If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/as-soon-as-i-turned-the-key-i-saw-it-hanging-the-color-of-fire-and/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [Human beings are struggling, and so they are egoists. But it's wrong to say that they are wholy cruel - it's a deformed view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/human-beings-are-struggling-and-so-they-are-egoists-but-it-s-wrong-to/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [“THe room was large and low-ceilinged, the striped wallpaper faded to inoffensiveness. A huge dark wardrobe faced a huge dark bed. The rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/the-room-was-large-and-low-ceilinged-the-striped-wallpaper-faded-to/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [There is no doubt that running away on a fresh, blue morning can be exhilarating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/there-is-no-doubt-that-running-away-on-a-fresh-blue-morning-can-be/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [Blot out the moon, Pull down the stars. Love in the dark, for we're for the dark So soon, so soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/blot-out-the-moon-pull-down-the-stars-love-in-the-dark-for-we-re-for/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [“But in the daytime it was all right. And when you'd had a drink you knew it was the best way to live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/but-in-the-daytime-it-was-all-right-and-when-you-d-had-a-drink-you/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [She’ll have no lover, for I don’t want her and she’ll see no other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/she-ll-have-no-lover-for-i-don-t-want-her-and-she-ll-see-no-other/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [Everything tender and melancholy - as life is sometimes, just for one moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/everything-tender-and-melancholy-as-life-is-sometimes-just-for-one/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [“have spunks and do battle for yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/have-spunks-and-do-battle-for-yourself/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [“She spent the foggy day in endless, aimless walking, for it seemed to her that if she moved quickly enough she would escape the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/she-spent-the-foggy-day-in-endless-aimless-walking-for-it-seemed-to/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [But they never last, the golden days. And it can be sad, the sun in the afternoon, can't it? Yes, it can be sad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/but-they-never-last-the-golden-days-and-it-can-be-sad-the-sun-in-the/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [She could give herself up to the written word as naturally as a good dancer to music or a fine swimmer to water. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/she-could-give-herself-up-to-the-written-word-as-naturally-as-a-good/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [“There is no control over memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/there-is-no-control-over-memory/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [Soon he'll come in again and kiss me, but differently. He'll be different and so I'll be different. It'll be different. I thought, 'It'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/soon-he-ll-come-in-again-and-kiss-me-but-differently-he-ll-be/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) [Explore all 165 Jean Rhys quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) ## More Blackness quotes > [Sure, I’m dramatic and sloppily semi-cynical and semi-sentimental. But, in leisure years I could grow and choose my way. Now I am living on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/sure-i-m-dramatic-and-sloppily-semi-cynical-and-semi-sentimental-but/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“The worst fear of the race yes, the world suddenly transformed into a senseless nightmare, horrible dissolution of things. Nothing compares, even oblivion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-worst-fear-of-the-race-yes-the-world-suddenly-transformed-into-a/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [You know,” he said, “I wish you could see this cave.” “What’s it like?” He paused. “It’s...beautiful, really.” “Tell me.” And so Po described…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/you-know-he-said-i-wish-you-could-see-this-cave-what-s-it-like-he/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [As a queer woman of colour I've been asked to be more urban, as if my brand of Blackness wasn't quite Black enough. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/as-a-queer-woman-of-colour-i-ve-been-asked-to-be-more-urban-as-if-my/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [One time he was asked if he believed in an afterlife. After a moment's hesitation he said no, that he thought there was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/one-time-he-was-asked-if-he-believed-in-an-afterlife-after-a-moment-s/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Despair was a heavy blackness that let no light in or out. It was a hell beyond expression. I thank God it always passed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/despair-was-a-heavy-blackness-that-let-no-light-in-or-out-it-was-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [I'm just challenging white supremacy at its intellectual heart every day. It's a pedagogy that I deploy against some of the most vicious resistance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/i-m-just-challenging-white-supremacy-at-its-intellectual-heart-every/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [I kept staring into the blackness of the woods, drawn into the darkness as I always had been. I suddenly realized how alone I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/i-kept-staring-into-the-blackness-of-the-woods-drawn-into-the/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [If you have money and you have fame, but you don't have any confidence in your blackness, then it's all for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mooney/if-you-have-money-and-you-have-fame-but-you-don-t-have-any-confidence/) [Paul Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mooney/) > [Life is fleeting. And if you're ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when when the stars are strung across the velvety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/life-is-fleeting-and-if-you-re-ever-distressed-cast-your-eyes-to-the/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [There's so much material out there that's unnecessarily racist. It takes a shot at what is 'urban' or demonstrates blackness with some sassy, neck-jiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-williams/there-s-so-much-material-out-there-that-s-unnecessarily-racist-it/) [Jesse Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-williams/) > [“A Black Madonna: the blackness of death, but also the blackness of good soil, dark with decay, which gives rise to life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/a-black-madonna-the-blackness-of-death-but-also-the-blackness-of-good/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [all outcast peoples struggle to be recognized as individuals. The damage of oppression is that it robs you of your individuality. You're just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/all-outcast-peoples-struggle-to-be-recognized-as-individuals-the/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [It made her think of Laika, the dog. The man-made satellite streaking soundlessly across the blackness of outer space. The dark, lustrous eyes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/it-made-her-think-of-laika-the-dog-the-man-made-satellite-streaking/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The blackness would stir and eventually go away, and God would remain, a shining point of light in my heart. I would go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-blackness-would-stir-and-eventually-go-away-and-god-would-remain/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) [Browse all 248 Blackness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You are walking along a road peacefully. You trip. You fall into blackness. That's the past - or perhaps the future. And you know that there is no past, no future, there is only this blackness, changing faintly, slowly, but always the same.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean Rhys" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully-you-trip-you-fall-into/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blackness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully-you-trip-you-fall-into/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/jean-rhys-2447_blackness_you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully_235385.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/jean-rhys-2447_blackness_you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully_235385.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/jean-rhys-2447_blackness_you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully_235385.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You are walking along a road peacefully. You trip. You fall into blackness. That's the past - or perhaps the…” — Jean Rhys", "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": "Jean Rhys", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You are walking along a road...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully-you-trip-you-fall-into/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/you-are-walking-along-a-road-peacefully-you-trip-you-fall-into/#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 } } ] } ```