--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sky was overcast and the scenery was…" description: "\"“The sky was overcast and the scenery was probably what it had been for dozens of years: bungalow farmhouses, shacks, trailers and motor vehicles in te..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/jeffery-deaver-2663_community_the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was_2604049.jpg" --- # The sky was overcast and the scenery was probably what it… ![“The sky was overcast and the scenery was probably what it had been for dozens of years: bungalow farmhouses, shacks, trailers and motor vehicles in terminal condition but still functioning if the nursing and luck were right. A gas station offering a brand I’d never heard of. Dogs toothing at fleas…” quote by Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/jeffery-deaver-2663_community_the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was_2604049.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/jeffery-deaver-2663_community_the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was_2604049.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/jeffery-deaver-2663_community_the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was_2604049.jpg) > ““The sky was overcast and the scenery was probably what it had been for dozens of years: bungalow farmhouses, shacks, trailers and motor vehicles in terminal condition but still functioning if the nursing and luck were right. A gas station offering a brand I’d never heard of. Dogs toothing at fleas lazily. Women in stressed jeans, overseeing their broods. Men with beer-lean faces and expanding guts, sitting on porches, waiting for nothing. Most likely wondering at our car—containing the sort of people you don’t see much in this neighborhood: a man in a white shirt, dark suit and tie and a woman with a business haircut. Then”” [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) ## 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 paints a gritty, timeless landscape where ordinary people linger, hinting at underlying social decay and resilience. **In simple terms:** A bleak setting shows ordinary life persisting amid decay. Key Takeaway Notice resilience in seemingly stagnant environments. Themes social decay resilience everyday life urban decay observation Mood melancholic observational hopeful Type descriptive literary When to use this quote - travel - community observation - social critique - character study Key Concepts sociology environmental determinism human endurance Questions to Reflect On - What does the setting reveal about societal values? - How do characters adapt to persistent decay? A Different Perspective The description may romanticize hardship, overlooking systemic causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Overcast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcast/) [Suit and tie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suit-and-tie/) ## Related quotes > [In prosperity you may count on many friends; if the sky becomes overcast you will be alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/in-prosperity-you-may-count-on-many-friends-if-the-sky-becomes/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Now the peak of summer's past, the sky is overcast And the love we swore would last for an age seems deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-the-peak-of-summer-s-past-the-sky-is-overcast-and-the-love-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The sky may be overcast today with clouds, but a fervent prayer to God is enough to dispel them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-sky-may-be-overcast-today-with-clouds-but-a-fervent-prayer-to-god/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“farmhouses and shacks, the families settling”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/farmhouses-and-shacks-the-families-settling/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“His face was like the autumn sky, overcast one moment and bright the next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/his-face-was-like-the-autumn-sky-overcast-one-moment-and-bright-the/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“She feels a splash of water on her hand and, turning, sees that the sky has become overcast with a blanket of ominous dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/she-feels-a-splash-of-water-on-her-hand-and-turning-sees-that-the-sky/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [Looking for the essence of beauty is comprehending and appreciating that quality in an object which is fairer and better than only what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luci-swindoll/looking-for-the-essence-of-beauty-is-comprehending-and-appreciating/) [Luci Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luci-swindoll/) > [“Gray. The overcast skies had the colour of deadened stones, and seemed closer than usually, as though they were phlegmatically observing my every movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-panova/gray-the-overcast-skies-had-the-colour-of-deadened-stones-and-seemed/) [Simona Panova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-panova/) > [With a clear sky, a bright sun, and a gentle breeze, you will have friends in plenty; but let fortune frown, and the firmament…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/with-a-clear-sky-a-bright-sun-and-a-gentle-breeze-you-will-have/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [Memory is like patches of sunlight in an overcast valley, shifting with the movement of the clouds. Now and then the light will fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-twan-eng/memory-is-like-patches-of-sunlight-in-an-overcast-valley-shifting/) [Tan Twan Eng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-twan-eng/) > [Openings come quickly, sometimes, like blue space in running clouds. A complete overcast, then a blaze of light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/openings-come-quickly-sometimes-like-blue-space-in-running-clouds-a/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers, And heavily in clouds brings on the day, The great, the important day, big with the fate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-dawn-is-overcast-the-morning-lowers-and-heavily-in-clouds-brings/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil water-way leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-offing-was-barred-by-a-black-bank-of-clouds-and-the-tranquil/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [This world has suns, but they are overcast;This world has sweets, but they're of ling'ring bloom;Life still expects, and empty falls at last;Warm Hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clare/this-world-has-suns-but-they-are-overcast-this-world-has-sweets-but/) [John Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clare/) > [I miss the people, the pubs, the canal, fish and chips - curry sauce on the side - cheese and nachos with jalapeno peppers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/i-miss-the-people-the-pubs-the-canal-fish-and-chips-curry-sauce-on/) [Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/) ## More by Jeffery Deaver > [Trying to write books with a subject matter or in a genre or style you're not familiar with is the best way to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/trying-to-write-books-with-a-subject-matter-or-in-a-genre-or-style/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“I realized finally what the problem was,” I told Maree. “It wasn’t him. It was my wife. She was treating him like a normal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/i-realized-finally-what-the-problem-was-i-told-maree-it-wasn-t-him-it/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“But then someday the truth would come out. It always did. Repress what you will, someday the truth comes out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/but-then-someday-the-truth-would-come-out-it-always-did-repress-what/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Stanton clawed his way to the bedside table and managed to grab his knife. He jabbed it into Rhyme. Once, twice. But the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/stanton-clawed-his-way-to-the-bedside-table-and-managed-to-grab-his/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [Hardcover books are fairly expensive these days and to read one requires a significant commitment of time in our busy society. So I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/hardcover-books-are-fairly-expensive-these-days-and-to-read-one/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“You’re sure it was Loving?” “Yes. That’s exactly the kind of strategy he’d choose. There’s no doubt it was him.” I was aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/you-re-sure-it-was-loving-yes-that-s-exactly-the-kind-of-strategy-he/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Maree opened her eyes wide. “Wait, wait . . . I know you.” She regarded me with a frown. I must have blinked in surprise. Had we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/maree-opened-her-eyes-wide-wait-wait-i-know-you-she-regarded-me-with/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [The best way to learn about writing is to study the work of other writers you admire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-best-way-to-learn-about-writing-is-to-study-the-work-of-other/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“eager’ and ‘anxious’ aren’t the same, or how ‘disinterested’ doesn’t mean ‘uninterested.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/eager-and-anxious-aren-t-the-same-or-how-disinterested-doesn-t-mean/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [The recent fascination, I think, reflects the shift in approach by law enforcement officials to embrace technology as wholeheartedly as the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-recent-fascination-i-think-reflects-the-shift-in-approach-by-law/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“DuBois’s observations were back. She’d largely recovered from the Graham ignominy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/dubois-s-observations-were-back-she-d-largely-recovered-from-the/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“Maree may have noted that I said “wife” and not “ex,” which imparted some information to her. She was smarter than the package suggested.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/maree-may-have-noted-that-i-said-wife-and-not-ex-which-imparted-some/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“You see tumbleweeds? You see cowpokes? Indians? This isn’t the streets of Laredo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/you-see-tumbleweeds-you-see-cowpokes-indians-this-isn-t-the-streets/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“The young woman shrugged, walked to her computer, picked it up. She flopped down on the couch and scanned through it. This was something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-young-woman-shrugged-walked-to-her-computer-picked-it-up-she/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [“As a matter of fact, yeah, they were foolproof. The problem is that you don't have to protect yourself against fools. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/as-a-matter-of-fact-yeah-they-were-foolproof-the-problem-is-that-you/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) [Explore all 154 Jeffery Deaver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/) [Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) [Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The sky was overcast and the scenery was probably what it had been for dozens of years: bungalow farmhouses, shacks, trailers and motor vehicles in terminal condition but still functioning if the nursing and luck were right. A gas station offering a brand I’d never heard of. Dogs toothing at fleas lazily. Women in stressed jeans, overseeing their broods. Men with beer-lean faces and expanding guts, sitting on porches, waiting for nothing. Most likely wondering at our car—containing the sort of people you don’t see much in this neighborhood: a man in a white shirt, dark suit and tie and a woman with a business haircut. Then”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeffery Deaver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was-probably-what-it-had-been/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Community" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was-probably-what-it-had-been/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/jeffery-deaver-2663_community_the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was_2604049.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/jeffery-deaver-2663_community_the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was_2604049.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/jeffery-deaver-2663_community_the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was_2604049.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The sky was overcast and the scenery was probably what it had been for dozens of years: bungalow farmhouses…” — Jeffery Deaver", "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": "Jeffery Deaver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The sky was overcast and the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was-probably-what-it-had-been/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-sky-was-overcast-and-the-scenery-was-probably-what-it-had-been/#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 } } ] } ```