--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One by one the lights burned out, like…" description: "\"“One by one the lights burned out, like long lives come to their expected ends. Then there was a dark house made once of time, made now of weather, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/john-crowley-7544_long-time_one-by-one-the-lights-burned-out-like-lo_746891.jpg" --- # One by one the lights burned out, like long lives come to… ![“One by one the lights burned out, like long lives come to their expected ends. Then there was a dark house made once of time, made now of weather, and harder to find; impossible to find and not even as easy to dream of as when it was alight. Stories last longer, but only by becoming only stories…” quote by John Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/john-crowley-7544_long-time_one-by-one-the-lights-burned-out-like-lo_746891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/john-crowley-7544_long-time_one-by-one-the-lights-burned-out-like-lo_746891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/085/john-crowley-7544_long-time_one-by-one-the-lights-burned-out-like-lo_746891.jpg) > ““One by one the lights burned out, like long lives come to their expected ends. Then there was a dark house made once of time, made now of weather, and harder to find; impossible to find and not even as easy to dream of as when it was alight. Stories last longer, but only by becoming only stories. It was anyway all a long time ago; the world, we know now, is as it is and not different; if ever there was a time when there were passages, doors, the borders open and many crossing; that time is not now. The world is older than it was. Even the weather isn't as we remember it clearly once being; never lately does there come a summer day such as we remember, never clouds as white as that, never grass as odorous and shade as deep and full of promise as we remember they can be, as once upon a time they were.”” [John Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowley/) ## 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 reflects on fading memories and changing worlds, noting that stories persist even as the vividness of past experiences dims. **In simple terms:** Memories fade, stories endure. Key Takeaway Cherish stories, accept change. Themes memory time impermanence storytelling nostalgia Mood melancholic reflective nostalgic Type literary philosophical contemplative When to use this quote - reflecting on aging - writing memoirs - preserving cultural heritage - teaching history - contemplating climate change Key Concepts transience nostalgia historical perspective Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance honoring the past with embracing present change? - What role do stories play in shaping collective memory? A Different Perspective It may romanticize the past, overlooking progress and adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [It was anyway all a long time ago; the world, we know now, is as it is and not different; if there was ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowley/it-was-anyway-all-a-long-time-ago-the-world-we-know-now-is-as-it-is/) [John Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowley/) > [Stories last longer: but only by becoming only stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowley/stories-last-longer-but-only-by-becoming-only-stories/) [John Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowley/) > [You reach out your hand, but you're all alone, in those time passages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/you-reach-out-your-hand-but-you-re-all-alone-in-those-time-passages/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [“I have a friend who likes to date younger women because their stories are shorter. 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Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-a-lewis/) > [I have been famous for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-beatty/i-have-been-famous-for-a-long-time/) [Warren Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-beatty/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) Browse all 9,064 Long time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One by one the lights burned out, like long lives come to their expected ends. Then there was a dark house made once of time, made now of weather, and harder to find; impossible to find and not even as easy to dream of as when it was alight. Stories last longer, but only by becoming only stories. 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