--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Standing out there in th dark, I felt…" description: "\"“Standing out there in th dark, I felt many different things. One of them was pride in my fellow Americans, ordinary people who rose to the moment, kno..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/john-grogan-13235_9-11_standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-man_1252116.jpg" --- # Standing out there in th dark, I felt many different… ![“Standing out there in th dark, I felt many different things. One of them was pride in my fellow Americans, ordinary people who rose to the moment, knowing it was their last. One was humility, for I was alive and untouched by the horrors of that day, free to continue my happy life as a husband and…” quote by John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/john-grogan-13235_9-11_standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-man_1252116.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/john-grogan-13235_9-11_standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-man_1252116.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/john-grogan-13235_9-11_standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-man_1252116.jpg) > ““Standing out there in th dark, I felt many different things. One of them was pride in my fellow Americans, ordinary people who rose to the moment, knowing it was their last. One was humility, for I was alive and untouched by the horrors of that day, free to continue my happy life as a husband and father and writer. In the lonely blackness, I could almost taste the finiteness of life and thus it's preciousness. We take it for granted, but it is fragile, precarious, uncertain able to cease at any instant without notice. I was reminded of what should be obvious but too often is not, that each today, each hour and minute, is worth cherishing.”” [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on pride, humility, and the fleeting nature of life, urging appreciation of each moment. **In simple terms:** Life is fragile; cherish every moment. Key Takeaway Embrace humility and value each day. Themes mortality gratitude humility pride Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - war remembrance - family life - writing - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism psychology human experience Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing life's fragility change your daily choices? - What practices help you stay present? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize tragedy, overlooking complex emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [9-11](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-9-11-1114/) [Happy life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-life/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [Husband and father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband-and-father/) [Knowing Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-humility-1234322/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Preciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-preciousness-1495410/) [Marley-and-me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marley-and-me-118058/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Preciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preciousness-1038495/) [Preciousness Granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preciousness-granted-3950331/) ## Related quotes > [We must always respect the preciousness of human life and the preciousness of time -- both our own and that of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/we-must-always-respect-the-preciousness-of-human-life-and-the/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [“A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/a-dog-judges-others-not-by-their-color-or-creed-or-class-but-by-who/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [“To be good is an unnatural condition. There is no man that is born knowing what humility is, what kindness and compassion and hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ramirez/to-be-good-is-an-unnatural-condition-there-is-no-man-that-is-born/) [Carlos Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ramirez/) > [It is a great tragedy that science, this wonderful process for finding out what is true, has ceded the spiritual uplift of its central…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/it-is-a-great-tragedy-that-science-this-wonderful-process-for-finding/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [I just love dressing up in everything a man is supposed not to be, in all that vulnerability, sweetness, preciousness and impracticality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/i-just-love-dressing-up-in-everything-a-man-is-supposed-not-to-be-in/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [Your preciousness lies in your essence; it cannot be lost by anything that happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/your-preciousness-lies-in-your-essence-it-cannot-be-lost-by-anything/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [“Compassion is the love that recognizes and goes forth to identify with the preciousness of all that is lost and broken within ourselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-finley/compassion-is-the-love-that-recognizes-and-goes-forth-to-identify/) [James Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-finley/) > [I like the idea of my art being a covetable object; I like preciousness. A lot of art seems to flaunt its throw-away character...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/i-like-the-idea-of-my-art-being-a-covetable-object-i-like/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [“From my insufficiency to my perfection, and from my deviation to my equilibrium From my sublimity to my beauty, and from my splendor to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-arabi/from-my-insufficiency-to-my-perfection-and-from-my-deviation-to-my/) [Ibn Arabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-arabi/) > [Often the soul is ripened into fuller goodness while age has spread an ugly film, so that mere glances can never divine the preciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/often-the-soul-is-ripened-into-fuller-goodness-while-age-has-spread/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Sometimes life seems to be moving so fast...how can we hold on to the precious moments...how do we even know they ARE precious-when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-seems-to-be-moving-so-fast-how-can-we-hold-on-to-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The preciousness of life and the changes of weather and the beauty of seasons - all those things have always sort of dazzled me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/the-preciousness-of-life-and-the-changes-of-weather-and-the-beauty-of/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [Doesn't our knowledge of death make life more precious?' What good is a preciousness based on fear and anxiety? It's an anxious quivering thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/doesn-t-our-knowledge-of-death-make-life-more-precious-what-good-is-a/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [To see the preciousness of all things, we must bring our full attention to life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/to-see-the-preciousness-of-all-things-we-must-bring-our-full/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/nothing-teaches-us-about-the-preciousness-of-the-creator-as-much-as/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) ## More by John Grogan > [Dogs are great. Bad dogs, if you can really call them that, are perhaps the greatest of them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/dogs-are-great-bad-dogs-if-you-can-really-call-them-that-are-perhaps/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [In a world of bosses, you are your own master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/in-a-world-of-bosses-you-are-your-own-master/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [A dog is the greatest gift a parent can give a child. OK, a good education, then a dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/a-dog-is-the-greatest-gift-a-parent-can-give-a-child-ok-a-good/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [Cats will outsmart dogs every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/cats-will-outsmart-dogs-every-time/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [Then I dropped my forehead against his and sat there for a long time, as if I could telegraph a message through our two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/then-i-dropped-my-forehead-against-his-and-sat-there-for-a-long-time/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > ['Marley and Me' was a book I was proud of and believed in, but I thought it would just have a modest audience because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/marley-and-me-was-a-book-i-was-proud-of-and-believed-in-but-i-thought/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [Really, as a writer, I believe that if you're going to write about your own life, you need to do it as honestly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/really-as-a-writer-i-believe-that-if-you-re-going-to-write-about-your/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [Animal lovers are a special breed of humans, generous of spirit, full of empathy, perhaps a little prone to sentimentality, and with hearts as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/animal-lovers-are-a-special-breed-of-humans-generous-of-spirit-full/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [I'm pathologically incapable of making decisions. Just ask my wife how long it took me to propose - on second thought, best not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/i-m-pathologically-incapable-of-making-decisions-just-ask-my-wife-how/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [“A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water log stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/a-dog-has-no-use-for-fancy-cars-big-homes-or-designer-clothes-a-water/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [Many of the qualities that come so effortlessly to dogs - loyalty, devotion, selflessness, unflagging optimism, unqualified love - can be elusive to humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/many-of-the-qualities-that-come-so-effortlessly-to-dogs-loyalty/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [If you still think you're a young pup then you are, no matter what the calendar says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/if-you-still-think-you-re-a-young-pup-then-you-are-no-matter-what-the/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [I confess to being a CNN junkie. And when I'm driving, it's all NPR all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/i-confess-to-being-a-cnn-junkie-and-when-i-m-driving-it-s-all-npr-all/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [“I had never thought of Marley as any kind of model, but sitting there sipping my beer, I was aware that maybe he held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/i-had-never-thought-of-marley-as-any-kind-of-model-but-sitting-there/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [“We now had three girls and one testosterone-pumped guy bird that spent every walking minute doing of of three things: pursuing sex, having sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/we-now-had-three-girls-and-one-testosterone-pumped-guy-bird-that/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) [Explore all 48 John Grogan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) ## More 9-11 quotes > [“Private-sector preparedness is not a luxury; it is a cost of doing business in the post-9/11 world. It is ignored at a tremendous potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-9-11-commission-report/private-sector-preparedness-is-not-a-luxury-it-is-a-cost-of-doing/) [The 9 11 Commission Report](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-9-11-commission-report/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“A son for a flag is a lot of sacrifice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/a-son-for-a-flag-is-a-lot-of-sacrifice/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“In Korea I’d been so afraid that Sami would lose her dad. She did, but she didn’t get a flag. He went to Doha,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/in-korea-i-d-been-so-afraid-that-sami-would-lose-her-dad-she-did-but/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“The sun appeared between the twin spires of the cathedral as its light reflected off the crescent and star that rose out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-sun-appeared-between-the-twin-spires-of-the-cathedral-as-its/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“The look of a smug teacher is priceless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-look-of-a-smug-teacher-is-priceless/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“I have this thought, it’s horrible, and it makes me sick, but it’s true: one day these students will grow up and have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-have-this-thought-it-s-horrible-and-it-makes-me-sick-but-it-s-true/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“Many signs point to the fact that the youth of the Third World will no longer tolerate living in circumstances that give them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rom-o-dallaire/many-signs-point-to-the-fact-that-the-youth-of-the-third-world-will/) [Roméo Dallaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rom-o-dallaire/) > [“This is who I was, before I was dead. When I cared, when I was relentless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/this-is-who-i-was-before-i-was-dead-when-i-cared-when-i-was-relentless/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“It’d be easy to blame everything on 9/11 or the wars that came after. It’s really about the choices we made. By necessity we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/it-d-be-easy-to-blame-everything-on-9-11-or-the-wars-that-came-after/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“Honestly, I had no idea how to respond. My senior year of college I’d taken a seminar titled Public Education: Situations and Strategies. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/honestly-i-had-no-idea-how-to-respond-my-senior-year-of-college-i-d/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“And then, on September 11, the world fractured. It's beyond my skill as a writer to capture that day and the days that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/and-then-on-september-11-the-world-fractured-it-s-beyond-my-skill-as/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Teaching isn’t rocket science. It’s about being engaged, listening, paying attention. Despite conventional wisdom, you don’t need to talk a lot to teach well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/teaching-isn-t-rocket-science-it-s-about-being-engaged-listening/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“The attacks of 9/11 were the biggest surprise in American history, and for the past ten years we haven't stopped being surprised. The war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-attacks-of-9-11-were-the-biggest-surprise-in-american-history-and/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [“Religion is the most powerful entity on earth. A phenomenon that has conscripted millions to give or sacrifice their lives without so much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-sarwar/religion-is-the-most-powerful-entity-on-earth-a-phenomenon-that-has/) [Cal Sarwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-sarwar/) [Browse all 103 9-11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-9-11-1114/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Standing out there in th dark, I felt many different things. One of them was pride in my fellow Americans, ordinary people who rose to the moment, knowing it was their last. One was humility, for I was alive and untouched by the horrors of that day, free to continue my happy life as a husband and father and writer. In the lonely blackness, I could almost taste the finiteness of life and thus it's preciousness. We take it for granted, but it is fragile, precarious, uncertain able to cease at any instant without notice. I was reminded of what should be obvious but too often is not, that each today, each hour and minute, is worth cherishing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Grogan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-many-different-things-one-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "9-11" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-many-different-things-one-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/john-grogan-13235_9-11_standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-man_1252116.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/john-grogan-13235_9-11_standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-man_1252116.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/john-grogan-13235_9-11_standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-man_1252116.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Standing out there in th dark, I felt many different things. One of them was pride in my fellow Americans…” — John Grogan", "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": "John Grogan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Standing out there in th dark,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-many-different-things-one-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/standing-out-there-in-th-dark-i-felt-many-different-things-one-of/#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 } } ] } ```