--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Until then I had always thought of…" description: "\"“Until then I had always thought of loneliness as something negative—an absence of company, and, of course, something temporary... That day I had learn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/john-wyndham-8340_business_until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-lonel_1813254.jpg" --- # Until then I had always thought of loneliness as something… ![“Until then I had always thought of loneliness as something negative—an absence of company, and, of course, something temporary... That day I had learned that it was much more. It was something which could press and oppress, could distort the ordinary and play tricks with the mind. Something which…” quote by John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/john-wyndham-8340_business_until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-lonel_1813254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/john-wyndham-8340_business_until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-lonel_1813254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/john-wyndham-8340_business_until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-lonel_1813254.jpg) > ““Until then I had always thought of loneliness as something negative—an absence of company, and, of course, something temporary... That day I had learned that it was much more. It was something which could press and oppress, could distort the ordinary and play tricks with the mind. Something which lurked inimically all around, stretching the nerves and twanging them with alarms, never letting one forget that there was no one to help, no one to care. It showed one as an atom adrift in vastness, and it waited all the time its chance to frighten and frighten horribly—that was what loneliness was really trying to do; and that was what one must never let it do...”” [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Loneliness is a pervasive, oppressive force that can distort perception and amplify fear, making one feel isolated and vulnerable. **In simple terms:** Loneliness can crush and distort thought. Key Takeaway Recognize and address isolation before it overwhelms. Themes loneliness isolation mental health Mood somber introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - remote work - elderly living alone - mental health crises - post‑traumatic stress Key Concepts existential dread psychological pressure Questions to Reflect On - What internal cues signal rising loneliness? - How can you create safe spaces for connection? A Different Perspective May overlook the role of social structures in alleviating loneliness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Horribly Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horribly-loneliness-2132990/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Loneliness Negative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness-negative-298299/) [Loneliness Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness-really-849469/) [Thought Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-loneliness-2132989/) ## Related quotes > [We often refer to loneliness as something negative. And we look at it as a weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-shetty/we-often-refer-to-loneliness-as-something-negative-and-we-look-at-it/) [Jay Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-shetty/) > [“He thought of night coming on. He thought of the loneliness of tonight, this first night in the ground. This, he thought, was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/he-thought-of-night-coming-on-he-thought-of-the-loneliness-of-tonight/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [I think that part of being human is being alone, and being lonely. I think one of the stresses on a lot of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-that-part-of-being-human-is-being-alone-and-being-lonely-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a star fell each time I thought about you then the moon would truly realize how loneliness is really like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-star-fell-each-time-i-thought-about-you-then-the-moon-would/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the past I have never thought about loneliness when working, and I don't think about it now. Yet there must be a reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/in-the-past-i-have-never-thought-about-loneliness-when-working-and-i/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [“There were few other passengers: a man in an overcoat, his head sunk against his chest; a couple with arms around each other, impervious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/there-were-few-other-passengers-a-man-in-an-overcoat-his-head-sunk/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [He thought that it was loneliness which he was trying to escape and not himself. But the street ran on: catlike, one place was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/he-thought-that-it-was-loneliness-which-he-was-trying-to-escape-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Lonely. I always thought loneliness meant alone, without people. It means something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/lonely-i-always-thought-loneliness-meant-alone-without-people-it/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [“I thought about loneliness. How its not something you catch and mostly we choose it. How a trouble shared is a trouble halved but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikki-wakefield/i-thought-about-loneliness-how-its-not-something-you-catch-and-mostly/) [Vikki Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikki-wakefield/) > [I wish other people would write about loneliness more. It's hard to remember that it's not personal. We live in a world that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessa-crispin/i-wish-other-people-would-write-about-loneliness-more-it-s-hard-to/) [Jessa Crispin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessa-crispin/) > [When I was younger, loneliness was really scary - it felt like an absence - and now I feel human beings are incredibly connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/when-i-was-younger-loneliness-was-really-scary-it-felt-like-an/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [Marriage. Don't be pressured into it. Is the fear of loneliness really greater than the fear of bondage?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumiko-tan/marriage-don-t-be-pressured-into-it-is-the-fear-of-loneliness-really/) [Sumiko Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumiko-tan/) > [I've never been without a dog. I've made trips across the country with a dog. I've been in that angst of loneliness, where you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-ve-never-been-without-a-dog-i-ve-made-trips-across-the-country-with-2/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [I've been in that angst of loneliness, where you're really alone in the universe, except for the dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-ve-been-in-that-angst-of-loneliness-where-you-re-really-alone-in/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [“...this blessing of loneliness was not really loneliness. Real loneliness was something unendurable. What one wanted when exhausted by the noise and impact of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/this-blessing-of-loneliness-was-not-really-loneliness-real-loneliness/) [Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/) ## More by John Wyndham > [I shall pray God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/i-shall-pray-god-to-send-charity-into-this-hideous-world-and-sympathy/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“But he survived, that radio announcer. His ship and five others out of the flotilla of ten came through, a bit radioactive, but otherwise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/but-he-survived-that-radio-announcer-his-ship-and-five-others-out-of/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“You will have experienced, perhaps, that feeling of being relieved of a weight that you had not properly realized was there?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/you-will-have-experienced-perhaps-that-feeling-of-being-relieved-of-a/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“We have both been given the same wish to survive, We are all, you see, toys of the life-force. It made you numerically stronger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/we-have-both-been-given-the-same-wish-to-survive-we-are-all-you-see/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [But, as I understand it, your God is a universal God; He is God on all suns and all planets. Surely, then, He must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/but-as-i-understand-it-your-god-is-a-universal-god-he-is-god-on-all/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“Personal honesty takes time to assert itself - if it is ever allowed to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/personal-honesty-takes-time-to-assert-itself-if-it-is-ever-allowed-to/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [Why was I condemned to live in a democracy where every fool's vote is equal to a sensible man's?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/why-was-i-condemned-to-live-in-a-democracy-where-every-fool-s-vote-is/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“It seemed to me an odd view to take - rather as if one should protest that one didn't LIKE the idea of dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/it-seemed-to-me-an-odd-view-to-take-rather-as-if-one-should-protest/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“a sort of botanical glory-hole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/a-sort-of-botanical-glory-hole/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“Darling, whose book is this to be?" "Ostensibly yours, my sweet" "I see -- rather like my life since I met you?" "Yes darling”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/darling-whose-book-is-this-to-be-ostensibly-yours-my-sweet-i-see/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“Sophie dear,' I said. 'Are you in love with him - with this spider-man?' 'Oh, don't call him that - please - we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/sophie-dear-i-said-are-you-in-love-with-him-with-this-spider-man-oh/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“It was all conveyed by the nicest, almost indetectably refined blend of sympathy and bitchiness...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/it-was-all-conveyed-by-the-nicest-almost-indetectably-refined-blend/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [Find a nice, self sufficient hilltop, and fortify it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/find-a-nice-self-sufficient-hilltop-and-fortify-it/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“... the more complex they made their world, the less capable they were of dealing with it. They had no means of consensus. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/the-more-complex-they-made-their-world-the-less-capable-they-were-of/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [“I'm not romancing. I'm talking about the inevitable time when, unless we do something to stop it, men will be hunting men through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/i-m-not-romancing-i-m-talking-about-the-inevitable-time-when-unless/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) [Explore all 81 John Wyndham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Until then I had always thought of loneliness as something negative—an absence of company, and, of course, something temporary... That day I had learned that it was much more. It was something which could press and oppress, could distort the ordinary and play tricks with the mind. Something which lurked inimically all around, stretching the nerves and twanging them with alarms, never letting one forget that there was no one to help, no one to care. It showed one as an atom adrift in vastness, and it waited all the time its chance to frighten and frighten horribly—that was what loneliness was really trying to do; and that was what one must never let it do...”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Wyndham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-loneliness-as-something-negative/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-loneliness-as-something-negative/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/john-wyndham-8340_business_until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-lonel_1813254.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/john-wyndham-8340_business_until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-lonel_1813254.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/john-wyndham-8340_business_until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-lonel_1813254.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Until then I had always thought of loneliness as something negative—an absence of company, and, of course…” — John Wyndham", "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 Wyndham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Until then I had always thought...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-loneliness-as-something-negative/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/until-then-i-had-always-thought-of-loneliness-as-something-negative/#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 } } ] } ```