--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because it was starting to get dark, and…" description: "\"Because it was starting to get dark, and because the streets were crowded, I bumped into a googolplex people. Who were they? Where were they going? Wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/jonathan-safran-foer-136_dark_because-it-was-starting-to-get-dark-and_2320840.png" --- # Because it was starting to get dark, and because the… ![“Because it was starting to get dark, and because the streets were crowded, I bumped into a googolplex people. Who were they? Where were they going? What were they looking for? I wanted to hear their heartbeats, and I wanted them to hear mine.” quote by Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/jonathan-safran-foer-136_dark_because-it-was-starting-to-get-dark-and_2320840.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/jonathan-safran-foer-136_dark_because-it-was-starting-to-get-dark-and_2320840.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/jonathan-safran-foer-136_dark_because-it-was-starting-to-get-dark-and_2320840.png) > “Because it was starting to get dark, and because the streets were crowded, I bumped into a googolplex people. Who were they? Where were they going? What were they looking for? I wanted to hear their heartbeats, and I wanted them to hear mine.” [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator is fascinated by the unknown crowd, seeking connection through shared heartbeat. **In simple terms:** Seek connection in anonymity. Key Takeaway Find common humanity in strangers. Themes curiosity human connection urban life Mood hopeful poetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - city walks - crowd observations - personal reflection - artistic inspiration Key Concepts existentialism empathy Questions to Reflect On - What does listening to a heartbeat symbolize? - How can we truly know strangers? A Different Perspective May romanticize fleeting encounters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Heartbeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbeat/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) ## Related quotes > [“If we calculated the possibility of a googolplex possible accidental universes (created somehow just of themselves) as ours is and divided it by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/if-we-calculated-the-possibility-of-a-googolplex-possible-accidental/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“For instance, in a book entitled Mathematics and the Imagination (published in 1940) the authors, Edward Kasner and James Newman, introduced a number called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/for-instance-in-a-book-entitled-mathematics-and-the-imagination/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“What about little microphones? 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