Beast Quote by Kenneth Patchen
“It's dark out, Jack, the stations out there don't identify themselves, we're in it raw-blind like burned rats, it's running out all around us, the footprints of the beast, one nobody has any notion of. The white and vacant eyes of something above there, something that doesn't know we exist. I smell heartbreak up there, Jack, a heartbreak at the center of things, and in which we don't figure at all.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: "The Glass" from *The Collected Poems of Kenneth Patchen*, 1948
The unknown and indifferent universe can feel oppressive, yet we must confront it despite fear.
In simple terms: The world feels scary and unknown.
Key Takeaway
Face the unknown with courage.
Themes
existential dread
human vulnerability
search for meaning
Mood
melancholic
introspective
Type
philosophical
poetic
When to use this quote
- nighttime anxiety
- exploring unknown places
- creative inspiration
- spiritual crisis
Key Concepts
philosophy
poetry
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the “beast” symbolize for you?
- How can you find purpose amid uncertainty?
A Different Perspective
Finding meaning may be impossible for some; existential fear can be paralyzing.
![“No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb [Earth] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic beasts.” quote by Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d65/olaf-stapledon-9950_angel_no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-anoth_12107.jpg)
