--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't understand the war. It was new…" description: "\"“I didn't understand the war. It was new, and they all said it would be there for a long time, but where it was, exactly, was one of the things I didn'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ab/lois-lowry-978_dark-sky_i-didn-t-understand-the-war-it-was-new-a_974268.png" --- # I didn't understand the war. It was new, and they all said… ![“I didn't understand the war. It was new, and they all said it would be there for a long time, but where it was, exactly, was one of the things I didn't understand. It seemed to be out-of-doors, and that was why we had the blackout curtains, so that we didn't have to look at it at night–or it…” quote by Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ab/lois-lowry-978_dark-sky_i-didn-t-understand-the-war-it-was-new-a_974268.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ab/lois-lowry-978_dark-sky_i-didn-t-understand-the-war-it-was-new-a_974268.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ab/lois-lowry-978_dark-sky_i-didn-t-understand-the-war-it-was-new-a_974268.png) > ““I didn't understand the war. It was new, and they all said it would be there for a long time, but where it was, exactly, was one of the things I didn't understand. It seemed to be out-of-doors, and that was why we had the blackout curtains, so that we didn't have to look at it at night–or it didn't have to look at us, perhaps. Yet on some nights we sat on the balcony and watched searchlights play across the dark sky, and that had to do with the war, too. So the war was in the sky, somehow. And it was there in the daytime, though I was not sure where. It was why sometimes, during school, whistles blew, and we had to run to the subway station.”” [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) ## 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 struggles to grasp the abstract, omnipresent nature of war, feeling its distant yet pervasive impact on daily life. **In simple terms:** War feels distant but affects everything. Key Takeaway Acknowledge hidden influences on everyday life. Themes war perception childhood uncertainty Mood confused reflective somber Type narrative reflective philosophical When to use this quote - school - home - public spaces - nighttime - subway Key Concepts existential dread social conditioning psychological distance Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize invisible forces shaping your routine? - What signs reveal hidden threats? A Different Perspective War's abstract nature can obscure concrete understanding and response. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-sky/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [But how can you understand a war without any knowledge of the society where it happens? 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H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/) > [We, the Poles, do not understand war as a symbol but as a real fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladyslaw-sikorski/we-the-poles-do-not-understand-war-as-a-symbol-but-as-a-real-fight/) Wladyslaw Sikorski > [If you don't understand weapons you don't understand fighting. If you don't understand fighting you don't understand war. If you don't understand war you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/if-you-don-t-understand-weapons-you-don-t-understand-fighting-if-you/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [Women are so much a part of war, even if they tend to see another side of it. To say they don't understand war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/women-are-so-much-a-part-of-war-even-if-they-tend-to-see-another-side/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“The fighting was horrendous. Bloodshed and death lie everywhere around us. It was not exciting, Vindhya. It is fearsome, and we were all scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-megan-varnadore/the-fighting-was-horrendous-bloodshed-and-death-lie-everywhere-around/) [Jennifer Megan Varnadore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-megan-varnadore/) > [War is by definition the indiscriminate killing of huge numbers of people for ends that are uncertain. Think about means and ends, and apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/war-is-by-definition-the-indiscriminate-killing-of-huge-numbers-of/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [If you want peace, understand war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/if-you-want-peace-understand-war/) [B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/) > [The one thing I don't understand is war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/the-one-thing-i-don-t-understand-is-war/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [My hope is that the memory of death and disgrace will be so intense that the people of the United States will be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/my-hope-is-that-the-memory-of-death-and-disgrace-will-be-so-intense/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [In this room we understand why this war might be fought...it's about our common belief that no one has the right to tell two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/in-this-room-we-understand-why-this-war-might-be-fought-it-s-about/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) ## More by Lois Lowry > [“She's sure, absolutely sure, that what she's waiting for will happen, just the way she wants it to; and I'm so uncertain, so fearful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/she-s-sure-absolutely-sure-that-what-she-s-waiting-for-will-happen/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [I've always been interested in medicine and was pleased when my brother became a doctor. 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Annemarie smiled, but Peter's comment was no longer the lighthearted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/don-t-grow-much-more-or-you-will-be-taller-than-i-am-little-longlegs/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [“Matty had felt this sensation—the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/matty-had-felt-this-sensation-the/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) [Explore all 311 Lois Lowry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) ## More Dark sky quotes > [“Be the sun in someone’s dark sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/be-the-sun-in-someone-s-dark-sky/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Her eyes I wanted to see my face in her eyes, But the night was dark and there was no moon in the skies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javid-ahmad-tak/her-eyes-i-wanted-to-see-my-face-in-her-eyes-but-the-night-was-dark/) [Javid Ahmad Tak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javid-ahmad-tak/) > [“I finally found him sitting on his balcony. 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Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) [Browse all 67 Dark sky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-sky/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I didn't understand the war. It was new, and they all said it would be there for a long time, but where it was, exactly, was one of the things I didn't understand. It seemed to be out-of-doors, and that was why we had the blackout curtains, so that we didn't have to look at it at night–or it didn't have to look at us, perhaps. Yet on some nights we sat on the balcony and watched searchlights play across the dark sky, and that had to do with the war, too. So the war was in the sky, somehow. And it was there in the daytime, though I was not sure where. 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