---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was safe here; this was the place he…"
description: "\"“He was safe here; this was the place he loved - sanctuary, the paradise of his despair.”\" — Malcolm Lowry"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/malcolm-lowry-8442_safe-place_he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-l_76819.png"
---

#  He was safe here; this was the place he loved - sanctuary…

![“He was safe here; this was the place he loved - sanctuary, the paradise of his despair.” quote by Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/malcolm-lowry-8442_safe-place_he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-l_76819.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/malcolm-lowry-8442_safe-place_he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-l_76819.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/malcolm-lowry-8442_safe-place_he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-l_76819.png)

> ““He was safe here; this was the place he loved - sanctuary, the paradise of his despair.””

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A paradoxical refuge where safety and love coexist with deep sorrow, highlighting how despair can be intertwined with a sense of belonging.

**In simple terms:** Despair can feel like a sanctuary.

Key Takeaway

Safety and love may mask inner anguish.

Themes

paradox sanctuary despair belonging dualism

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- seeking comfort in familiar spaces
- finding solace during grief
- reflecting on personal loss
- contemplating the nature of home

Key Concepts

psychology emotion place identity

Practical Applications

- therapeutic writing
- mental health counseling

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes a painful memory feel safe?
- How does love transform despair?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Loved Sanctuary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-sanctuary-991859/) [Place Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place-loved-991860/) [Safe place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-place/) [Sanctuary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctuary/) [Sanctuary Paradise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctuary-paradise-991858/)

## Related quotes

> [We need a safe place, a reserve of truth, a place where words kindle ideas and set ideas sparking off in others, a word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-mackie/we-need-a-safe-place-a-reserve-of-truth-a-place-where-words-kindle/)

[Allison Mackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-mackie/)

> [“Music I discovered that night, was a sanctuary, a safe place to hide, a place where scars didn't matter, they didn't exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-vlahos/music-i-discovered-that-night-was-a-sanctuary-a-safe-place-to-hide-a/)

[Len Vlahos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-vlahos/)

> [“The ocean was my addiction, the place I loved most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-lonsdale/the-ocean-was-my-addiction-the-place-i-loved-most/)

[Kerry Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-lonsdale/)

> [She flies to a place where she's loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-mcbride/she-flies-to-a-place-where-she-s-loved/)

[Martina Mcbride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-mcbride/)

> [“Home is the place where we sometimes hurt the ones we love, but the back door is always open—and there is always a seat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/home-is-the-place-where-we-sometimes-hurt-the-ones-we-love-but-the/)

[Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/)

> [“Like hunting for a dead beloved's face among the living, in places, we find the place we loved before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-lillith-assadi/like-hunting-for-a-dead-beloved-s-face-among-the-living-in-places-we/)

[Hannah Lillith Assadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-lillith-assadi/)

> [“He hadn’t done anything like that in so long, it felt foreign and so comfortingly familiar at the same time. Like coming back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-rose/he-hadn-t-done-anything-like-that-in-so-long-it-felt-foreign-and-so/)

[A.M. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-rose/)

> [“He wanted to stay so badly, in this place where he had begun to put violence down. In the place where he'd learned how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/he-wanted-to-stay-so-badly-in-this-place-where-he-had-begun-to-put/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [I stopped trying to chase the perfect place to be, and realized the perfect place is with your loved ones and your closest friends,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-swank/i-stopped-trying-to-chase-the-perfect-place-to-be-and-realized-the/)

[Hilary Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-swank/)

> [“There was no other place I loved so well as this one." "Me as well,"... For all the places I've loved, there have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-wingate/there-was-no-other-place-i-loved-so-well-as-this-one-me-as-well-for/)

[Lisa Wingate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-wingate/)

> [“You know how sometimes you remember a place you once loved, a movie you’ve enjoyed, only to be disappointed when you return to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-westover/you-know-how-sometimes-you-remember-a-place-you-once-loved-a-movie/)

[Christina Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-westover/)

> [“The ocean was the best place. That was what she loved most. It was a feeling of freedom like no other, a feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/the-ocean-was-the-best-place-that-was-what-she-loved-most-it-was-a/)

[Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/)

> [Never the time and the place And the loved one all together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/never-the-time-and-the-place-and-the-loved-one-all-together/)

[Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/)

> [Covid-19 has lit an even hotter fire in me to become a more active participant in advocating for homeless people and homelessness relief. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/covid-19-has-lit-an-even-hotter-fire-in-me-to-become-a-more-active/)

[Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/)

> [One of our rules for the show, I guess the filter we try to pass everything through, is it's a safe place for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-duran/one-of-our-rules-for-the-show-i-guess-the-filter-we-try-to-pass/)

[Elvis Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-duran/)

## More by Malcolm Lowry

> [“Night: and once again, the nightly grapple with death, the room shaking with daemonic orchestras, the snatches of fearful sleep, the voices outside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/night-and-once-again-the-nightly-grapple-with-death-the-room-shaking/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [War is being declared to-morrow here so perhaps you can understand that I have been working under difficulties, but difficulties negligible compared with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/war-is-being-declared-to-morrow-here-so-perhaps-you-can-understand/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [What I have absolutely no sympathy with is the legislator, the man who seeks, for his own profit, to exploit the weaknesses of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/what-i-have-absolutely-no-sympathy-with-is-the-legislator-the-man-who/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“The will of man is unconquerable. Even God cannot conquer it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/the-will-of-man-is-unconquerable-even-god-cannot-conquer-it/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“and as they stood in silence before her, prayed again. "Nothing is altered and in spite of God's mercy I am still alone. Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/and-as-they-stood-in-silence-before-her-prayed-again-nothing-is/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“Far above him a few white clouds were racing windily after a pale gibbous moon. Drink all morning, they said to him, drink all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/far-above-him-a-few-white-clouds-were-racing-windily-after-a-pale/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [Adiós," she added in Spanish, "I have no house only a shadow. But whenever you are in need of a shadow, my shadow is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/adi-s-she-added-in-spanish-i-have-no-house-only-a-shadow-but-whenever/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“They were the cars at the fair that were whirling around her; no, they were the planets, while the sun stood, burning and spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/they-were-the-cars-at-the-fair-that-were-whirling-around-her-no-they/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“When I should have been producing obscure volumes of verse entitled the Triumph of Humpty Dumpty or the Nose with the Luminous Dong! Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/when-i-should-have-been-producing-obscure-volumes-of-verse-entitled/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“My lover. Oh come to me again as once in May.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/my-lover-oh-come-to-me-again-as-once-in-may/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“I have no house only a shadow. But whenever you are in need of a shadow, my shadow is yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/i-have-no-house-only-a-shadow-but-whenever-you-are-in-need-of-a/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“Indeed, on the face of it, this man of abnormal strength and constitution and obscure ambition, whom Hugh would never know, could never deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/indeed-on-the-face-of-it-this-man-of-abnormal-strength-and/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“Under the Volcano” embraces everything from Dante to Freud to the cabala. Here it shambles like Cervantes, there it rages like Ahab, and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/under-the-volcano-embraces-everything-from-dante-to-freud-to-the/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [War is being declared tomorrow here so perhaps you can understand that I have been working under difficulties, but difficulties negligible compared with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/war-is-being-declared-tomorrow-here-so-perhaps-you-can-understand/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“Can't you see there's a determinism about the fate of nations? They all seem to get what they deserve in the long run.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/can-t-you-see-there-s-a-determinism-about-the-fate-of-nations-they/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

[Explore all 78 Malcolm Lowry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

## More Safe place quotes

> [One of our rules for the show, I guess the filter we try to pass everything through, is it's a safe place for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-duran/one-of-our-rules-for-the-show-i-guess-the-filter-we-try-to-pass/)

[Elvis Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-duran/)

> [Covid-19 has lit an even hotter fire in me to become a more active participant in advocating for homeless people and homelessness relief. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/covid-19-has-lit-an-even-hotter-fire-in-me-to-become-a-more-active/)

[Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/)

> [“We Will Let You Down: If We’re Close Enough to Help, We’re Close Enough to Hurt Bob Nobody wants to be the church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-briggs-2/we-will-let-you-down-if-we-re-close-enough-to-help-we-re-close-enough/)

[J.R. Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-briggs-2/)

> [I love to play; a stage is a safe place for me to be. It's not that way for most folks, but I'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-danko/i-love-to-play-a-stage-is-a-safe-place-for-me-to-be-it-s-not-that-way/)

[Rick Danko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-danko/)

> [“Do you keep time in the same place that you save it? If so why is it always so difficult to find? It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/do-you-keep-time-in-the-same-place-that-you-save-it-if-so-why-is-it/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [Every child should have a safe place in their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manchin/every-child-should-have-a-safe-place-in-their-life/)

[Joe Manchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manchin/)

> [“Kristin comes down the stairs, and the pressure on my chest snaps. I take a moment to turn away, inhaling deeply, blinking away tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-kemmerer/kristin-comes-down-the-stairs-and-the-pressure-on-my-chest-snaps-i/)

[Brigid Kemmerer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-kemmerer/)

> [“Desire is naughty and doesn't conform to our ideals, which is why we have such a need of them. Desire mocks all human endeavour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/desire-is-naughty-and-doesn-t-conform-to-our-ideals-which-is-why-we/)

[Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/)

> [Often I feel powerless when I hear stories about animals in shelters across the country whose lives are taken simply because they have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/often-i-feel-powerless-when-i-hear-stories-about-animals-in-shelters/)

[Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/)

> [Don't play games with me! You just killed someone I like, that is not a safe place to stand! I'm the Doctor, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/don-t-play-games-with-me-you-just-killed-someone-i-like-that-is-not-a/)

[Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/)

> [TV is a safe place to develop real characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/tv-is-a-safe-place-to-develop-real-characters/)

[Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/)

> [To be honest, there are so many things I learned in acting school beyond the method; it was a safe place to practice. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-levy/to-be-honest-there-are-so-many-things-i-learned-in-acting-school/)

[Jane Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-levy/)

> [A good zoo," Stella said, "is a large domain. A wild cage. A safe place to be. It has room to roam and humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/a-good-zoo-stella-said-is-a-large-domain-a-wild-cage-a-safe-place-to/)

[Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/)

> [I keep myself safe both physically and emotionally in my working environment by 'being one of the boys.' In my head, subconsciously, that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/i-keep-myself-safe-both-physically-and-emotionally-in-my-working/)

[Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/)

> [“and confused if someone does not appreciate their niceness. Others often sense this and avoid giving them feedback not only, effectively blocking the nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-bryson/and-confused-if-someone-does-not-appreciate-their-niceness-others/)

[Kelly Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-bryson/)

[Browse all 321 Safe place quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-place/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He was safe here; this was the place he loved - sanctuary, the paradise of his despair.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Malcolm Lowry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-loved-sanctuary-the-paradise/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Safe place"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-loved-sanctuary-the-paradise/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/malcolm-lowry-8442_safe-place_he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-l_76819.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/malcolm-lowry-8442_safe-place_he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-l_76819.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/malcolm-lowry-8442_safe-place_he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-l_76819.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He was safe here; this was the place he loved - sanctuary, the paradise of his despair.” — Malcolm Lowry",
                "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": "Malcolm Lowry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He was safe here; this was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-loved-sanctuary-the-paradise/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-loved-sanctuary-the-paradise/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
