---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It may be a dark cloud passing across the…"
description: "\"“It may be a dark cloud passing across the sky, but—if that is the metaphor—you are the sky. You were there before it. And the cloud can’t exist withou..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/matt-haig-1036_quote_it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-th_1406784.jpg"
---

#  It may be a dark cloud passing across the sky, but—if that…

![“It may be a dark cloud passing across the sky, but—if that is the metaphor—you are the sky. You were there before it. And the cloud can’t exist without the sky, but the sky can exist without the cloud.” quote by Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/matt-haig-1036_quote_it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-th_1406784.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/matt-haig-1036_quote_it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-th_1406784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/matt-haig-1036_quote_it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-th_1406784.jpg)

> ““It may be a dark cloud passing across the sky, but—if that is the metaphor—you are the sky. You were there before it. And the cloud can’t exist without the sky, but the sky can exist without the cloud.””

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

## About This Quote

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

You are the constant backdrop of life; temporary problems cannot define you.

**In simple terms:** You are the sky, clouds are temporary.

Key Takeaway

Remember your enduring nature.

Themes

resilience identity impermanence

Mood

reflective calm

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- mental health struggles
- daily setbacks

Key Concepts

existentialism mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you stay grounded during turmoil?
- What does being “the sky” mean for you?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex systemic issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cloud Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cloud-exist-4946588/) [Exist Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-sky-2866038/) [Metaphor Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor-sky-4946586/) [Sky Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky-exist-4946587/) [Sky Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky-metaphor-4946585/)

## Related quotes

> [“There's a reason why stars can only exist in the sky -- they're just rockets of light traveling through space, so it feels right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/there-s-a-reason-why-stars-can-only-exist-in-the-sky-they-re-just/)

[Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/)

## More by Matt Haig

> [“Maybe that is what growing up was all about. It was about changing your mind. Opening it right up. Admitting to yourself that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/maybe-that-is-what-growing-up-was-all-about-it-was-about-changing/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“It felt civilised and modern. It felt refined and tantalising, all at once, like a polite collective pre-orgasm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-felt-civilised-and-modern-it-felt-refined-and-tantalising-all-at/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [If you can't give children optimism, then what are you doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/if-you-can-t-give-children-optimism-then-what-are-you-doing/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“He just wanted to live inside a moment of that life with her forever, to pluck it like a flower and press it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/he-just-wanted-to-live-inside-a-moment-of-that-life-with-her-forever/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [British culture is very cynical sometimes of overt displays of sentimentality, and I think that becomes almost a suspicion of emotion, or a suspicion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/british-culture-is-very-cynical-sometimes-of-overt-displays-of/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“That is one of the patterns: when nothing is happening, nothing continues to happen, but after a while the lull becomes too much and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/that-is-one-of-the-patterns-when-nothing-is-happening-nothing/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [The single biggest act of bravery or madness anyone can do is the act of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/the-single-biggest-act-of-bravery-or-madness-anyone-can-do-is-the-act/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [For me, as a writer, I desperately want to be read. I'm very conscious of readers as I'm writing. I think, 'If you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/for-me-as-a-writer-i-desperately-want-to-be-read-i-m-very-conscious/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“It’s not you. It’s them. (No, really. It is.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-s-not-you-it-s-them-no-really-it-is/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“We are all so weird that, really, none of us are. There are seven billion versions of strange on this freak wonder of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/we-are-all-so-weird-that-really-none-of-us-are-there-are-seven/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“Sa asculti muzica, mi-am dat eu seama, nu era altceva decat placerea de a numara fara sa iti dai seama ca numeri.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/sa-asculti-muzica-mi-am-dat-eu-seama-nu-era-altceva-decat-placerea-de/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [“Beauty--be not caused," said Emily Dickinson. "It is." In one way she was wrong. The scattering of light over a long distance creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/beauty-be-not-caused-said-emily-dickinson-it-is-in-one-way-she-was/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [I'm a firm believer in the connection between the body and the mind: feed one, feed both. I like to run, but only short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/i-m-a-firm-believer-in-the-connection-between-the-body-and-the-mind/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [Look at the sky; remind yourself of the cosmos. Seek vastness at every opportunity in order to see the smallness of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/look-at-the-sky-remind-yourself-of-the-cosmos-seek-vastness-at-every/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

> [A book is a map. There will be times in your life when you will feel lost and confused. The way back to yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/a-book-is-a-map-there-will-be-times-in-your-life-when-you-will-feel/)

[Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

[Explore all 294 Matt Haig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/)

## More Exist Sky quotes

> [“There's a reason why stars can only exist in the sky -- they're just rockets of light traveling through space, so it feels right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/there-s-a-reason-why-stars-can-only-exist-in-the-sky-they-re-just/)

[Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/)

[Browse all 2 Exist Sky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-sky-2866038/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It may be a dark cloud passing across the sky, but—if that is the metaphor—you are the sky. You were there before it. And the cloud can’t exist without the sky, but the sky can exist without the cloud.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Matt Haig"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-the-sky-but-if-that-is-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Exist Sky"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-the-sky-but-if-that-is-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/matt-haig-1036_quote_it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-th_1406784.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/matt-haig-1036_quote_it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-th_1406784.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/matt-haig-1036_quote_it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-th_1406784.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It may be a dark cloud passing across the sky, but—if that is the metaphor—you are the sky. You were there…” — Matt Haig",
                "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": "Matt Haig",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It may be a dark cloud...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-the-sky-but-if-that-is-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-may-be-a-dark-cloud-passing-across-the-sky-but-if-that-is-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
