--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As he still groped for that one moment…" description: "\"“As he still groped for that one moment, Father Dowling began to think that the whole city for years had been whispering its story to him out of the da..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/morley-callaghan-42243_mind_as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-f_348579.png" --- # As he still groped for that one moment, Father Dowling… ![“As he still groped for that one moment, Father Dowling began to think that the whole city for years had been whispering its story to him out of the darkness in snatches, in a huge confessional where he could not see the faces…” quote by Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/morley-callaghan-42243_mind_as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-f_348579.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/morley-callaghan-42243_mind_as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-f_348579.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/morley-callaghan-42243_mind_as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-f_348579.png) > ““As he still groped for that one moment, Father Dowling began to think that the whole city for years had been whispering its story to him out of the darkness in snatches, in a huge confessional where he could not see the faces…”” [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A detective feels the city’s hidden stories whispering to him, revealing unseen truths in darkness. **In simple terms:** The city’s secrets speak to him in the dark. Key Takeaway Listen for hidden narratives in your environment. Themes mystery urban life perception Mood introspective melancholic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - investigation - night walks - urban exploration - creative writing Key Concepts existentialism narrative truth Questions to Reflect On - What whispers do you hear in your surroundings? - How does darkness shape perception? A Different Perspective The city may conceal more than it reveals, limiting understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness Snatches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-snatches-3223236/) [Father Dowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-dowling-3223237/) [Huge Confessional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge-confessional-3223238/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Whispering Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whispering-story-2322177/) [Years Whispering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-whispering-3223239/) ## Related quotes > [You want the greatest trick for writing a novel? Here it is: imagine urgently whispering your story into one person's ear - and only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/you-want-the-greatest-trick-for-writing-a-novel-here-it-is-imagine/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [“Tengo stood by the window and looked at the scene outside. Beyond the garden and lawn was the dark line of the pine windbreak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/tengo-stood-by-the-window-and-looked-at-the-scene-outside-beyond-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [I'm not here trying to convince anybody to vote for Donald Trump. I think every Christian needs to make up his own mind about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/i-m-not-here-trying-to-convince-anybody-to-vote-for-donald-trump-i/) [Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) ## More by Morley Callaghan > [“There is only one trait that marks the writer. He is always watching. It's a kind of trick of the mind and he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/there-is-only-one-trait-that-marks-the-writer-he-is-always-watching/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) > [“The last confession he heard was from a young hysterical girl who seemed to him to be making up a chain of small sins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/the-last-confession-he-heard-was-from-a-young-hysterical-girl-who/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) > [I had my success too soon. Three books published with Scribners in New York before I was 30.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/i-had-my-success-too-soon-three-books-published-with-scribners-in-new/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) > [There is only one trait that makes the writer. He is always watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/there-is-only-one-trait-that-makes-the-writer-he-is-always-watching/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) > [I'm probably better known for boxing with Hemingway than for anything I've written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/i-m-probably-better-known-for-boxing-with-hemingway-than-for-anything/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) > [“The question is," Harry whispered, trying desperately to joke, "whether it's better to be dead from the neck up or the neck down," and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/the-question-is-harry-whispered-trying-desperately-to-joke-whether-it/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) > [“His sins seemed to be so few that he was alarmed and groped anxiously for more, knowing he could not be without guilt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/his-sins-seemed-to-be-so-few-that-he-was-alarmed-and-groped-anxiously/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) > [I had my success too soon. Three books published with Scribner's in New York before I was 30.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/i-had-my-success-too-soon-three-books-published-with-scribner-s-in/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) > [I know it may sound silly, but I think my short stories have a life and identity of their own. They crop up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/i-know-it-may-sound-silly-but-i-think-my-short-stories-have-a-life/) [Morley Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) [Explore all 10 Morley Callaghan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/) ## More Mind quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not here trying to convince anybody to vote for Donald Trump. I think every Christian needs to make up his own mind about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/i-m-not-here-trying-to-convince-anybody-to-vote-for-donald-trump-i/) [Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 43,542 Mind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As he still groped for that one moment, Father Dowling began to think that the whole city for years had been whispering its story to him out of the darkness in snatches, in a huge confessional where he could not see the faces…”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Morley Callaghan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-father-dowling-began-to-think/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-father-dowling-began-to-think/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/morley-callaghan-42243_mind_as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-f_348579.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/morley-callaghan-42243_mind_as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-f_348579.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/875/morley-callaghan-42243_mind_as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-f_348579.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As he still groped for that one moment, Father Dowling began to think that the whole city for years had been…” — Morley Callaghan", "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": "Morley Callaghan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-callaghan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As he still groped for that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-father-dowling-began-to-think/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-callaghan/as-he-still-groped-for-that-one-moment-father-dowling-began-to-think/#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 } } ] } ```