--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was any outcast's nightmare. If I…" description: "\"It was any outcast's nightmare. If I looked carefully, I suspected I might find it beneath the black paint of the small acrylic by the window.\" — Nancy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/nancy-werlin-13440_black_it-was-any-outcast-s-nightmare-if-i-look_1174445.png" --- # It was any outcast's nightmare. If I looked carefully, I… ![“It was any outcast's nightmare. If I looked carefully, I suspected I might find it beneath the black paint of the small acrylic by the window.” quote by Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/nancy-werlin-13440_black_it-was-any-outcast-s-nightmare-if-i-look_1174445.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/nancy-werlin-13440_black_it-was-any-outcast-s-nightmare-if-i-look_1174445.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/nancy-werlin-13440_black_it-was-any-outcast-s-nightmare-if-i-look_1174445.png) > “It was any outcast's nightmare. If I looked carefully, I suspected I might find it beneath the black paint of the small acrylic by the window.” [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) ## 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 describes a hidden, unsettling secret revealed under a seemingly ordinary surface. **In simple terms:** A hidden horror lies beneath the familiar. Key Takeaway Look beyond appearances for hidden truths. Themes secrecy fear discovery Mood mysterious reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - family dynamics - art analysis - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology trauma art symbolism Questions to Reflect On - What secrets might you be overlooking? - How does art reveal inner fears? A Different Perspective The metaphor may be too abstract for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/) [Outcast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcast/) ## Related quotes > [Like a white boy wearing black paint, you're a fake ass nigga.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/like-a-white-boy-wearing-black-paint-you-re-a-fake-ass-nigga/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [I don't paint over my paintings with black paint. I paint black paintings. It isn't because I'm sad, just as I didn't paint red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-baselitz/i-don-t-paint-over-my-paintings-with-black-paint-i-paint-black/) [Georg Baselitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-baselitz/) > [It's as if a child with a brush and too much enthusiasm has been set free with a tin of black paint inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-downham/it-s-as-if-a-child-with-a-brush-and-too-much-enthusiasm-has-been-set/) [Jenny Downham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-downham/) > [In other countries, it's a common thing to have outcast children running around the streets in packs, and I don't think we're so far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-spheeris/in-other-countries-it-s-a-common-thing-to-have-outcast-children/) [Penelope Spheeris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-spheeris/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [It is because Jesus Christ experienced cosmic thirst on the cross that you and I can have our spiritual thirst satisfied. It is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/it-is-because-jesus-christ-experienced-cosmic-thirst-on-the-cross/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I began to see myself as someone who can help others understand diversity rather than feeling like a social outcast. Ellen taught me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-de-rossi/i-began-to-see-myself-as-someone-who-can-help-others-understand/) [Portia de Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-de-rossi/) > [Hannah Tinti writes with uncommon grace and stunning insight. Her quirky tribe of outcasts will break into your dreams and steal your spirit. Surrender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-rae-thon/hannah-tinti-writes-with-uncommon-grace-and-stunning-insight-her/) Melanie Rae Thon > [I can't say that I ever abided nerd stereotypes: I was never alone or felt outcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-can-t-say-that-i-ever-abided-nerd-stereotypes-i-was-never-alone-or/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [“Every great philosopher, in their own way, questioned the fundamental assumptions that were present in the thinking of their time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-west/every-great-philosopher-in-their-own-way-questioned-the-fundamental/) Steven West > [There remains an experience of incomparable value . . . to see the great events of world history from below; from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-remains-an-experience-of-incomparable-value-to-see-the-great/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [In my early teens, science fiction and fantasy had an almost-total hold over my imagination. Their outcast status was part of their appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/in-my-early-teens-science-fiction-and-fantasy-had-an-almost-total/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love. Or you can start speaking up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bareilles/you-can-be-the-outcast-or-be-the-backlash-of-somebody-s-lack-of-love/) [Sara Bareilles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bareilles/) > [You're an outcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinedown/you-re-an-outcast/) [Shinedown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinedown/) > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) ## More by Nancy Werlin > [There is nothing in this world that I want or need, but you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-that-i-want-or-need-but-you/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [From all of us Scarborough girls, greetings and thanks. This task required two, working together, trusting each other. It required the "us," not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/from-all-of-us-scarborough-girls-greetings-and-thanks-this-task/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [Nothing that had happened in the past could be taken away. This was an amazing gift. The past was done and over and settled;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/nothing-that-had-happened-in-the-past-could-be-taken-away-this-was-an/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [Sometimes the people who mean you harm, are the ones that say they love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/sometimes-the-people-who-mean-you-harm-are-the-ones-that-say-they/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [I'm not saying I'm glad it happened. Not exactly. But I'm not sorry to be the person I am today, and to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/i-m-not-saying-i-m-glad-it-happened-not-exactly-but-i-m-not-sorry-to/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [There was a mission: To match the cover of 'Extraordinary' to the cover of the paperback 'Impossible,' which was commercially successful. Consider the outdoor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/there-was-a-mission-to-match-the-cover-of-extraordinary-to-the-cover/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [“Jews put black over mirrors during times os mourning so they wouldn't think about themselves. But I never did look in mirrors anyway, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/jews-put-black-over-mirrors-during-times-os-mourning-so-they-wouldn-t/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [Emmy, the events we lived through taught me to be sure of nothing about other people. They taught me to expect danger around every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/emmy-the-events-we-lived-through-taught-me-to-be-sure-of-nothing/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [“Continued pain is a signal to the body that there's something wrong, not right. Lucy Scarborough Nancy Werlin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/continued-pain-is-a-signal-to-the-body-that-there-s-something-wrong/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [When you first fall in love, it's supposed to be awful. Awful, uncertain, scary, wonderful, confusing, all at once. That's how you know it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/when-you-first-fall-in-love-it-s-supposed-to-be-awful-awful-uncertain/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [Always remember: In the end, the surviver gets to tell the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/always-remember-in-the-end-the-surviver-gets-to-tell-the-story/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [But I know that I'm not who I was supposed to be. Who I could have been. And I know it's because I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/but-i-know-that-i-m-not-who-i-was-supposed-to-be-who-i-could-have/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [People who're nuts never doubt their own sanity. (The Killer's Cousin)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/people-who-re-nuts-never-doubt-their-own-sanity-the-killer-s-cousin/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [Besides, Southerners are hospitable. They'll probably offer me lemonade." Excuse me? You're going to sit on a porch and drink lemonade while I plow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/besides-southerners-are-hospitable-they-ll-probably-offer-me-lemonade/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) > [No. It's actually not okay. And I hate when people say that, when they say it's okay even though it's not. It's better to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-werlin/no-it-s-actually-not-okay-and-i-hate-when-people-say-that-when-they/) [Nancy Werlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) [Explore all 50 Nancy Werlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-werlin/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was any outcast's nightmare. 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