--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Loneliness is black coffee and late-night…" description: "\"Loneliness is black coffee and late-night television; solitude is herb tea and soft music.\" — Pearl Cleage" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/pearl-cleage-10395_being-alone_loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-nigh_821969.jpg" --- # Loneliness is black coffee and late-night television… ![“Loneliness is black coffee and late-night television; solitude is herb tea and soft music.” quote by Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/pearl-cleage-10395_being-alone_loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-nigh_821969.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/pearl-cleage-10395_being-alone_loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-nigh_821969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/pearl-cleage-10395_being-alone_loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-nigh_821969.jpg) > “Loneliness is black coffee and late-night television; solitude is herb tea and soft music.” [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Loneliness feels harsh and empty like black coffee and TV; solitude feels gentle like herb tea and soft music. **In simple terms:** Loneliness is harsh; solitude is gentle. Key Takeaway Seek gentle solitude over harsh loneliness. Themes loneliness solitude comfort Mood contemplative poetic Type emotional philosophical When to use this quote - mental health - personal downtime - creative work - night routines Key Concepts psychology wellbeing Questions to Reflect On - When does solitude turn into loneliness? - How can you cultivate gentle solitude? A Different Perspective Solitude can become loneliness if isolation persists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-alone/) [Black coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-coffee/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Late night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late-night/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [Loneliness is black coffee and late-night television; solitude is herb tea and soft music. Solitude, quality solitude, is an assertion of self-worth, because only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-night-television-solitude-is-herb-2/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [“In chili’s hand were his car keys, Ray-bans and Marlboros, without which he wouldn't leave his bathroom. Chili drank only black coffee and neat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/in-chili-s-hand-were-his-car-keys-ray-bans-and-marlboros-without/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [I go "I just want a cup of black coffee." She goes "Do you want to try a biscotti? They're from Italy and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-engvall/i-go-i-just-want-a-cup-of-black-coffee-she-goes-do-you-want-to-try-a/) [Bill Engvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-engvall/) > [“Coffee, then. Black.” Adrian scratches his hair under the cap. “So . . . espresso?” “No. Coffee.” Adrian transfers his scratching from hair to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/coffee-then-black-adrian-scratches-his-hair-under-the-cap-so-espresso/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [No matter how much strong black coffee we drink, almost any after- dinner speech will counteract it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kin-hubbard/no-matter-how-much-strong-black-coffee-we-drink-almost-any-after/) [Kin Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kin-hubbard/) > [“They sat at a metal table covered by stained and cracked Formica laminate. A huge woman with shoulder-length braids pranced over. Baldwin couldn’t believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/they-sat-at-a-metal-table-covered-by-stained-and-cracked-formica/) [J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/) > [“When you do drugs, you count like a chemist: The numbers are wild, the formulas are easy. Then, when you try to get clean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/when-you-do-drugs-you-count-like-a-chemist-the-numbers-are-wild-the/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [“Come on, Will,” Holly said as she trailed after him into the kitchen. “You know this is a good plan.” “You know it is,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-kennedy/come-on-will-holly-said-as-she-trailed-after-him-into-the-kitchen-you/) [Elle Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-kennedy/) > [I like to have straight-up black coffee, but when you get it, sometimes you'll burn your tongue, or it spills on your hands, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-like-to-have-straight-up-black-coffee-but-when-you-get-it-sometimes/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [“Choice- Judgement. Black coffee acid on an empty stomach. Perception. Cool, clear water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keelie-breanna/choice-judgement-black-coffee-acid-on-an-empty-stomach-perception/) [Keelie Breanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keelie-breanna/) > [“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/good-communication-is-as-stimulating-as-black-coffee/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [In 'Black Coffee' I am not the celluloid avatar of 'Meghe Dhaka Tara' director any more. How can you portray similar characters in two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/in-black-coffee-i-am-not-the-celluloid-avatar-of-meghe-dhaka-tara/) [Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/) > [“When Balzac was working, his writing schedule was brutal: He ate a light dinner at 6:00 P.M., then went to bed. At 1:00 A.M.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-currey/when-balzac-was-working-his-writing-schedule-was-brutal-he-ate-a/) [Mason Currey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-currey/) > [Black coffee must be strong and very hot; if strong coffee does not agree with you, do not drink black coffee. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-simon/black-coffee-must-be-strong-and-very-hot-if-strong-coffee-does-not/) [Andre Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-simon/) > [For four to six months at a time, I would barely eat. I lived on a diet of Melba toast, carrots, and black coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-morissette/for-four-to-six-months-at-a-time-i-would-barely-eat-i-lived-on-a-diet/) [Alanis Morissette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-morissette/) ## More by Pearl Cleage > [It is a dangerous time to be a black woman in America. It’s a time when we are not safe in the streets or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/it-is-a-dangerous-time-to-be-a-black-woman-in-america-it-s-a-time/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [“what looks like crazy on an ordinary day looks a lot like love if you catch it in the moonlight!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/what-looks-like-crazy-on-an-ordinary-day-looks-a-lot-like-love-if-you/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [Loneliness is random; solitude is ritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/loneliness-is-random-solitude-is-ritual/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [We danced too wild, and we sang too long, and we hugged too hard, and we kissed too sweet, and howled just as loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/we-danced-too-wild-and-we-sang-too-long-and-we-hugged-too-hard-and-we/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [I truly love the rehearsal process, those eight hours a day! I really love actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/i-truly-love-the-rehearsal-process-those-eight-hours-a-day-i-really/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [If you don't annoy your big sister for no good reason from time to time, she thinks you don't love her anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/if-you-don-t-annoy-your-big-sister-for-no-good-reason-from-time-to/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [That's why I love being a writer. My imagination can take me places I may never see except in my mind's eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/that-s-why-i-love-being-a-writer-my-imagination-can-take-me-places-i/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [“I need the words to find the music!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/i-need-the-words-to-find-the-music/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [Sometimes you have to show them what they want to see in order to get them to show you who they really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/sometimes-you-have-to-show-them-what-they-want-to-see-in-order-to-get/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [Buying flowers is not just a way to bring home beauty. It's an expression of confidence that better days are coming. It's a defiant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/buying-flowers-is-not-just-a-way-to-bring-home-beauty-it-s-an/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [“Sometimes the contradictions in their lives are so intense they seem manufactured for teaching life lessons, but it's hard to keep up with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/sometimes-the-contradictions-in-their-lives-are-so-intense-they-seem/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [“em,” she said softly. “That guy with the sexy voice told ’em to get ready”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/em-she-said-softly-that-guy-with-the-sexy-voice-told-em-to-get-ready/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [Domestic violence is the front line of the war against women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/domestic-violence-is-the-front-line-of-the-war-against-women/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [When I got to the end of this play, I realized I was trying to make Angel do something that had not been justified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/when-i-got-to-the-end-of-this-play-i-realized-i-was-trying-to-make/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) > [What looks like crazy on an ordinary day looks looks a lot like love if you catch it in the moonlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/what-looks-like-crazy-on-an-ordinary-day-looks-looks-a-lot-like-love/) [Pearl Cleage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) [Explore all 65 Pearl Cleage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/) ## More Being alone quotes > [“Truth is, I’m generally happiest when it’s just me. It’s okay to be madly in love with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/truth-is-i-m-generally-happiest-when-it-s-just-me-it-s-okay-to-be/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [A man in a bookstore buys a book on loneliness and every woman in the store hits on him. A woman buys a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-man-in-a-bookstore-buys-a-book-on-loneliness-and-every-woman-in-the/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Noone understands me,... not even myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syoung/noone-understands-me-not-even-myself/) Syoung > [Real love is a permanently self-enlarging experience…A Journey With My Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luckybannu/real-love-is-a-permanently-self-enlarging-experience-a-journey-with/) Luckybannu > [I'm hurt all the time. I don't want to cry for the way I feel inside. I just want someone to hold me... I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-hurt-all-the-time-i-don-t-want-to-cry-for-the-way-i-feel-inside-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You are terrifying, and strange, and beautiful. Something not everyone knows how to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warsan-shire/you-are-terrifying-and-strange-and-beautiful-something-not-everyone/) [Warsan Shire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warsan-shire/) > [I wish I had someone to love me as much as I could love them. It's hard being alone when everyone else you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-had-someone-to-love-me-as-much-as-i-could-love-them-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People think being alone makes you LONELY, But I don't think thats true. Being surrounded by wrong people is the loneliest thing in World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-think-being-alone-makes-you-lonely-but-i-don-t-think-thats/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't feel alone, because there is always someone out there who loves you more than you can imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-feel-alone-because-there-is-always-someone-out-there-who-loves/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Be much alone with God, and take time to get thoroughly acquainted. Converse over everything with Him. Unburden yourself wholly -every thought, feeling, wish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatius-bonar/be-much-alone-with-god-and-take-time-to-get-thoroughly-acquainted/) [Horatius Bonar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatius-bonar/) > [Fame always brings loneliness. Success is as ice cold and lonely as the North Pole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/fame-always-brings-loneliness-success-is-as-ice-cold-and-lonely-as/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [That moment when you burst out crying alone in your room. And you realize that no one truly knows how unhappy you are. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-moment-when-you-burst-out-crying-alone-in-your-room-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Loneliness hits the minds of those that thinks they are single and alone. There's always someone out there waiting patiently for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loneliness-hits-the-minds-of-those-that-thinks-they-are-single-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im just gonna hide. Another face in your perfect world. Quiet as a mouse.Secretive as a sin. Darkly beautifully. Beautifully strange ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/im-just-gonna-hide-another-face-in-your-perfect-world-quiet-as-a/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [Im not totally mad at you. Im just sad. Youre all locked up in that little world of yours, and when I try knocking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/im-not-totally-mad-at-you-im-just-sad-youre-all-locked-up-in-that/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Browse all 978 Being alone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-alone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Loneliness is black coffee and late-night television; solitude is herb tea and soft music.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pearl Cleage" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-night-television-solitude-is-herb/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being alone" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-night-television-solitude-is-herb/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/pearl-cleage-10395_being-alone_loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-nigh_821969.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/pearl-cleage-10395_being-alone_loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-nigh_821969.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/pearl-cleage-10395_being-alone_loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-nigh_821969.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Loneliness is black coffee and late-night television; solitude is herb tea and soft music.” — Pearl Cleage", "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": "Pearl Cleage", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-cleage/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Loneliness is black coffee and late-night...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-night-television-solitude-is-herb/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-cleage/loneliness-is-black-coffee-and-late-night-television-solitude-is-herb/#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 } } ] } ```