--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The question {WHY}, though, never goes…" description: "\"“The question {WHY}, though, never goes away-- not for me, not for anybody. We keep groping toward light while living in darkness.”\" — Philip Yancey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/philip-yancey-840_darkness_the-question-why-though-never-goes-away_2159684.png" --- # The question {WHY}, though, never goes away-- not for me… ![“The question {WHY}, though, never goes away-- not for me, not for anybody. We keep groping toward light while living in darkness.” quote by Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/philip-yancey-840_darkness_the-question-why-though-never-goes-away_2159684.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/philip-yancey-840_darkness_the-question-why-though-never-goes-away_2159684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/philip-yancey-840_darkness_the-question-why-though-never-goes-away_2159684.png) > ““The question {WHY}, though, never goes away-- not for me, not for anybody. We keep groping toward light while living in darkness.”” [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human curiosity persists despite darkness; seeking light is an ongoing spiritual quest. **In simple terms:** We keep searching for meaning. Key Takeaway Pursue hope in uncertainty. Themes faith search light Mood hopeful reflective Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - spiritual practice - creative writing Key Concepts theology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does “light” symbolize for you? - How do you cope with spiritual darkness? A Different Perspective Hope can be elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Living In Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-in-darkness/) ## Related quotes > [Once you have tasted the light of living the darkness somehow seems even more bitter when you go back to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-you-have-tasted-the-light-of-living-the-darkness-somehow-seems/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To find light, we need to see that we have been living in darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vesna-grandja/to-find-light-we-need-to-see-that-we-have-been-living-in-darkness/) Vesna Grandja > [“I know it's hard to think that someone might be living in darkness, but I can tell you that sometimes this is the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-mark-boliek/i-know-it-s-hard-to-think-that-someone-might-be-living-in-darkness/) J. Mark Boliek > [Most of us are imprisoned by something. We're living in darkness until something flips on the switch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynonna-judd/most-of-us-are-imprisoned-by-something-we-re-living-in-darkness-until/) [Wynonna Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynonna-judd/) > [“The people living in darkness have not yet see the light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-people-living-in-darkness-have-not-yet-see-the-light/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [When you come across someone colorful and vibrant maybe in the present it isn't so interesting, but, in the past, it sheds a wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hedlund/when-you-come-across-someone-colorful-and-vibrant-maybe-in-the/) [Garrett Hedlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hedlund/) > [I'm a keep running through the red light living my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ja-rule/i-m-a-keep-running-through-the-red-light-living-my-life/) [Ja Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ja-rule/) > [It's true that we in Iraq are now paying a heavy price as a consequence of senseless violence, but nonetheless there are many positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-blasim/it-s-true-that-we-in-iraq-are-now-paying-a-heavy-price-as-a/) [Hassan Blasim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-blasim/) > [“I remembered what Dad said once, that some people have all of life's answers worked out the day they're born and there's no use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/i-remembered-what-dad-said-once-that-some-people-have-all-of-life-s-2/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [“That simple touch felt like stars springing to life inside of me after years of living in darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-humphries/that-simple-touch-felt-like-stars-springing-to-life-inside-of-me/) [Jessie Humphries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-humphries/) > [“There is no difference between the person living in ignorance and the person living in darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/there-is-no-difference-between-the-person-living-in-ignorance-and-the/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [A day without laughter is like living in darkness; you try to find your way around, but you can't see clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mitchell/a-day-without-laughter-is-like-living-in-darkness-you-try-to-find/) Emily Mitchell > [“My lips touched hers, like two butterflies in the wind. Then I went home, cut off my eyelids, and I’ve been living in darkness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/my-lips-touched-hers-like-two-butterflies-in-the-wind-then-i-went/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“What does he look like? The question was soft- tentative. I knew who he meant. I interlaced my fingers through Rhysand's and squeezed tightly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/what-does-he-look-like-the-question-was-soft-tentative-i-knew-who-he/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) ## More by Philip Yancey > [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Love deems this world worth rescuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/love-deems-this-world-worth-rescuing/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/people-instinctively-know-the-difference-between-something-done-with/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [In a nutshell, the Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22 tells the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/in-a-nutshell-the-bible-from-genesis-3-to-revelation-22-tells-the/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/you-can-know-the-law-by-heart-without-knowing-the-heart-of-it/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“I have marveled at, and sometimes openly questioned, the self-restraint God has shown throughout history, allowing the Genghis Khans and the Hitlers and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-have-marveled-at-and-sometimes-openly-questioned-the-self-restraint/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [C. S. Lewis observed that almost all crimes of Christian history have come about when religion is confused with politics. Politics, which always runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/c-s-lewis-observed-that-almost-all-crimes-of-christian-history-have/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/having-spent-time-around-sinners-and-also-around-purported-saints-i/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [I begin with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-begin-with-confession-not-in-order-to-feel-miserable-rather-to-call/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus reserved his hardest words for the hidden sins of hypocrisy, pride, greed and legalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-reserved-his-hardest-words-for-the-hidden-sins-of-hypocrisy/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“What greater gift could Christians give to the world than the forming of a culture that upholds grace and forgiveness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/what-greater-gift-could-christians-give-to-the-world-than-the-forming/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/for-us-who-are-christians-the-death-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) [Explore all 351 Philip Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [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/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/) [anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Even in darkness your lips taste of sunshine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/even-in-darkness-your-lips-taste-of-sunshine/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does he look like? The question was soft- tentative. I knew who he meant. I interlaced my fingers through Rhysand's and squeezed tightly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/what-does-he-look-like-the-question-was-soft-tentative-i-knew-who-he/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/) [Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) Nicole Gentile [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The question {WHY}, though, never goes away-- not for me, not for anybody. 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