--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There I sat, probably looking so dreadful…" description: "\"“There I sat, probably looking so dreadful that nothing had the courage to stand by me; not even the candle, which I had just done the service of light..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09e/rainer-maria-rilke-193_courage_there-i-sat-probably-looking-so-dreadful_437859.jpg" --- # There I sat, probably looking so dreadful that nothing had… ![“There I sat, probably looking so dreadful that nothing had the courage to stand by me; not even the candle, which I had just done the service of lighting it, would have anything to do with me. It burned away there by itself, as in an empty room. My last hope was always the window. I imagined that…” quote by Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09e/rainer-maria-rilke-193_courage_there-i-sat-probably-looking-so-dreadful_437859.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09e/rainer-maria-rilke-193_courage_there-i-sat-probably-looking-so-dreadful_437859.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09e/rainer-maria-rilke-193_courage_there-i-sat-probably-looking-so-dreadful_437859.jpg) > ““There I sat, probably looking so dreadful that nothing had the courage to stand by me; not even the candle, which I had just done the service of lighting it, would have anything to do with me. It burned away there by itself, as in an empty room. My last hope was always the window. I imagined that outside there, there still might be something that belonged to me, even now, even in this sudden poverty of dying. But scarcely had I looked thither when I wished the window had been barricaded, blocked up, like the wall. For now I knew that things were going on out there in the same indifferent way, that out there, too, there was nothing but my loneliness. The loneliness I had brought upon myself and to the greatness of which my heart no longer stood in any sort of proportion. People came to my mind whom I had once left, and I did not understand how one could forsake people.”” [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator feels profound isolation, seeing the world as indifferent, and longs for connection that seems unreachable. **In simple terms:** Deep loneliness and yearning for belonging. Key Takeaway Accept solitude, seek meaningful connections. Themes loneliness existence longing Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - personal reflection - mental health therapy Key Concepts existentialism psychology solitude Questions to Reflect On - How does perceived indifference shape our self‑worth? - Can we find comfort in shared human experience? 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