--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I stared at the flames licking at the…" description: "\"“I stared at the flames licking at the darkness and everything was lost as I sank deeper into nothingness.”\" — Rebecca Donovan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/rebecca-donovan-3163_darkness_i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-da_217311.jpg" --- # I stared at the flames licking at the darkness and… ![“I stared at the flames licking at the darkness and everything was lost as I sank deeper into nothingness.” quote by Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/rebecca-donovan-3163_darkness_i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-da_217311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/rebecca-donovan-3163_darkness_i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-da_217311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/rebecca-donovan-3163_darkness_i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-da_217311.jpg) > ““I stared at the flames licking at the darkness and everything was lost as I sank deeper into nothingness.”” [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despair can feel overwhelming, engulfing one in darkness and loss. **In simple terms:** Despair feels like sinking into darkness. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and seek light. Themes despair darkness loss loneliness Mood somber introspective Type literary emotive When to use this quote - depression - nighttime anxiety - creative block Key Concepts mental health existential angst grief Questions to Reflect On - What small light can you create? - How does darkness affect your thoughts? A Different Perspective Hope can be fragile and hard to find. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-lost-482359/) [Deeper Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper-nothingness-2228533/) [Sank Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sank-deeper-1101315/) [Stared Flames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stared-flames-2228534/) ## Related quotes > [“I couldn't believe I let him see me like this, unable to fend for myself. I fumed in disgust at my vulnerability. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-couldn-t-believe-i-let-him-see-me-like-this-unable-to-fend-for/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“He just stared into the flames. 2 A happy man has no past, while an unhappy man has nothing else. In his old age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/he-just-stared-into-the-flames-2-a-happy-man-has-no-past-while-an/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [For now, oh my God, it is to You alone that I can talk, because nobody else will understand. I cannot bring any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/for-now-oh-my-god-it-is-to-you-alone-that-i-can-talk-because-nobody/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Our Titanic of a family sank deeper and deeper as time went on. But in a sick way, I'm almost glad it did. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/our-titanic-of-a-family-sank-deeper-and-deeper-as-time-went-on-but-in/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [“No. I wanted nothing of that. I sank myself deeper into the stronger current where all such outreaching mingled into a vast joining. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/no-i-wanted-nothing-of-that-i-sank-myself-deeper-into-the-stronger/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [In actuality, no one ever sank so deep that he could not sink deeper, and there may be one or many who sank deeper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/in-actuality-no-one-ever-sank-so-deep-that-he-could-not-sink-deeper/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“Barely tearing her eyes away in time to focus on the water, she heard the heavy thump of his belt hitting the grass. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-savage/barely-tearing-her-eyes-away-in-time-to-focus-on-the-water-she-heard/) [Vivienne Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-savage/) > [“I sank back, deeper into the parallel universe I had found.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-sudjic/i-sank-back-deeper-into-the-parallel-universe-i-had-found/) [Olivia Sudjic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-sudjic/) > [“She was not in the body of a young woman but just as I remembered her: a little toddler with a beautiful smile. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/she-was-not-in-the-body-of-a-young-woman-but-just-as-i-remembered-her/) [Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/) > [“But daylight brought with it a wonder. None of us had expected to see it again. And as the darkness lost its intensity, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-pemper/but-daylight-brought-with-it-a-wonder-none-of-us-had-expected-to-see/) [Tammy Pemper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-pemper/) > [“I may have been born into this world to be the Gwardian, but I was created for you, for us. You are the reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-thorne-grey/i-may-have-been-born-into-this-world-to-be-the-gwardian-but-i-was/) [Madison Thorne Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-thorne-grey/) > [Persephone herself is but a voice or a darkness invisible enfolded in the deeper dark of the arms Plutonic, and pierced with the passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/persephone-herself-is-but-a-voice-or-a-darkness-invisible-enfolded-in/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Slowly falling down the hole Feverishly flailing, no place to hold. Consumed by darkness, where did she go? Sadness has its hold on her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaile-stewart/slowly-falling-down-the-hole-feverishly-flailing-no-place-to-hold/) [Kaile Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaile-stewart/) > [There's light and joy, but there's also darkness all around and we can be lost in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-almond/there-s-light-and-joy-but-there-s-also-darkness-all-around-and-we-can/) [David Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-almond/) > [“Accept the darkness, because it’s who you are. It’s who we all are. Some of us get lost in it…others wrap themselves in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marni-mann/accept-the-darkness-because-it-s-who-you-are-it-s-who-we-all-are-some/) [Marni Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marni-mann/) ## More by Rebecca Donovan > [“I sat in the driver's seat and looked over at her again. The pale light of the night softened the lines of her face,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-sat-in-the-driver-s-seat-and-looked-over-at-her-again-the-pale/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“My fists clenched, I fought the pain and anger coursing through me. I turned towards Emma's door and set my hands on either side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/my-fists-clenched-i-fought-the-pain-and-anger-coursing-through-me-i/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I stilled with those words. His words. My heart pounded faster just hearing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-stilled-with-those-words-his-words-my-heart-pounded-faster-just/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I knew in that moment, I would never love anyone in my life the way I loved Evan Mathews.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-knew-in-that-moment-i-would-never-love-anyone-in-my-life-the-way-i/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“It always comes back to forgiving, doesn't it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/it-always-comes-back-to-forgiving-doesn-t-it/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I can still run faster," I murmured, my lips pressed against his smooth skin. Evan laughed softly in my ear and whispered, "But you'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-can-still-run-faster-i-murmured-my-lips-pressed-against-his-smooth/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“As my eyes slide shut,I'm thinking about second chances,knowing that the one I wished for tonight is lying next to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/as-my-eyes-slide-shut-i-m-thinking-about-second-chances-knowing-that/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“Was better to try and fail, than to never have the experience?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/was-better-to-try-and-fail-than-to-never-have-the-experience/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I needed to go. To leave here. To get away from him…and that kiss. That kiss that ignited a craving I didn’t know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-needed-to-go-to-leave-here-to-get-away-from-him-and-that-kiss-that/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“The only thing missing is a pool." "It's on the roof," Evan blurted before I could say anything. "Really?!" Sara practically squealed with excitement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/the-only-thing-missing-is-a-pool-it-s-on-the-roof-evan-blurted-before/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I can't..." Her voice broke. "I can't do this any more." "Then I'll do it for you," I rasped, my throat closing. "Let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-can-t-her-voice-broke-i-can-t-do-this-any-more-then-i-ll-do-it-for/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“You can breathe, Emma," I teased. "Stop thinking of me naked and breathe." "Evan!" she hollered, yanking her foot away. I started laughing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/you-can-breathe-emma-i-teased-stop-thinking-of-me-naked-and-breathe/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I'll have to warn you, my cousins are Satan's spawn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-ll-have-to-warn-you-my-cousins-are-satan-s-spawn/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I love him more than he will ever know. And because of that, I choose his happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-love-him-more-than-he-will-ever-know-and-because-of-that-i-choose/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I don't want the past to define me anymore. I don't want what happened to me, or all the wrong decision I've made, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-don-t-want-the-past-to-define-me-anymore-i-don-t-want-what-happened/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) [Explore all 138 Rebecca Donovan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I stared at the flames licking at the darkness and everything was lost as I sank deeper into nothingness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Donovan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-darkness-and-everything-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Darkness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-darkness-and-everything-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/rebecca-donovan-3163_darkness_i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-da_217311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/rebecca-donovan-3163_darkness_i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-da_217311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c18/rebecca-donovan-3163_darkness_i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-da_217311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I stared at the flames licking at the darkness and everything was lost as I sank deeper into nothingness.” — Rebecca Donovan", "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": "Rebecca Donovan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I stared at the flames licking...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-darkness-and-everything-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/i-stared-at-the-flames-licking-at-the-darkness-and-everything-was/#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 } } ] } ```