Skip to content

Darkness Quote by Roald Dahl

“At first it was not quite dark. I could see little trees growing out of the face of the cliff, and I grabbed at them with my hands as I went down. Several times I managed to catch hold of a branch, but it always broke off at once because I was so heavy and because I was falling so fast, and once I…” quote by Roald Dahl
Download Open image
““At first it was not quite dark. I could see little trees growing out of the face of the cliff, and I grabbed at them with my hands as I went down. Several times I managed to catch hold of a branch, but it always broke off at once because I was so heavy and because I was falling so fast, and once I caught a thick branch with both hands and the tree leaned forward and I heard the snapping of the roots one by one until it came away from the cliff and I went on falling. Then it became darker because the sun and the day were in the fields far away at the top of the cliff, and as I fell I kept my eyes open and watched the darkness turn from grey-black to black, from black to jet black and from jet black to pure liquid blackness which I could touch with my hands but which I could not see. But I went on falling, and it was so black that there was nothing anywhere and it was not any use doing anything or caring or thinking because of the blackness and because of the falling.””

Roald Dahl

About This Quote

Source Short story: “The Dark Descent”, 1970

The narrator describes a terrifying, endless fall into darkness, feeling helpless and detached.

In simple terms: A terrifying fall into darkness feels endless and hopeless.

Key Takeaway

Accept darkness as part of the journey.

Themes

fear existence despair

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • mountain climbing
  • mental health crises
  • nighttime anxiety

Key Concepts

nihilism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does the darkness symbolize for you?
  • How do you find meaning when feeling powerless?
A Different Perspective

The narrative may romanticize despair.

2.7 out of 5 (4 ratings)

More by Roald Dahl

Explore all 318 Roald Dahl quotes

More Darkness quotes

Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes