--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The witching hour, somebody had once…" description: "\"The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was a special moment in the middle of the night when every child and every grown-up was in a dee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/roald-dahl-899_children_the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whis_123488.jpg" --- # The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was… ![“The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was a special moment in the middle of the night when every child and every grown-up was in a deep deep sleep, and all the dark things came out from hiding and had the world all to themselves.” quote by Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/roald-dahl-899_children_the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whis_123488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/roald-dahl-899_children_the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whis_123488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/roald-dahl-899_children_the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whis_123488.jpg) > “The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was a special moment in the middle of the night when every child and every grown-up was in a deep deep sleep, and all the dark things came out from hiding and had the world all to themselves.” [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The midnight hour is imagined as a secret realm where darkness awakens, granting unseen forces a fleeting dominion over the sleeping world. **In simple terms:** Nighttime hides unseen, powerful forces. Key Takeaway Fear thrives in the unknown. Themes night fear imagination myth Mood eerie mysterious Type narrative mythic When to use this quote - children’s bedtime stories - horror movies - night shifts Key Concepts psychology of darkness cultural folklore Practical Applications - Use darkness for creative storytelling - Acknowledge fear to reduce anxiety Questions to Reflect On - Why does darkness amplify fear? - How can we reframe night’s symbolism? A Different Perspective Some cultures view night as restorative, not threatening. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Middle of the night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-of-the-night/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Special moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special-moments/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Midnight. The witching hour, some say. Since it was 12:07 A.M. and I was standing over a dead body, I had to agree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/midnight-the-witching-hour-some-say-since-it-was-12-07-a-m-and-i-was/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [I gave up on the big screen. The Witching Hour was at Warner Bros. for 10 years and it just didn't work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-gave-up-on-the-big-screen-the-witching-hour-was-at-warner-bros-for/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“I am the Daughter of Night. I am the Child of Darkness Forthcoming. Come to my mother or become prey for the beasts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-cook/i-am-the-daughter-of-night-i-am-the-child-of-darkness-forthcoming/) [Glen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-cook/) > [Each night a child is born is a holy night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-lyon-fahs/each-night-a-child-is-born-is-a-holy-night/) [Sophia Lyon Fahs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-lyon-fahs/) > [When it draws near to witching time of night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-blair/when-it-draws-near-to-witching-time-of-night/) [Robert Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-blair/) > [“During those witching hours growing up in 1970s Los Angeles, I banded together with other untethered children. We dared each other to jump from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-jarrell/during-those-witching-hours-growing-up-in-1970s-los-angeles-i-banded/) Andrea Jarrell > [“If you can think of anything more terrifying than that happening to you in the middle of the night, then let's hear about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/if-you-can-think-of-anything-more-terrifying-than-that-happening-to/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“It's the witching hour once more- When the Muse comes out to play. He calls me through that magic door- Where galaxies of worlds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belle-whittington/it-s-the-witching-hour-once-more-when-the-muse-comes-out-to-play-he/) [Belle Whittington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belle-whittington/) > [“Sometimes when you focus on trying to save the world... You miss those closest to you when they need you the most. Gray (witching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-you-focus-on-trying-to-save-the-world-you-miss-those/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“4 is the worst time to wake up, as anyone with the normal human sensitivities will tell you. Far too late to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-jordan/4-is-the-worst-time-to-wake-up-as-anyone-with-the-normal-human/) [Toni Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-jordan/) > [I can't sleep very well at night. It takes me a while to get to sleep. I could just be nocturnal. I have my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-joe-armstrong/i-can-t-sleep-very-well-at-night-it-takes-me-a-while-to-get-to-sleep/) [Billie Joe Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-joe-armstrong/) > [“Glancing at the time on my phone, I cringe. Midnight. The witching hour. This was when Calease always came for me. I hate midnight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-cameron/glancing-at-the-time-on-my-phone-i-cringe-midnight-the-witching-hour/) [Erica Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-cameron/) > [“At the witching hour, the city was totally silent. Only the wind of portent blew through the gathered council of whispering brick chimneys on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyatt-michael/at-the-witching-hour-the-city-was-totally-silent-only-the-wind-of/) [Wyatt Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyatt-michael/) > [Did I ever tell you that you are like sunshine in the middle of the night?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/did-i-ever-tell-you-that-you-are-like-sunshine-in-the-middle-of-the/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright--…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/the-sun-was-shining-on-the-sea-shining-with-all-his-might-he-did-his/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) ## More by Roald Dahl > [Nowadays you can go anywhere in the world in a few hours, and nothing is fabulous any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/nowadays-you-can-go-anywhere-in-the-world-in-a-few-hours-and-nothing/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [When I walked to school in the mornings I would start out alone but would pick up four other boys along the way. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-i-walked-to-school-in-the-mornings-i-would-start-out-alone-but/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“There's no earthly way of knowing Which direction we are going There's no knowing where we're rowing Or which way the river's flowing Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/there-s-no-earthly-way-of-knowing-which-direction-we-are-going-there/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“One of the vital things for a writer who’s writing a book, which is a lengthy project and is going to take about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/one-of-the-vital-things-for-a-writer-who-s-writing-a-book-which-is-a/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“When Bruce Bogtrotter had eaten his way through half of the entire enormous cake, he paused for just a couple of seconds and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-bruce-bogtrotter-had-eaten-his-way-through-half-of-the-entire/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Bunkum and tummyrot! You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that. Would Columbus have discovered America if he'd said 'What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/bunkum-and-tummyrot-you-ll-never-get-anywhere-if-you-go-about-what/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [If the Good Lord intended for us to walk, he wouldn't have invented rollar skates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/if-the-good-lord-intended-for-us-to-walk-he-wouldn-t-have-invented/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/those-who-don-t-believe-in-magic-will-never-find-it/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [But there was one other thing that the grown-ups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/but-there-was-one-other-thing-that-the-grown-ups-also-knew-and-it-was/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [When writing about oneself, one must strive to be truthful. Truth is more important than modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-writing-about-oneself-one-must-strive-to-be-truthful-truth-is/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“the world is a scary place for such a small child”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-world-is-a-scary-place-for-such-a-small-child/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [And above all, watch with glittering eyes the world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/and-above-all-watch-with-glittering-eyes-the-world-around-you-because/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“We must hurry!’ said Mr. Wonka. ‘We have so much time and so little to do! No! Wait! Strike that! Reverse it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/we-must-hurry-said-mr-wonka-we-have-so-much-time-and-so-little-to-do/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [...the more risks you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves. If you never let them take any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-more-risks-you-allow-children-to-take-the-better-they-learn-to/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) [Explore all 318 Roald Dahl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was a special moment in the middle of the night when every child and every grown-up was in a deep deep sleep, and all the dark things came out from hiding and had the world all to themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roald Dahl" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whispered-to-her-was-a-special/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whispered-to-her-was-a-special/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/roald-dahl-899_children_the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whis_123488.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/roald-dahl-899_children_the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whis_123488.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/roald-dahl-899_children_the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whis_123488.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The witching hour, somebody had once whispered to her, was a special moment in the middle of the night when…” — Roald Dahl", "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": "Roald Dahl", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The witching hour, somebody had once...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whispered-to-her-was-a-special/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-witching-hour-somebody-had-once-whispered-to-her-was-a-special/#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 } } ] } ```