---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've gone through some dark times, and at…"
description: "\"I've gone through some dark times, and at those times, my tattoos have helped and guided me through.\" — Ronan Keating"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/ronan-keating-5287_dark_i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at_206562.jpg"
---

#  I've gone through some dark times, and at those times, my…

![“I've gone through some dark times, and at those times, my tattoos have helped and guided me through.” quote by Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/ronan-keating-5287_dark_i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at_206562.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/ronan-keating-5287_dark_i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at_206562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/ronan-keating-5287_dark_i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at_206562.jpg)

> “I've gone through some dark times, and at those times, my tattoos have helped and guided me through.”

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Tattoos served as personal symbols that provided comfort and direction during difficult periods.

**In simple terms:** Tattoos gave me guidance in dark times.

Key Takeaway

Use meaningful symbols for support.

Themes

resilience self‑expression healing

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

inspirational personal

When to use this quote

- grief recovery
- mental health challenges
- creative self‑care

Key Concepts

symbolic coping personal narrative

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal symbols help you in hardship?
- How can you create supportive rituals without permanent marks?

A Different Perspective

Symbols may not work for everyone; reliance on external marks can be limiting.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-times/) [Tattoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tattoo/) [Tattoos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tattoos/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“If you guys want to get a MOM tattoo and save a little money, just get two letters done. Get about a one-inch capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/if-you-guys-want-to-get-a-mom-tattoo-and-save-a-little-money-just-get/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [Tattoos aren't fun unless you're an idiot. It's not fun to get tattoos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/tattoos-aren-t-fun-unless-you-re-an-idiot-it-s-not-fun-to-get-tattoos/)

[Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/)

> [I think tattoos are horrible. It's like living in a Pucci dress full-time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/i-think-tattoos-are-horrible-it-s-like-living-in-a-pucci-dress-full/)

[Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/)

> [If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night, I'm walking to the other side of the street. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/if-i-see-a-black-kid-in-a-hoodie-and-it-s-late-at-night-i-m-walking/)

[Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/)

> [I am wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans, black shoes--new clothes, but beneath them, my Dauntless tattoos. It is impossible to erase my choices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-am-wearing-a-gray-shirt-blue-jeans-black-shoes-new-clothes-but/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [Put tattoos all up and down our thighs, do anything our parents would despise. Take uppers, downers, blues, and reds and yellows, our brains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/put-tattoos-all-up-and-down-our-thighs-do-anything-our-parents-would/)

[Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/)

> [I have a lot of tattoos that are day-of tattoos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-victor/i-have-a-lot-of-tattoos-that-are-day-of-tattoos/)

[Eva Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-victor/)

> [“Perhaps we say things with tattoos that we can't say other ways”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hudock/perhaps-we-say-things-with-tattoos-that-we-can-t-say-other-ways/)

Amy Hudock

> [Tattoos are my way of expressing myself without the need for words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-park/tattoos-are-my-way-of-expressing-myself-without-the-need-for-words/)

[Jay Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-park/)

> [I'm a big guy and I can't have any tiny tattoos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-long/i-m-a-big-guy-and-i-can-t-have-any-tiny-tattoos/)

[Chris Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-long/)

> [I have a lot of tattoos. I probably have over 100 tattoos. I don't know. It's just a mural... a collage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/i-have-a-lot-of-tattoos-i-probably-have-over-100-tattoos-i-don-t-know/)

[Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/)

> [My tattoos are reminders to hang in there when things get rough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/my-tattoos-are-reminders-to-hang-in-there-when-things-get-rough/)

[Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/)

> [If you like tattoos, perfect. But I'm scared. I think: 'At 60, I'm going to have this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodri/if-you-like-tattoos-perfect-but-i-m-scared-i-think-at-60-i-m-going-to/)

[Rodri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodri/)

> [The biggest misconception about me is the bad-boy image that everyone stuck me into due to my tattoos, drug days and the constant changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-mclean/the-biggest-misconception-about-me-is-the-bad-boy-image-that-everyone/)

[A. J. McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-mclean/)

> [I have no tattoos at all - it was a huge undertaking for me in the '80s to let my parents know I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/i-have-no-tattoos-at-all-it-was-a-huge-undertaking-for-me-in-the-80s/)

[Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/)

## More by Ronan Keating

> [I've never been particularly happy with what I see in the mirror - I don't think anybody ever is. And I'd like to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-ve-never-been-particularly-happy-with-what-i-see-in-the-mirror-i/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [One time, a fan jumped on the back of our vehicle, and without noticing, we drove away. I was pretty frightened, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/one-time-a-fan-jumped-on-the-back-of-our-vehicle-and-without-noticing/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [You need to be experimental. You try things, and it is OK if they don't always work necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/you-need-to-be-experimental-you-try-things-and-it-is-ok-if-they-don-t/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [All my children are blessings. I love them to bits. They're my world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/all-my-children-are-blessings-i-love-them-to-bits-they-re-my-world/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [I'm a good dad. I'm proud of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-m-a-good-dad-i-m-proud-of-that/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [Coffee isn't just a source of pleasure for me: it is something I rely on to get me through the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/coffee-isn-t-just-a-source-of-pleasure-for-me-it-is-something-i-rely/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [When times are at their worst, it's amazing what people will do for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/when-times-are-at-their-worst-it-s-amazing-what-people-will-do-for-you/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [Being in a boy band, everyone has an opinion of all of us and what we do. There was a time I fought with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/being-in-a-boy-band-everyone-has-an-opinion-of-all-of-us-and-what-we/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [I have a Superman tattoo on my right arm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-have-a-superman-tattoo-on-my-right-arm/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [My average day is with my wife and kids in Dublin, doing school runs, grocery store, feeding and walking the dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/my-average-day-is-with-my-wife-and-kids-in-dublin-doing-school-runs/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [I am not a fan of being in the sea. I like being in a boat - sailing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-am-not-a-fan-of-being-in-the-sea-i-like-being-in-a-boat-sailing/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [Real-life experiences will probably end up in my music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/real-life-experiences-will-probably-end-up-in-my-music/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [We'll never do a show without honouring Steo in some shape or form, and that's really important to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/we-ll-never-do-a-show-without-honouring-steo-in-some-shape-or-form/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [Having the guts to be the person you are is what makes you brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/having-the-guts-to-be-the-person-you-are-is-what-makes-you-brave/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

> [I have done a lot of interviews over the years, so you think I would know how to handle difficult questions, etc. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-have-done-a-lot-of-interviews-over-the-years-so-you-think-i-would/)

[Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

[Explore all 102 Ronan Keating quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/)

## More Dark quotes

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [“I could see her will leaving and death seeping through her skin to skewer her soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-stroube/i-could-see-her-will-leaving-and-death-seeping-through-her-skin-to/)

[J.D. Stroube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-stroube/)

> [The soul wanders in the dark, until it finds love. And so, wherever our love goes, there we find our soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-zimmerman/the-soul-wanders-in-the-dark-until-it-finds-love-and-so-wherever-our/)

[Mary Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-zimmerman/)

> [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/)

[Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/)

> [All comedy comes from a dark place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katt-williams/all-comedy-comes-from-a-dark-place/)

[Katt Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katt-williams/)

> [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/)

[Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [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/)

> [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

> [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/)

[Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Let death bless me with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-death-bless-me-with-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“what do you call/that space between the dark geographies of sex?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethaway/what-do-you-call-that-space-between-the-dark-geographies-of-sex/)

Natasha Trethaway

> [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

> [Even in the dark your shadow is like a guide to me! you are my rising sun that brings forth hope just as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika-linus/even-in-the-dark-your-shadow-is-like-a-guide-to-me-you-are-my-rising/)

[Nkemjika Linus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika-linus/)

[Browse all 10,198 Dark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've gone through some dark times, and at those times, my tattoos have helped and guided me through.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ronan Keating"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at-those-times-my-tattoos-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dark"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at-those-times-my-tattoos-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/ronan-keating-5287_dark_i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at_206562.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/ronan-keating-5287_dark_i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at_206562.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/ronan-keating-5287_dark_i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at_206562.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've gone through some dark times, and at those times, my tattoos have helped and guided me through.” — Ronan Keating",
                "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": "Ronan Keating",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've gone through some dark times,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at-those-times-my-tattoos-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-ve-gone-through-some-dark-times-and-at-those-times-my-tattoos-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
