---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was well past midnight, quiet, few…"
description: "\"“It was well past midnight, quiet, few people around. All noises had retreated. The night seemed to have its own resonance. At that hour, the city's a ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/sam-thompson-99807_quote_it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-peop_1942284.jpg"
---

#  It was well past midnight, quiet, few people around. All…

![“It was well past midnight, quiet, few people around. All noises had retreated. The night seemed to have its own resonance. At that hour, the city's a gong that was struck at noon and is not yet quite still.” quote by Sam Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/sam-thompson-99807_quote_it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-peop_1942284.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/sam-thompson-99807_quote_it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-peop_1942284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/sam-thompson-99807_quote_it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-peop_1942284.jpg)

> ““It was well past midnight, quiet, few people around. All noises had retreated. The night seemed to have its own resonance. At that hour, the city's a gong that was struck at noon and is not yet quite still.””

Sam Thompson

## About This Quote

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

Midnight quiet amplifies the city’s lingering echo, a resonant stillness after noise fades.

**In simple terms:** Night’s silence holds its own echo.

Key Takeaway

Listen to the night’s subtle sounds.

Themes

night silence resonance city midnight atmosphere

Mood

contemplative quiet

Type

Midnight:1 Past Midnight:1 Midnight Quiet:1 Night Resonance:1 Noises Retreated:1

When to use this quote

- night walks
- urban photography
- mindfulness practice

Key Concepts

psychology urban studies sound design

Questions to Reflect On

- What do you hear in midnight silence?
- How does city noise affect your mood?

A Different Perspective

Quiet can feel unsettling for some.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Midnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midnight/)

## Related quotes

> [“By this time it was well past midnight. You know how that is. It’s a time when you start asking questions about things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nickle/by-this-time-it-was-well-past-midnight-you-know-how-that-is-it-s-a/)

David Nickle

> [Im a night owl so I tend to do a lot of my disconnecting past midnight. I love the feeling when the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/im-a-night-owl-so-i-tend-to-do-a-lot-of-my-disconnecting-past/)

[Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/)

> [“Soon, it’s past midnight, and we’re entering the small hours. The ones, the twos, the threes—we’re a long way from ten. The Lurking Man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-booth-iii/soon-it-s-past-midnight-and-we-re-entering-the-small-hours-the-ones/)

Max Booth III

> [“THE CITY WAS ASLEEP. New York, the nervous, keyed-up city, was almost at rest two hours past midnight. Watching the sleeping stone under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-z-hobson/the-city-was-asleep-new-york-the-nervous-keyed-up-city-was-almost-at/)

[Laura Z. Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-z-hobson/)

> [He smiles then, and even though it is well past midnight, its as if the sun has just come out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-lafevers/he-smiles-then-and-even-though-it-is-well-past-midnight-its-as-if-the/)

[R.L. LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-lafevers/)

> [“The case was becoming serious. It was now past midnight. The hotels at Shiplake and Henley would be crammed; and we could not go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/the-case-was-becoming-serious-it-was-now-past-midnight-the-hotels-at/)

[Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/)

> [The talk of pale, burning-eyed students, anarchists and utopians all, over tea and cigarettes in a locked room long past midnight, is next morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/the-talk-of-pale-burning-eyed-students-anarchists-and-utopians-all/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [Any live venue where there is alcohol served and it's past midnight there is gonna be fights. It doesn't matter if it's Hip-Hop, Rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slaine/any-live-venue-where-there-is-alcohol-served-and-it-s-past-midnight/)

[Slaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slaine/)

> [“It was long past midnight. Laura's music played on. It was composed in the language of stars, tinkling in a crystal pool suspended from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-lillith-assadi/it-was-long-past-midnight-laura-s-music-played-on-it-was-composed-in/)

[Hannah Lillith Assadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-lillith-assadi/)

> [“Bethany and I often hook up like this. She texts me at the height of her boredom, unable to sleep, and since it's past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-fletcher/bethany-and-i-often-hook-up-like-this-she-texts-me-at-the-height-of/)

[Penelope Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-fletcher/)

> [A too closely watched flower/blossoms the wrong color./Excess attention to the jonquil/turns it gentian. Flowers/need it tranquil to get/their hues right. Some/only open at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ryan/a-too-closely-watched-flower-blossoms-the-wrong-color-excess/)

[Kay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ryan/)

> [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“So seemed it to me, as I stood at her helm, and for long hours silently guided the way of this fire-ship on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/so-seemed-it-to-me-as-i-stood-at-her-helm-and-for-long-hours-silently/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/)

[Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/)

## More by Sam Thompson

> [“The interval of two notes could divide your heart and the tug of words against rhythm could mend it: I'd stumbled on the means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-thompson/the-interval-of-two-notes-could-divide-your-heart-and-the-tug-of/)

Sam Thompson

Explore all 2 Sam Thompson quotes

## More Midnight quotes

> [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/)

[Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/)

> [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [“So seemed it to me, as I stood at her helm, and for long hours silently guided the way of this fire-ship on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/so-seemed-it-to-me-as-i-stood-at-her-helm-and-for-long-hours-silently/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [A too closely watched flower/blossoms the wrong color./Excess attention to the jonquil/turns it gentian. Flowers/need it tranquil to get/their hues right. Some/only open at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ryan/a-too-closely-watched-flower-blossoms-the-wrong-color-excess/)

[Kay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ryan/)

> [Perfect Night is minimalistic and that's what makes it so forceful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/perfect-night-is-minimalistic-and-that-s-what-makes-it-so-forceful/)

[Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/)

> [Scott noticed Will staring at it and grinned. "Like what you see?" Woolsey Scott asked. "I do enjoy these surprise midnight declarations. Go along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/scott-noticed-will-staring-at-it-and-grinned-like-what-you-see/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“Don’t you dare come into my world and tell me what color the ocean is! It’s black. Black as midnight. Black and awful!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-scrieva/don-t-you-dare-come-into-my-world-and-tell-me-what-color-the-ocean-is/)

[Nadia Scrieva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-scrieva/)

> [“From midnight to 4: 00 AM is the loneliest time in the world. Because for those of us too sad to sleep, the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lone-alaskan-gypsy/from-midnight-to-4-00-am-is-the-loneliest-time-in-the-world-because/)

Lone Alaskan Gypsy

> [I realize now that people are not thinking about you and me or caring what is said about us. They are thinking about themselves-before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-realize-now-that-people-are-not-thinking-about-you-and-me-or-caring/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [The Snow White the midnight the moon tales of the mechanics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/the-snow-white-the-midnight-the-moon-tales-of-the-mechanics/)

[Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/)

> [..."I ran out of stock around midnight and dropped by a place, got some Chinese." I hoped he meant takeout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/i-ran-out-of-stock-around-midnight-and-dropped-by-a-place-got-some/)

[Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/)

> [I lay down across her with my face in her breasts and my hand on her. We lay there without moving. But under us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-lay-down-across-her-with-my-face-in-her-breasts-and-my-hand-on-her/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [“Midnight is not in everyman's reach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-char/midnight-is-not-in-everyman-s-reach/)

[René Char](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-char/)

> [It waits till the midnight hour to come, to torture me for the wrong i've done. it just sits there and stares me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gnarls-barkley/it-waits-till-the-midnight-hour-to-come-to-torture-me-for-the-wrong-i/)

[Gnarls Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gnarls-barkley/)

[Browse all 808 Midnight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midnight/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It was well past midnight, quiet, few people around. All noises had retreated. The night seemed to have its own resonance. At that hour, the city's a gong that was struck at noon and is not yet quite still.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sam Thompson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-thompson/it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-people-around-all-noises-had/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Midnight"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-thompson/it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-people-around-all-noises-had/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/sam-thompson-99807_quote_it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-peop_1942284.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/sam-thompson-99807_quote_it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-peop_1942284.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/sam-thompson-99807_quote_it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-peop_1942284.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was well past midnight, quiet, few people around. All noises had retreated. The night seemed to have its…” — Sam Thompson",
                "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": "Sam Thompson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-thompson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It was well past midnight, quiet,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-thompson/it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-people-around-all-noises-had/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-thompson/it-was-well-past-midnight-quiet-few-people-around-all-noises-had/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
