--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From this distance, in the dimness, the…" description: "\"From this distance, in the dimness, the model looked surreal, made up of parts filled with buildings, bordered by long stretches of empty space. It rem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/sarah-dessen-110_building_from-this-distance-in-the-dimness-the-mo_390831.png" --- # From this distance, in the dimness, the model looked… ![“From this distance, in the dimness, the model looked surreal, made up of parts filled with buildings, bordered by long stretches of empty space. It reminded me of the way cities and towns look when you are flying at night. You can't make out much. But the places where people have come together…” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/sarah-dessen-110_building_from-this-distance-in-the-dimness-the-mo_390831.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/sarah-dessen-110_building_from-this-distance-in-the-dimness-the-mo_390831.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c3/sarah-dessen-110_building_from-this-distance-in-the-dimness-the-mo_390831.png) > “From this distance, in the dimness, the model looked surreal, made up of parts filled with buildings, bordered by long stretches of empty space. It reminded me of the way cities and towns look when you are flying at night. You can't make out much. But the places where people have come together, and stayed, are collections of tiny lights, breaking up the darkness.” [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on how cities appear from above at night, where dense clusters of light represent human communities amid vast emptiness. **In simple terms:** Cities look like clusters of light surrounded by darkness from the sky. Key Takeaway Appreciate the collective warmth of communities. Themes urban life community perspective Mood contemplative nostalgic Type descriptive poetic When to use this quote - travel - urban planning - night photography - social gatherings Key Concepts human geography visual metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What does the darkness symbolize? - How do we foster connections in vast societies? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize urban density, ignoring challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Empty space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty-space/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Surreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surreal/) ## Related quotes > [“If there is ever a magical beauty that can be watched hours with great admiration, and that is the beauty of a strong light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-is-ever-a-magical-beauty-that-can-be-watched-hours-with/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [... and we shall find A pleasure in the dimness of the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/and-we-shall-find-a-pleasure-in-the-dimness-of-the-stars/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [The stone is a mirror which works poorly. 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We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. 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I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "From this distance, in the dimness, the model looked surreal, made up of parts filled with buildings, bordered by long stretches of empty space. 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