Life Quote by Sherwood Anderson
““There is something memorable in the experience to be had by going into a fair ground that stands at the edge of a Middle Western town on a night after the annual fair has been held. The sensation is one never to be forgotten. On all sides are ghosts, not of the dead, but of living people. Here, during the day just passed, have come the people from hundreds of little frame houses have gathered within these board walls. Young girls have laughed and men with beards have talked of the affairs of their lives. The place has been filled to overflowing with life. It has itched and squirmed with life and now it is night and the life has all gone away. The silence is almost terrifying. One conceals oneself standing silently beside the trunk of a tree and what there is of a reflective tendency in his nature is intensified. One shudders at the thought of the meaninglessness of life while at the same instant, and if the people of the town are his people, one loves life so intensely that tears come into the eyes.””
About This Quote
Source Short Story: “The Triumph of the Egg” by Sherwood Anderson, 1921
The narrator reflects on the haunting emptiness of a fairground after crowds leave, feeling both dread and a renewed love for life.
In simple terms: Empty fairground sparks fear and love of life.
Embrace life's fleeting moments.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- nighttime solitude
- post-fair reflection
- personal contemplation
- grief processing
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the silence reveal about your own life?
- How can emptiness inspire appreciation?
The feeling may be amplified by personal loss, not just setting.