--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Almost any house, caught unexpectedly or…" description: "\"“Almost any house, caught unexpectedly or at an odd angle, can turn a deeply humorous look on a watching person; even a mischievous little chimney, or ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_almost-any-house-caught-unexpectedly-or_1851827.jpg" --- # Almost any house, caught unexpectedly or at an odd angle… ![“Almost any house, caught unexpectedly or at an odd angle, can turn a deeply humorous look on a watching person; even a mischievous little chimney, or a dormer like a dimple, can catch up a beholder with a sense of fellowship; but a house arrogant and hating, never off guard, can only be evil. This…” quote by Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_almost-any-house-caught-unexpectedly-or_1851827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_almost-any-house-caught-unexpectedly-or_1851827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6c/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_almost-any-house-caught-unexpectedly-or_1851827.jpg) > ““Almost any house, caught unexpectedly or at an odd angle, can turn a deeply humorous look on a watching person; even a mischievous little chimney, or a dormer like a dimple, can catch up a beholder with a sense of fellowship; but a house arrogant and hating, never off guard, can only be evil. This house, which seemed somehow to have formed itself, flying together into its own powerful pattern under the hands of its builders, fitting itself into its own construction of lines and angles, reared its great head back against the sky without concession to humanity. It was a house without kindness, never meant to be lived in, not a fit place for people or for love or for hope. Exorcism cannot alter the countenance of a house; Hill House would stay as it was until it was destroyed.”” [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A house built without kindness becomes a hostile, unchanging presence that cannot be redeemed by superficial attempts. **In simple terms:** A cold, unkind environment remains harmful. Key Takeaway Cultivate kindness in spaces and relationships. Themes architecture environment humanity Mood eerie thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - home design - community building - personal relationships - mental health Key Concepts psychology symbolism evil Questions to Reflect On - What makes a place feel welcoming? - How can kindness transform a hostile environment? A Different Perspective It may over‑symbolize physical structures, ignoring human agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evil House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-house-2434416/) [Exorcism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exorcism/) [Hope Exorcism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-exorcism-631131/) [House Arrogant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-arrogant-2434417/) [House Formed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-formed-2434418/) ## Related quotes > [It was a house without kindness, never meant to be lived in, not a fit place for people or for love or for hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-a-house-without-kindness-never-meant-to-be-lived-in-not-a-fit/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Something instinctual in me sensed evil in the house. Perhaps it spoke to my own darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lindsey/something-instinctual-in-me-sensed-evil-in-the-house-perhaps-it-spoke/) [Mary Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lindsey/) > [In school I was always being cast as the clown. And then I did 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose,' and once people hear you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-carpenter/in-school-i-was-always-being-cast-as-the-clown-and-then-i-did-the/) [Jennifer Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-carpenter/) > [I was a scared kid... I think I was born a nervous wreck, and I think movies were one way to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-was-a-scared-kid-i-think-i-was-born-a-nervous-wreck-and-i-think/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“This resentment you feel toward Father Henrique is another example," Holtzman said. "What did the man ever do to you? Nothing. So he botched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/this-resentment-you-feel-toward-father-henrique-is-another-example/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [Of course, certain religious expressions are fine. If a tribe of Aqualishes wants to boil rhino horns in frog saliva on the National Mall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-parker/of-course-certain-religious-expressions-are-fine-if-a-tribe-of/) [Kathleen Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-parker/) > [“Only after you've done the exorcism, then you'll understand that ghost's also a species.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/only-after-you-ve-done-the-exorcism-then-you-ll-understand-that-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“This book, for me, is less an exercise in recall than exorcism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-book-for-me-is-less-an-exercise-in-recall-than-exorcism/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [Danced healing rituals (in African village compounds, temple courtyards, dance-therapy studios, public theaters, and other social settings) reinvoke old traumas for exorcism and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lynne-hanna/danced-healing-rituals-in-african-village-compounds-temple-courtyards/) [Judith Lynne Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lynne-hanna/) > [Every book for me is an exorcism in some way or another, working through my feelings at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/every-book-for-me-is-an-exorcism-in-some-way-or-another-working/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/and-as-the-hour-approached-for-the-execution-in-his-own-mind-collins/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Performing an exorcism was like changing your oil. It's a drag, but necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/performing-an-exorcism-was-like-changing-your-oil-it-s-a-drag-but/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [I had a full exorcism performed on me from an archbishop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zak-bagans/i-had-a-full-exorcism-performed-on-me-from-an-archbishop/) [Zak Bagans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zak-bagans/) > [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I began with small roles in successful movies like 'No Country For Old Men' by the Coen brothers; but it was 'The Last Exorcism'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-landry-jones/i-began-with-small-roles-in-successful-movies-like-no-country-for-old/) [Caleb Landry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-landry-jones/) ## More by Shirley Jackson > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-could-not-remember-ever-being-truly-happy-in-her-adult-life-her/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Upstairs Margaret said abruptly, 'I suppose it starts to happen first in the suburbs,' and when Brad said, 'What starts to happen?' she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/upstairs-margaret-said-abruptly-i-suppose-it-starts-to-happen-first/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“The beautiful clarity of all marked outlines occurred to her--there would be a deep satisfaction in strengthening fences, for instance, going along on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/the-beautiful-clarity-of-all-marked-outlines-occurred-to-her-there/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“And we held each other in the dark hall and laughed, with the tears running down our cheeks and echoes of our laughter going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/and-we-held-each-other-in-the-dark-hall-and-laughed-with-the-tears/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Why do people want to talk to each other? I mean, what are the things people always want to find out about other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/why-do-people-want-to-talk-to-each-other-i-mean-what-are-the-things/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“It was as though the people needed the ugliness of the village, and fed on it. The houses and the stores seemed to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-as-though-the-people-needed-the-ugliness-of-the-village-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Eleanor—“I plan to stay up and read for a while.” “Are you still reading Pamela?” Eleanor asked the doctor. “Volume two. I have three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/eleanor-i-plan-to-stay-up-and-read-for-a-while-are-you-still-reading/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Is everyone really crazy but me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/is-everyone-really-crazy-but-me/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/february-when-the-days-of-winter-seem-endless-and-no-amount-of/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“it’s quite a hazard, quite a hazard indeed, people knocking you down. Still, it’s a genuine pleasure to find one as willing as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-s-quite-a-hazard-quite-a-hazard-indeed-people-knocking-you-down/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [On the moon we have everything. Lettuce, and pumpkin pie and Amanita phalloides. We have cat-furred plants and horses dancing with their wings. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/on-the-moon-we-have-everything-lettuce-and-pumpkin-pie-and-amanita/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [She walked quickly around her one-room apartment. After more than four years in this one home she knew all its possibilities, how it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-walked-quickly-around-her-one-room-apartment-after-more-than-four/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [I very much dislike writing about myself or my work, and when pressed for autobiographical material can only give a bare chronological outline which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-very-much-dislike-writing-about-myself-or-my-work-and-when-pressed/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Explore all 224 Shirley Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## More Exorcism quotes > [I began with small roles in successful movies like 'No Country For Old Men' by the Coen brothers; but it was 'The Last Exorcism'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-landry-jones/i-began-with-small-roles-in-successful-movies-like-no-country-for-old/) [Caleb Landry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-landry-jones/) > [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I had a full exorcism performed on me from an archbishop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zak-bagans/i-had-a-full-exorcism-performed-on-me-from-an-archbishop/) [Zak Bagans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zak-bagans/) > [Performing an exorcism was like changing your oil. It's a drag, but necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/performing-an-exorcism-was-like-changing-your-oil-it-s-a-drag-but/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [And as the hour approached for the execution, in his own mind, Collins became both the executioner and the victim. He would pace up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/and-as-the-hour-approached-for-the-execution-in-his-own-mind-collins/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Every book for me is an exorcism in some way or another, working through my feelings at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/every-book-for-me-is-an-exorcism-in-some-way-or-another-working/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [Danced healing rituals (in African village compounds, temple courtyards, dance-therapy studios, public theaters, and other social settings) reinvoke old traumas for exorcism and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lynne-hanna/danced-healing-rituals-in-african-village-compounds-temple-courtyards/) [Judith Lynne Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lynne-hanna/) > [“This book, for me, is less an exercise in recall than exorcism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-book-for-me-is-less-an-exercise-in-recall-than-exorcism/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“Only after you've done the exorcism, then you'll understand that ghost's also a species.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/only-after-you-ve-done-the-exorcism-then-you-ll-understand-that-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Of course, certain religious expressions are fine. If a tribe of Aqualishes wants to boil rhino horns in frog saliva on the National Mall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-parker/of-course-certain-religious-expressions-are-fine-if-a-tribe-of/) [Kathleen Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-parker/) > [“This resentment you feel toward Father Henrique is another example," Holtzman said. "What did the man ever do to you? Nothing. So he botched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/this-resentment-you-feel-toward-father-henrique-is-another-example/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [I was a scared kid... I think I was born a nervous wreck, and I think movies were one way to find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-was-a-scared-kid-i-think-i-was-born-a-nervous-wreck-and-i-think/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [In school I was always being cast as the clown. And then I did 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose,' and once people hear you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-carpenter/in-school-i-was-always-being-cast-as-the-clown-and-then-i-did-the/) [Jennifer Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-carpenter/) > [One of the things people don't know about exorcism, is that you can't really use exorcism on things that are older than Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-ashcroft-nowicki/one-of-the-things-people-don-t-know-about-exorcism-is-that-you-can-t/) [Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-ashcroft-nowicki/) > [I was haunted by a bear attack that happened in Algonquin Park in 1991. The problem was that I don't believe in ghosts, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-cameron/i-was-haunted-by-a-bear-attack-that-happened-in-algonquin-park-in/) [Claire Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-cameron/) [Browse all 86 Exorcism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exorcism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Almost any house, caught unexpectedly or at an odd angle, can turn a deeply humorous look on a watching person; even a mischievous little chimney, or a dormer like a dimple, can catch up a beholder with a sense of fellowship; but a house arrogant and hating, never off guard, can only be evil. This house, which seemed somehow to have formed itself, flying together into its own powerful pattern under the hands of its builders, fitting itself into its own construction of lines and angles, reared its great head back against the sky without concession to humanity. 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