--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Within, walls continued upright, bricks…" description: "\"Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-me_181045.jpg" --- # Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors… ![“Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.” quote by Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-me_181045.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-me_181045.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-me_181045.jpg) > “Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.” [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. The description creates a haunting atmosphere of isolation, emphasizing that the house is empty and any presence is solitary. **In simple terms:** A lonely house feels empty and quiet. Key Takeaway Recognize solitude’s impact on mood. Themes isolation atmosphere haunting solitude architecture Mood melancholic eerie Type descriptive literary When to use this quote - reading a novel - visiting a historic building - writing horror - exploring abandoned places Key Concepts Gothic psychology spatial design Questions to Reflect On - How does silence affect your thoughts? - What emotions arise in empty spaces? A Different Perspective The setting may also evoke nostalgia or comfort for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [“I walked and I walked, my mind shifting into a primal gear that was void of anything but forward motion, and I walked until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-walked-and-i-walked-my-mind-shifting-into-a-primal-gear-that-was/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Then she walked, walked flat out, walked with an ache coming up through the earth and into the heel of her striking foot. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/then-she-walked-walked-flat-out-walked-with-an-ache-coming-up-through/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“Hill House,not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it has stood for eighty years and might stand eighty more. Within,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/hill-house-not-sane-stood-by-itself-against-its-hills-holding/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Hill House, not sane, stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/hill-house-not-sane-stood-so-for-eighty-years-and-might-stand-for/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“With a heavy heart I left the house and walked through the spotted blaze of the sun to my car. Two other cars were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/with-a-heavy-heart-i-left-the-house-and-walked-through-the-spotted/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [And I walked, I walked through the light air; I moved with the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/and-i-walked-i-walked-through-the-light-air-i-moved-with-the-morning/) [Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/) > [... He went under the stars, and the tender light of the moon, when it hung like an eyelash and the tree trunks shone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/he-went-under-the-stars-and-the-tender-light-of-the-moon-when-it-hung/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [“A successfull man is who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brinkley/a-successfull-man-is-who-can-lay-a-firm-foundation-with-the-bricks/) [David Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brinkley/) > [No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/no-live-organism-can-continue-for-long-to-exist-sanely-under-2/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... 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So many people enjoy it, from all different walks of life, all different ages, all different cultures. When I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/lego-is-universal-so-many-people-enjoy-it-from-all-different-walks-of/) [Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/) > [That city is well fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-city-is-well-fortified-which-has-a-wall-of-men-instead-of-brick/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) ## 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? 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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/) > [“Don't do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/don-t-do-it-eleanor-told-the-little-girl-insist-on-your-cup-of-stars/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Explore all 224 Shirley Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## More Bricks quotes > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [That city is well fortified which has a wall of men instead of brick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-city-is-well-fortified-which-has-a-wall-of-men-instead-of-brick/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [LEGO is universal. 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If I cannot, and I know I cannot, get the literary and scientific bigwigs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/i-am-the-enfant-terrible-of-literature-and-science-if-i-cannot-and-i/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) > [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/) [Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/) > [“Savannah gray bricks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-andrews/savannah-gray-bricks/) [Mary Kay Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-andrews/) > [I still have the desire to do the job of acting. It's just a matter of whether I'll be allowed to do the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-coleman/i-still-have-the-desire-to-do-the-job-of-acting-it-s-just-a-matter-of/) [Gary Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-coleman/) > [Rebuilding a network is a slow, brick-by-brick process. It's not just creating a hit show - it's building shows to back up that hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/rebuilding-a-network-is-a-slow-brick-by-brick-process-it-s-not-just/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [Build your life brick upon brick, Live a life of truth, And you will look back on a life of truth. Live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/build-your-life-brick-upon-brick-live-a-life-of-truth-and-you-will/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [You have those walls up all around you...Come a day you gonna want to tear them down brick by brick and gonna find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-have-those-walls-up-all-around-you-come-a-day-you-gonna-want-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“As an employee, you’re not supposed to say the bricks come from modern day Iran or modern day Turkey. No, they come from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-hill-jr/as-an-employee-you-re-not-supposed-to-say-the-bricks-come-from-modern/) David A. Hill Jr > [“Two bricks, parallel and horizontal, equals an equal sign. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/two-bricks-parallel-and-horizontal-equals-an-equal-sign/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Didn’t every new thing you did become a part of you, one of your bricks?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/didn-t-every-new-thing-you-did-become-a-part-of-you-one-of-your-bricks/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) Browse all 587 Bricks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shirley Jackson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bricks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-me_181045.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-me_181045.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5aa/shirley-jackson-1526_bricks_within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-me_181045.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence…” — Shirley Jackson", "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": "Shirley Jackson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Within, walls continued upright, bricks met...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/#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 } } ] } ```