---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The outside lights were on, and it was…"
description: "\"The outside lights were on, and it was snowing, and it looked like magic. Like we were somewhere else. Like we were someplace better.\" — Stephen Chbosky"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/stephen-chbosky-387_flower_the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-sn_227091.png"
---

#  The outside lights were on, and it was snowing, and it…

![“The outside lights were on, and it was snowing, and it looked like magic. Like we were somewhere else. Like we were someplace better.” quote by Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/stephen-chbosky-387_flower_the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-sn_227091.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/stephen-chbosky-387_flower_the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-sn_227091.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/stephen-chbosky-387_flower_the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-sn_227091.png)

> “The outside lights were on, and it was snowing, and it looked like magic. Like we were somewhere else. Like we were someplace better.”

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

## About This Quote

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

The scene describes a magical, transformative feeling during a snowy night, suggesting escape from ordinary reality.

**In simple terms:** Snowy night feels magical and transcendent.

Key Takeaway

Seek moments that lift you beyond routine.

Themes

magic escape transcendence

Mood

wistful hopeful

Type

poetic reflective

When to use this quote

- winter walks
- night drives
- holiday seasons
- creative inspiration

Key Concepts

nostalgia beauty of nature

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you felt similar wonder?
- What does this magic mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Such romanticizing may ignore practical challenges of daily life.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snow/) [Snowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snowing/)

## Related quotes

> [When I was 8, I was reading a book in which it was snowing. When I looked outside, I expected there to be snow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/when-i-was-8-i-was-reading-a-book-in-which-it-was-snowing-when-i/)

[Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/)

> [Human beings don't show, any more than cities at dusk, their real necessities! And yet if you looked -- past the circle of outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/human-beings-don-t-show-any-more-than-cities-at-dusk-their-real/)

[Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/)

> [“I find the world changed when it snows. Sometimes I wonder if it's the closest thing to magic I shall ever experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-a-kuzniar/i-find-the-world-changed-when-it-snows-sometimes-i-wonder-if-it-s-the/)

[M.A. Kuzniar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-a-kuzniar/)

> [Snow is all right while it is snowing; it is like inebriation because it is very pleasing when it is coming, but very unpleasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/snow-is-all-right-while-it-is-snowing-it-is-like-inebriation-because/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [Is it snowing where you are? All the world that I see from my tower is draped in white and the flakes are coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/is-it-snowing-where-you-are-all-the-world-that-i-see-from-my-tower-is/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [It's always snowing at the south pole of Enceladus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-porco/it-s-always-snowing-at-the-south-pole-of-enceladus/)

[Carolyn Porco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-porco/)

> [“It's already snowing up the pass. I bet we get 7 inches tonight... Maybe more if your good. Xaden to Violet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-yarros/it-s-already-snowing-up-the-pass-i-bet-we-get-7-inches-tonight-maybe/)

[Rebecca Yarros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-yarros/)

> [I grew up in Southern California. If it's snowing on a day I'm supposed to train, I'll just stare out the window in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-kim/i-grew-up-in-southern-california-if-it-s-snowing-on-a-day-i-m/)

[Chloe Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-kim/)

> [When it comes to snowing people, one effective technique is to get a whole bunch of verifiable facts right and then add one or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/when-it-comes-to-snowing-people-one-effective-technique-is-to-get-a/)

[Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/)

> [“It’s snowing today. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/it-s-snowing-today-the/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [“The greenhouse effect I am knowing; To protest right now I am going, But oh my gee whiz, I'm going that is, If only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cook/the-greenhouse-effect-i-am-knowing-to-protest-right-now-i-am-going/)

Alan Cook

> [“As Jack's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he saw the ground covered in white and, in the light of Garrett"s lantern, snowflakes spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/as-jack-s-eyes-grew-accustomed-to-the-darkness-he-saw-the-ground/)

[Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/)

> [I like this whole part. The snow is snowing and the wind is blowing but I can weather the storm! What do I care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-this-whole-part-the-snow-is-snowing-and-the-wind-is-blowing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“And the mist of snow, as he had foreseen, was still on it - a ghost of snow falling in the bright sunlight, softly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/and-the-mist-of-snow-as-he-had-foreseen-was-still-on-it-a-ghost-of/)

[Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/)

> [Snowing is an attempt of God to make the dirty world look clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/snowing-is-an-attempt-of-god-to-make-the-dirty-world-look-clean/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

## More by Stephen Chbosky

> [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [“It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/it-s-great-that-you-can-listen-and-be-a-shoulder-to-someone-but-what/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [Most of the people I know who were raised to be accommodating or were raised to just be nice and put everybody's needs ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/most-of-the-people-i-know-who-were-raised-to-be-accommodating-or-were/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [I don’t want to start thinking again. Not like I have this last week. I can’t think again. Not ever again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/i-don-t-want-to-start-thinking-again-not-like-i-have-this-last-week-i/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [“And then Patrick started running after the sunset. And Sam immediately followed him. And I saw them in silhouette. Running after the sun. Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/and-then-patrick-started-running-after-the-sunset-and-sam-immediately/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [That was always my hope that that is exactly what I would do. It was always part of the dream of this story -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/that-was-always-my-hope-that-that-is-exactly-what-i-would-do-it-was/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [And she says she wants to expose me to all these great things. And to tell you the truth, I don't really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/and-she-says-she-wants-to-expose-me-to-all-these-great-things-and-to/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [“I'm sorry I bothered you, Susan. I'm just having a tough time. That's all. Have a good one," I said and walked away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/i-m-sorry-i-bothered-you-susan-i-m-just-having-a-tough-time-that-s/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [When we were all getting ready to leave, I walked up to my grandfather and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/when-we-were-all-getting-ready-to-leave-i-walked-up-to-my-grandfather/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [It's like he would take a photograph of Sam, and the photograph would be beautiful. And he would think that the reason the photograph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/it-s-like-he-would-take-a-photograph-of-sam-and-the-photograph-would/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [Five minutes of a lifetime were truly spent, and we felt young in a good way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/five-minutes-of-a-lifetime-were-truly-spent-and-we-felt-young-in-a/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [I feel like a big faker because I've been putting my life back together, and nobody knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/i-feel-like-a-big-faker-because-i-ve-been-putting-my-life-back/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [“So, this is my life. And I want you to know I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/so-this-is-my-life-and-i-want-you-to-know-i-am-both-happy-and-sad-and/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [If you care about somebody, you should want them to be happy. Even if you wind up being left out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/if-you-care-about-somebody-you-should-want-them-to-be-happy-even-if/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [I wasn't raised very religiously because my parents went to Catholic school, but I do believe in God very much. I just never gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/i-wasn-t-raised-very-religiously-because-my-parents-went-to-catholic/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

[Explore all 558 Stephen Chbosky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

## More Flower quotes

> [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Most girls get flowers or candy. I get a declaration of martial law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shearin/most-girls-get-flowers-or-candy-i-get-a-declaration-of-martial-law/)

[Lisa Shearin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shearin/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/)

[Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/)

> [Sometimes, sometimes it is really difficult to turn and walk away from someone you have loved and cherished for so long. You know deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kreger/sometimes-sometimes-it-is-really-difficult-to-turn-and-walk-away-from/)

[David Kreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kreger/)

> [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/)

[Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/)

> [A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-meynell/a-garden-has-a-curious-innocent-way-of-consuming-cash-while-all-the/)

[Esther Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-meynell/)

> [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/)

[Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/)

> [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/)

[Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/)

> [“But any picture could deal with the problem of light. The problem with this picture is greater than that of reflective surfaces - it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-otto/but-any-picture-could-deal-with-the-problem-of-light-the-problem-with/)

[Whitney Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-otto/)

> [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/)

[anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/)

[Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

[Browse all 12,347 Flower quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The outside lights were on, and it was snowing, and it looked like magic. Like we were somewhere else. Like we were someplace better.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Chbosky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-snowing-and-it-looked-like/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Flower"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-snowing-and-it-looked-like/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/stephen-chbosky-387_flower_the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-sn_227091.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/stephen-chbosky-387_flower_the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-sn_227091.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/stephen-chbosky-387_flower_the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-sn_227091.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The outside lights were on, and it was snowing, and it looked like magic. Like we were somewhere else. Like…” — Stephen Chbosky",
                "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": "Stephen Chbosky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The outside lights were on, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-snowing-and-it-looked-like/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/the-outside-lights-were-on-and-it-was-snowing-and-it-looked-like/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
