--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The word is clear only to the kind who on…" description: "\"The word is clear only to the kind who on peak or plain, from dark northern ice-fields to the hot wet jungles, through all wine and want, through lies ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/stephen-crane-4187_clear_the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-o_1058140.jpg" --- # The word is clear only to the kind who on peak or plain… ![“The word is clear only to the kind who on peak or plain, from dark northern ice-fields to the hot wet jungles, through all wine and want, through lies and unfamiliar truth, dark or light, are governed by the unknown gods, and though each man knows the law, no man may give tongue to it.” quote by Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/stephen-crane-4187_clear_the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-o_1058140.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/stephen-crane-4187_clear_the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-o_1058140.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/stephen-crane-4187_clear_the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-o_1058140.jpg) > “The word is clear only to the kind who on peak or plain, from dark northern ice-fields to the hot wet jungles, through all wine and want, through lies and unfamiliar truth, dark or light, are governed by the unknown gods, and though each man knows the law, no man may give tongue to it.” [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that only those who experience diverse extremes can truly grasp reality, yet even they cannot fully articulate its laws. **In simple terms:** Only the adventurous understand reality, yet cannot fully explain it. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse experiences, accept mystery. Themes adventure knowledge mystery Mood reflective curious Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - exploration - travel - cross‑cultural study - philosophical debate Key Concepts existentialism epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How does experiencing extremes change your worldview? - Can we ever fully know the unknown? A Different Perspective Human language may never capture the full scope of reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Governed Unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governed-unknown-2569469/) [Hot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [Jungle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jungle/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Knows Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows-law-354226/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light Governed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-governed-2569470/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Tongue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tongue/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Unfamiliar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfamiliar/) [Unfamiliar Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfamiliar-truth-2569471/) [Unknown Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unknown-gods-1409211/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wet/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [...nothing in the world is harder than convincing someone of an unfamiliar truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/nothing-in-the-world-is-harder-than-convincing-someone-of-an/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/all-our-scientific-and-philosophic-ideals-are-altars-to-unknown-gods/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“She made up prayers and said them, Worshipping unknown gods with unknown singing, Her customary magic, which would cover The white moon’s face and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/she-made-up-prayers-and-said-them-worshipping-unknown-gods-with/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“A good lawyer knows the law. A great lawyer knows the judge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalen-braden/a-good-lawyer-knows-the-law-a-great-lawyer-knows-the-judge/) [Magdalen Braden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalen-braden/) > [Necessity knows no law; I know some attorneys of the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/necessity-knows-no-law-i-know-some-attorneys-of-the-same/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [War knows no law except that of might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/war-knows-no-law-except-that-of-might/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [If a man knows the law, find out, though he live in a pine shanty, and resort to him. 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They know one desire; to hold what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/inertia-our-ruling-class-knows-one-law-no-change-despotism-they-know/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Necessity knows no law except to conquer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/necessity-knows-no-law-except-to-conquer/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [Remember that it is not the lawyer who knows the most law, but the one who best prepares his case, who wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/remember-that-it-is-not-the-lawyer-who-knows-the-most-law-but-the-one/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“One who knows the law of connectivity is a universal friend”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajasaraswathii/one-who-knows-the-law-of-connectivity-is-a-universal-friend/) [Rajasaraswathii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajasaraswathii/) > [Letters crossing in the post, unfamiliar tunes heard three times in one day, the way that blows of fate descend upon the same bowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/letters-crossing-in-the-post-unfamiliar-tunes-heard-three-times-in/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years. May you wake up... and start dancing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/may-you-eat-an-unfamiliar-dessert-in-a-strange-land-at-least-once/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) ## More by Stephen Crane > [Doubtless there are other roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/doubtless-there-are-other-roads/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [“She thinks my name is Freddie, you know, but of course it ain't. 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The debates drained him of his fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/eventually-his-courage-expended-itself-upon-these-objections-the/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) [Explore all 115 Stephen Crane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) ## More Clear quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. 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I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. 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But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 7,410 Clear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The word is clear only to the kind who on peak or plain, from dark northern ice-fields to the hot wet jungles, through all wine and want, through lies and unfamiliar truth, dark or light, are governed by the unknown gods, and though each man knows the law, no man may give tongue to it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Crane" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-on-peak-or-plain-from-dark/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-on-peak-or-plain-from-dark/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/stephen-crane-4187_clear_the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-o_1058140.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/stephen-crane-4187_clear_the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-o_1058140.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/stephen-crane-4187_clear_the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-o_1058140.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The word is clear only to the kind who on peak or plain, from dark northern ice-fields to the hot wet…” — Stephen Crane", "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 Crane", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The word is clear only to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-on-peak-or-plain-from-dark/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/the-word-is-clear-only-to-the-kind-who-on-peak-or-plain-from-dark/#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 } } ] } ```