--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A shadow is never created in darkness. It…" description: "\"“A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of light. We can be blind to it and blinded by it. Our shadow asks us to look at what we don't want ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/380/terry-tempest-williams-835_darkness_a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it_168028.png" --- # A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of… ![“A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of light. We can be blind to it and blinded by it. Our shadow asks us to look at what we don't want to see. If we refuse to face our shadow, it will project itself on someone else so we have no choice but to engage.” quote by Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/380/terry-tempest-williams-835_darkness_a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it_168028.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/380/terry-tempest-williams-835_darkness_a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it_168028.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/380/terry-tempest-williams-835_darkness_a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it_168028.png) > ““A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of light. We can be blind to it and blinded by it. Our shadow asks us to look at what we don't want to see. If we refuse to face our shadow, it will project itself on someone else so we have no choice but to engage.”” [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our inner darkness is created by light; ignoring it causes it to affect others, forcing us to confront it. **In simple terms:** Light creates shadows; denial spreads problems to others. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and work through personal flaws. Themes self-awareness psychology growth Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - leadership training - personal relationships Key Concepts shadow work personal development psychological insight Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself do you avoid? - How can confronting your shadow improve your relationships? A Different Perspective Denial can be a coping mechanism that delays healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) ## Related quotes > [A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of light. We can be blind to it and blinded by it. Our shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it-is-born-of-light-we-can-be-2/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [You created darkness, that was your own choice, it is still you decision if it's going to stay there or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/you-created-darkness-that-was-your-own-choice-it-is-still-you/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) > [“He loved a shadow I'd created in his mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-queen/he-loved-a-shadow-i-d-created-in-his-mind/) William Queen > [“Mineshima Yuujirou created darkness from science. As a mad scientist, that’s as natural as breathing. People dug up the sealed darkness. As a human,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-ru-hayama/mineshima-yuujirou-created-darkness-from-science-as-a-mad-scientist/) [Tōru Hayama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-ru-hayama/) > [But there is a light that goes deeper than the will, a light that lights up the darkness behind it: that light can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/but-there-is-a-light-that-goes-deeper-than-the-will-a-light-that/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [“for every shadow there is a light casting upon it and for every light there is a shadow to be created”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-conway/for-every-shadow-there-is-a-light-casting-upon-it-and-for-every-light/) Thomas Conway > [Having lived in Utah all of my life, I can tell that in many ways I know of no place more lonely, no place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/having-lived-in-utah-all-of-my-life-i-can-tell-that-in-many-ways-i/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [àNeveràbe dependent to anyone in this world because even your own shadow leaves you when you're in darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/aneverabe-dependent-to-anyone-in-this-world-because-even-your-own/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In this way, his unhappy soul struggled with its anguish. Eighteen hundred years before this unfortunate man, the mysterious Being, in whom all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/in-this-way-his-unhappy-soul-struggled-with-its-anguish-eighteen/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [War and tooth enameled salted lemon childhoods All colors run, none of us solid Don't look for shadow behind me I carry it within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suheir-hammad/war-and-tooth-enameled-salted-lemon-childhoods-all-colors-run-none-of/) [Suheir Hammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suheir-hammad/) > [Over the souls of men spread the condor wings of colossal monsters and all manner of evil things prey upon the heart and soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/over-the-souls-of-men-spread-the-condor-wings-of-colossal-monsters/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [... while I am Death's daughter and walk in His dark shadow, surely the darkness can give way to light sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-lafevers/while-i-am-death-s-daughter-and-walk-in-his-dark-shadow-surely-the/) [R.L. LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-lafevers/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [Rest you well, beloved Jesus, Caesar’s Lord and Israel’s King, In the brooding of the Spirit, in the darkness of the spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/rest-you-well-beloved-jesus-caesar-s-lord-and-israel-s-king-in-the/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) ## More by Terry Tempest Williams > [I admire how she protects her energy and understands her limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-admire-how-she-protects-her-energy-and-understands-her-limitations/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Buddha says there are two kinds of suffering: the kind that leads to more suffering and the kind that brings an end to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/buddha-says-there-are-two-kinds-of-suffering-the-kind-that-leads-to/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I wonder how, among the Fremont, mothers and daughters shared their world. Did they walk side by side along the lake edge? What stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-wonder-how-among-the-fremont-mothers-and-daughters-shared-their/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I believe the personal is the collective. One of the ironies of writing memoir is in using the "I" it becomes an alchemical "we."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-the-personal-is-the-collective-one-of-the-ironies-of/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts... I write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-discover-i-write-to-uncover-i-write-to-meet-my-ghosts-i/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create red in a world that often appears black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-make-peace-with-the-things-i-cannot-control-i-write-to/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Hope is not attached to outcomes but is a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/hope-is-not-attached-to-outcomes-but-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I have spoken about what we can do as citizens, what we can do as a responsive citizenry, and this is where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-have-spoken-about-what-we-can-do-as-citizens-what-we-can-do-as-a/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The moment Eve bit into the apple, her eyes opened and she became free. She exposed the truth of what every woman knows: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-moment-eve-bit-into-the-apple-her-eyes-opened-and-she-became-free/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I accept the Organic Trinity of Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal with as much authority as I accept the Holy Trinity. Both are sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-accept-the-organic-trinity-of-mineral-vegetable-and-animal-with-as/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Good writing must stay open to the questions and not fall prey to the pull of a polemic, otherwise, words simply become predictable, sentimental,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/good-writing-must-stay-open-to-the-questions-and-not-fall-prey-to-the/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I believe we must do things in our lives for the right reasons, because we enjoy doing them, with no expectation of getting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-we-must-do-things-in-our-lives-for-the-right-reasons/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [A mother and daughter are an edge. Edges are ecotones, transitional zones, places of danger or opportunity. House-dwelling tension. When I stand on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-mother-and-daughter-are-an-edge-edges-are-ecotones-transitional/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“To be read. To be heard. To be seen. I want to be read, I want to be heard. I don't need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/to-be-read-to-be-heard-to-be-seen-i-want-to-be-read-i-want-to-be/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-eyes-of-the-future-are-looking-back-at-us-and-they-are-praying/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) [Explore all 357 Terry Tempest Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“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/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Even in darkness your lips taste of sunshine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/even-in-darkness-your-lips-taste-of-sunshine/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does he look like? The question was soft- tentative. I knew who he meant. I interlaced my fingers through Rhysand's and squeezed tightly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/what-does-he-look-like-the-question-was-soft-tentative-i-knew-who-he/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/) [Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) Nicole Gentile [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of light. We can be blind to it and blinded by it. Our shadow asks us to look at what we don't want to see. If we refuse to face our shadow, it will project itself on someone else so we have no choice but to engage.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Tempest Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it-is-born-of-light-we-can-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Darkness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it-is-born-of-light-we-can-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/380/terry-tempest-williams-835_darkness_a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it_168028.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/380/terry-tempest-williams-835_darkness_a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it_168028.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/380/terry-tempest-williams-835_darkness_a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it_168028.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A shadow is never created in darkness. It is born of light. We can be blind to it and blinded by it. Our…” — Terry Tempest Williams", "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": "Terry Tempest Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A shadow is never created in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it-is-born-of-light-we-can-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-shadow-is-never-created-in-darkness-it-is-born-of-light-we-can-be/#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 } } ] } ```