--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She asked him to come in, if only for a…" description: "\"“She asked him to come in, if only for a minute, as it would seem so odd otherwise, and as if she had been out alone in the dark. He gave way, and foll..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/thomas-hardy-410_alone-in-the-dark_she-asked-him-to-come-in-if-only-for-a-m_2170603.jpg" --- # She asked him to come in, if only for a minute, as it… ![“She asked him to come in, if only for a minute, as it would seem so odd otherwise, and as if she had been out alone in the dark. He gave way, and followed her in. Immediately that the door was opened he found, in addition to her parents, several neighbours sitting round. They all spoke in a…” quote by Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/thomas-hardy-410_alone-in-the-dark_she-asked-him-to-come-in-if-only-for-a-m_2170603.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/thomas-hardy-410_alone-in-the-dark_she-asked-him-to-come-in-if-only-for-a-m_2170603.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/662/thomas-hardy-410_alone-in-the-dark_she-asked-him-to-come-in-if-only-for-a-m_2170603.jpg) > ““She asked him to come in, if only for a minute, as it would seem so odd otherwise, and as if she had been out alone in the dark. He gave way, and followed her in. Immediately that the door was opened he found, in addition to her parents, several neighbours sitting round. They all spoke in a congratulatory manner, and took him seriously as Arabella's intended partner. They did not belong to his set or circle, and he felt out of place and embarrassed. He had not meant this: a mere afternoon of pleasant walking with Arabella, that was all he had meant. He did not stay longer than to speak to her stepmother, a simple, quiet woman without features or character; and bidding them all good night plunged with a sense of relief into the track over the down. But that sense was only temporary: Arabella reasserted her sway in his soul. He walked as if he felt himself to be another man from the Jude of yesterday. What were his books to him? what were his intentions, hitherto adhered to so strictly, as to not wasting a single minute of time day by day? 'Wasting!' It depended on your point of view to define that: he was just living for the first time: not wasting life. It was better to love a woman than to be a graduate, or a parson; ay, or a pope!”” [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man feels pressured by societal expectations and his own desires, questioning the value of his ambitions versus love. **In simple terms:** He wonders if love is more important than career or status. Key Takeaway Choose love over empty ambition. Themes society love identity expectations self‑reflection Mood conflicted reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - dating - family gatherings - career decisions - self‑assessment Key Concepts existentialism social pressure personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What truly defines a meaningful life? - How do we balance personal desire with social duty? A Different Perspective His introspection may romanticize love, ignoring practical responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone in the dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone-in-the-dark/) [Another man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-man/) [Arabella Intended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabella-intended-4646102/) [Arabella Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabella-meant-4646103/) [Courting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courting/) [Day by day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-by-day/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Jude Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jude-yesterday-4646105/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Seriously Arabella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously-arabella-4646106/) [Walking Arabella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking-arabella-4646104/) ## Related quotes > [I'm hurt all the time. I don't want to cry for the way I feel inside. I just want someone to hold me... I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-hurt-all-the-time-i-don-t-want-to-cry-for-the-way-i-feel-inside-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She sat long alone in the dark; refusing to go out in the light of day, to face the possibility that life goes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bokhari/she-sat-long-alone-in-the-dark-refusing-to-go-out-in-the-light-of-day/) [Sara Bokhari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bokhari/) > [I'm even a little afraid of the dark. If I'm alone in the dark I'll sometimes feel that there's a presence behind me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-miike/i-m-even-a-little-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-alone-in-the-dark-i-ll/) [Takashi Miike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-miike/) > [“On the other hand, they were alone in the dark, and that had her thinking of kissing and other possibilities, which she swore she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-spear/on-the-other-hand-they-were-alone-in-the-dark-and-that-had-her/) [Terry Spear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-spear/) > [A movie like House of the Dead with around $7 million budget or Alone in the Dark with around $16 million budget are much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uwe-boll/a-movie-like-house-of-the-dead-with-around-7-million-budget-or-alone/) [Uwe Boll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uwe-boll/) > [Shes alone in the dark You can just see Shes crying tears of blood Shes not at all free Her cuts bleed As there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shes-alone-in-the-dark-you-can-just-see-shes-crying-tears-of-blood/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Then I glanced at the ring on my finger. The Snake That Eats Its Own Tail, Forever and Ever. I know where I came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/then-i-glanced-at-the-ring-on-my-finger-the-snake-that-eats-its-own/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“...he would miss half their lives, locked alone in the dark while the children splashed in the rain, earned the Greek myths, fell in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-ausubel/he-would-miss-half-their-lives-locked-alone-in-the-dark-while-the/) [Ramona Ausubel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-ausubel/) > [“When you’re born a light is switched on, a light which shines up through your life. As you get older the light still reaches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-marshall-smith/when-you-re-born-a-light-is-switched-on-a-light-which-shines-up/) [Michael Marshall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-marshall-smith/) > [Walking alone in the dark is better than walking in the light alone..!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-hathway/walking-alone-in-the-dark-is-better-than-walking-in-the-light-alone/) [Rose Hathway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-hathway/) > [“You really aren't here at all. There isn't anybody but me. Jane, here alone in the dark, I miss you dreadfully!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/you-really-aren-t-here-at-all-there-isn-t-anybody-but-me-jane-here/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [My overcoat is worn out my shirts also are worn out. And I ask to be allowed to have a lamp in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tyndale/my-overcoat-is-worn-out-my-shirts-also-are-worn-out-and-i-ask-to-be/) [William Tyndale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tyndale/) > [“He was everything your mother warned you about when she told you not to walk alone in the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/he-was-everything-your-mother-warned-you-about-when-she-told-you-not/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“To lose such a love, is to smell the last scent of a candle before it is blown out. Such a love does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-s-dudley/to-lose-such-a-love-is-to-smell-the-last-scent-of-a-candle-before-it/) [Israel S. Dudley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-s-dudley/) ## More by Thomas Hardy > [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“She was in a sound sleep, Jude, dying of anxiety lest she should have caught a chill which might permanently injure her, was glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/she-was-in-a-sound-sleep-jude-dying-of-anxiety-lest-she-should-have/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [You ride well, but you don't kiss nicely at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-ride-well-but-you-don-t-kiss-nicely-at-all/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [You could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks, or her ninth sparkling from her eyes; and even her fifth would flit over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-could-sometimes-see-her-twelfth-year-in-her-cheeks-or-her-ninth/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“It was mid-May time, bringing with it weather not, perhaps, quite so blooming as that assumed to be natural to the month by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-was-mid-may-time-bringing-with-it-weather-not-perhaps-quite-so/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/if-galileo-had-said-in-verse-that-the-world-moved-the-inquisition/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Some folk want their luck buttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/some-folk-want-their-luck-buttered/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Measurement of life should be proportioned rather to the intensity of the experience than to its actual length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/measurement-of-life-should-be-proportioned-rather-to-the-intensity-of/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“I was court-martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-was-court-martialed-in-my-absence-and-sentenced-to-death-in-my/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“It being the first time in his life that he had touched female fingers under water, Dick duly registered the sensation as rather a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-being-the-first-time-in-his-life-that-he-had-touched-female/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“As soon as she could discern the outline of the house, it had all its old effect upon Tess's imagination. Part of her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-soon-as-she-could-discern-the-outline-of-the-house-it-had-all-its/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [ The perfect woman, you see \[is\] a working-woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who \[uses\] her hands and her head… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-perfect-woman-you-see-is-a-working-woman-not-an-idler-not-a-fine/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“The Sinister Spirit sneered: 'It had to be!' And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, 'Why?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sinister-spirit-sneered-it-had-to-be-and-again-the-spirit-of-pity/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/justice-was-done-and-the-president-of-the-immortals-in-aeschylean/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Explore all 561 Thomas Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## More Alone in the dark quotes > [I'm hurt all the time. I don't want to cry for the way I feel inside. I just want someone to hold me... I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-hurt-all-the-time-i-don-t-want-to-cry-for-the-way-i-feel-inside-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“He was everything your mother warned you about when she told you not to walk alone in the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/he-was-everything-your-mother-warned-you-about-when-she-told-you-not/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [My overcoat is worn out my shirts also are worn out. And I ask to be allowed to have a lamp in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tyndale/my-overcoat-is-worn-out-my-shirts-also-are-worn-out-and-i-ask-to-be/) [William Tyndale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tyndale/) > [“You really aren't here at all. There isn't anybody but me. Jane, here alone in the dark, I miss you dreadfully!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/you-really-aren-t-here-at-all-there-isn-t-anybody-but-me-jane-here/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Walking alone in the dark is better than walking in the light alone..!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-hathway/walking-alone-in-the-dark-is-better-than-walking-in-the-light-alone/) [Rose Hathway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-hathway/) > [“When you’re born a light is switched on, a light which shines up through your life. As you get older the light still reaches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-marshall-smith/when-you-re-born-a-light-is-switched-on-a-light-which-shines-up/) [Michael Marshall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-marshall-smith/) > [“...he would miss half their lives, locked alone in the dark while the children splashed in the rain, earned the Greek myths, fell in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-ausubel/he-would-miss-half-their-lives-locked-alone-in-the-dark-while-the/) [Ramona Ausubel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-ausubel/) > [Then I glanced at the ring on my finger. The Snake That Eats Its Own Tail, Forever and Ever. I know where I came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/then-i-glanced-at-the-ring-on-my-finger-the-snake-that-eats-its-own/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Shes alone in the dark You can just see Shes crying tears of blood Shes not at all free Her cuts bleed As there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shes-alone-in-the-dark-you-can-just-see-shes-crying-tears-of-blood/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A movie like House of the Dead with around $7 million budget or Alone in the Dark with around $16 million budget are much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uwe-boll/a-movie-like-house-of-the-dead-with-around-7-million-budget-or-alone/) [Uwe Boll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uwe-boll/) > [“On the other hand, they were alone in the dark, and that had her thinking of kissing and other possibilities, which she swore she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-spear/on-the-other-hand-they-were-alone-in-the-dark-and-that-had-her/) [Terry Spear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-spear/) > [I'm even a little afraid of the dark. If I'm alone in the dark I'll sometimes feel that there's a presence behind me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-miike/i-m-even-a-little-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-alone-in-the-dark-i-ll/) [Takashi Miike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-miike/) > [She sat long alone in the dark; refusing to go out in the light of day, to face the possibility that life goes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bokhari/she-sat-long-alone-in-the-dark-refusing-to-go-out-in-the-light-of-day/) [Sara Bokhari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bokhari/) > [“To lose such a love, is to smell the last scent of a candle before it is blown out. Such a love does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-s-dudley/to-lose-such-a-love-is-to-smell-the-last-scent-of-a-candle-before-it/) [Israel S. Dudley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-s-dudley/) [Browse all 83 Alone in the dark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone-in-the-dark/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She asked him to come in, if only for a minute, as it would seem so odd otherwise, and as if she had been out alone in the dark. He gave way, and followed her in. Immediately that the door was opened he found, in addition to her parents, several neighbours sitting round. They all spoke in a congratulatory manner, and took him seriously as Arabella's intended partner. They did not belong to his set or circle, and he felt out of place and embarrassed. He had not meant this: a mere afternoon of pleasant walking with Arabella, that was all he had meant. He did not stay longer than to speak to her stepmother, a simple, quiet woman without features or character; and bidding them all good night plunged with a sense of relief into the track over the down. But that sense was only temporary: Arabella reasserted her sway in his soul. He walked as if he felt himself to be another man from the Jude of yesterday. What were his books to him? what were his intentions, hitherto adhered to so strictly, as to not wasting a single minute of time day by day? 'Wasting!' It depended on your point of view to define that: he was just living for the first time: not wasting life. 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