--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no idea how long Quisser was gone…" description: "\"“I have no idea how long Quisser was gone from the table. My attention became fully absorbed by the other faces in the club and the deep anxiety they b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/thomas-ligotti-2073_art-critic_i-have-no-idea-how-long-quisser-was-gone_1500664.jpg" --- # I have no idea how long Quisser was gone from the table… ![“I have no idea how long Quisser was gone from the table. My attention became fully absorbed by the other faces in the club and the deep anxiety they betrayed to me, an anxiety that was not of the natural, existential sort but one that was caused by peculiar concerns of an uncanny nature. What a…” quote by Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/thomas-ligotti-2073_art-critic_i-have-no-idea-how-long-quisser-was-gone_1500664.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/thomas-ligotti-2073_art-critic_i-have-no-idea-how-long-quisser-was-gone_1500664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e4/thomas-ligotti-2073_art-critic_i-have-no-idea-how-long-quisser-was-gone_1500664.jpg) > ““I have no idea how long Quisser was gone from the table. My attention became fully absorbed by the other faces in the club and the deep anxiety they betrayed to me, an anxiety that was not of the natural, existential sort but one that was caused by peculiar concerns of an uncanny nature. What a season is upon us, these faces seemed to say. And no doubt their voices would have spoken directly of certain peculiar concerns had they not been intimidated into weird equivocations and double entendres by the fear of falling victim to the same kind of unnatural affliction that had made so much trouble in the mind of the art critic Stuart Quisser. Who would be next? What could a person say these days, or even think, without feeling the dread of repercussion from powerfully connected groups and individuals? I could almost hear their voices asking, "Why here, why now?" But of course they could have just as easily been asking, "Why not here, why not now?" It would not occur to this crowd that there were no special rules involved; it would not occur to them, even though they were a crowd of imaginative artists, that the whole thing was simply a matter of random, purposeless terror that converged upon a particular place at a particular time for no particular reason. On the other hand, it would also not have occurred to them that they might have wished it all upon themselves, that they might have had a hand in bringing certain powerful forces and connections into our district simply by wishing them to come. They might have wished and wished for an unnatural evil to fall upon them but, for a while at least, nothing happened. Then the wishing stopped, the old wishes were forgotten yet at the same time gathered in strength, distilling themselves into a potent formula (who can say!), until one day the terrible season began. Because had they really told the truth, this artistic crowd might also have expressed what a sense of meaning (although of a negative sort), not to mention the vigorous thrill (although of an excruciating type), this season of unnatural evil had brought to their lives. ("Gas Station Carnivals")”” [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes an atmosphere of pervasive anxiety among artists, driven by fear of unseen, irrational forces and the dread of being caught in random, purposeless terror, suggesting that collective dread can be both self‑generated and externally imposed. **In simple terms:** Artists feel deep, irrational fear of random terror. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and question collective anxieties. Themes anxiety fear irrationality collective dread Mood uneasy introspective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - gallery openings - art critiques - political rallies - online forums Key Concepts uncanny psychological terror social influence Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your own sense of dread? - Can random terror be prevented? A Different Perspective The abstract language may obscure concrete causes of fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art critic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-critic/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Concerns Uncanny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerns-uncanny-5500537/) [Decadence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decadence/) [Decadents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decadents/) [Entendres Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entendres-fear-5500538/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Faces Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces-say-1970077/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Gas station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gas-station/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Occurred Wished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occurred-wished-5500539/) [Random](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/random/) [Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror/) [Thrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrill/) [Uncanny Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncanny-nature-5500540/) ## Related quotes > [If we all said to people's faces what we say behind one another's backs, society would be impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/if-we-all-said-to-people-s-faces-what-we-say-behind-one-another-s/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [When life gives you skittles, throw them in people's faces and say,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-life-gives-you-skittles-throw-them-in-people-s-faces-and-say/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I love watching people's faces when i say i live with my daughter and Johnny Depp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-messidoro/i-love-watching-people-s-faces-when-i-say-i-live-with-my-daughter-and/) [Diane Messidoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-messidoro/) > [And I like the look on people's faces when I say I'm doing this movie called Pride and Prejudice and they kind of smile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamund-pike/and-i-like-the-look-on-people-s-faces-when-i-say-i-m-doing-this-movie/) [Rosamund Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamund-pike/) > [The great comics can fall on their faces, but then they can say, 'Oh, baby, you're the greatest.' 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My attention became fully absorbed by the other faces in the club and the deep anxiety they betrayed to me, an anxiety that was not of the natural, existential sort but one that was caused by peculiar concerns of an uncanny nature. What a season is upon us, these faces seemed to say. And no doubt their voices would have spoken directly of certain peculiar concerns had they not been intimidated into weird equivocations and double entendres by the fear of falling victim to the same kind of unnatural affliction that had made so much trouble in the mind of the art critic Stuart Quisser. Who would be next? What could a person say these days, or even think, without feeling the dread of repercussion from powerfully connected groups and individuals? I could almost hear their voices asking, \"Why here, why now?\" But of course they could have just as easily been asking, \"Why not here, why not now?\" It would not occur to this crowd that there were no special rules involved; it would not occur to them, even though they were a crowd of imaginative artists, that the whole thing was simply a matter of random, purposeless terror that converged upon a particular place at a particular time for no particular reason. On the other hand, it would also not have occurred to them that they might have wished it all upon themselves, that they might have had a hand in bringing certain powerful forces and connections into our district simply by wishing them to come. They might have wished and wished for an unnatural evil to fall upon them but, for a while at least, nothing happened. Then the wishing stopped, the old wishes were forgotten yet at the same time gathered in strength, distilling themselves into a potent formula (who can say!), until one day the terrible season began. Because had they really told the truth, this artistic crowd might also have expressed what a sense of meaning (although of a negative sort), not to mention the vigorous thrill (although of an excruciating type), this season of unnatural evil had brought to their lives. 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