Darkness Quote by Thomas Wolfe
““We do not know. All that we know is that we lack a tongue that could reveal, a language that could perfectly express the wild joy swelling to a music in our heart, the wild pain welling to a strong ache in our throat, the wild cry mounting to a madness in our brain, the thing, the word, the joy we know so well, and cannot speak! All that we know is that the little stations whip by in the night, the straggling little towns whip by with all that is casual, rude, familiar, ugly, and unutterable. All that we know is that the earth is flowing by us in the darkness, and that this is the way the world goes with a field and a wood and a field! And of the huge and secret earth all we know is that we feel with all our life its texture with our foot upon it.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe, 1929
The quote expresses the ineffable nature of deep emotions and the struggle to articulate them with language, highlighting the wild, primal feelings that surpass words.
In simple terms: Deep feelings cannot be fully expressed in words.
Key Takeaway
Accept that some emotions are felt beyond language.
Themes
emotion
language
expression
ineffability
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- artistic inspiration
- personal reflection
- poetic writing
- creative therapy
Key Concepts
existentialism
phenomenology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you convey profound emotions without words?
- What non‑verbal outlets help you express what language cannot?
A Different Perspective
Language may fail to capture the full intensity of feeling.
