---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the earth needs night as well as day…"
description: "\"“If the earth needs night as well as day, wouldn't it follow that the soul requires endarkenment to balance enlightenment?”\" — Tom Robbins"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/tom-robbins-169_buddhism_if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day_221201.jpg"
---

#  If the earth needs night as well as day, wouldn't it…

![“If the earth needs night as well as day, wouldn't it follow that the soul requires endarkenment to balance enlightenment?” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/tom-robbins-169_buddhism_if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day_221201.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/tom-robbins-169_buddhism_if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day_221201.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/tom-robbins-169_buddhism_if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day_221201.jpg)

> ““If the earth needs night as well as day, wouldn't it follow that the soul requires endarkenment to balance enlightenment?””

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

## 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 night balances day like darkness balances enlightenment, implying the soul needs both light and shadow.

**In simple terms:** Balance requires both light and darkness.

Key Takeaway

Seek harmony between opposites.

Themes

philosophy balance spirituality

Mood

contemplative thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- creative work
- personal growth

Key Concepts

dualism enlightenment darkness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you integrate shadow aspects?
- What does enlightenment mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on darkness may hinder growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/)

## Related quotes

> [Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth and the soul requires inward restfulness to attain its full height.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/our-life-is-a-long-and-arduous-quest-after-truth-and-the-soul/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [The enlarging of the soul requires not only some remodeling, but some excavating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/the-enlarging-of-the-soul-requires-not-only-some-remodeling-but-some/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [Though her soul requires seeing, the culture around her requires sightlessness. Though her soul wishes to speak its truth, she is pressured to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/though-her-soul-requires-seeing-the-culture-around-her-requires/)

[Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/)

> [An unhealthy soul requires a healthy body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/an-unhealthy-soul-requires-a-healthy-body/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I know I know this life is given for a reason god felt you would be strong enough to live it I know this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/racheal-smith/i-know-i-know-this-life-is-given-for-a-reason-god-felt-you-would-be/)

Racheal Smith

> [We have a mighty task before us. The earth needs our assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/we-have-a-mighty-task-before-us-the-earth-needs-our-assistance/)

[Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/)

> [Air and Water can just swirl around being swirly, and Fire is just kind of aggressive, but my gut feeling is that Earth needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/air-and-water-can-just-swirl-around-being-swirly-and-fire-is-just/)

[Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/)

> [The earth needs our work… now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-de-salzmann/the-earth-needs-our-work-now/)

[Jeanne de Salzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-de-salzmann/)

> [ We are the intelligent elite among animal life on earth and whatever our mistakes, \[Earth\] needs us. This may seem an odd statement after… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/we-are-the-intelligent-elite-among-animal-life-on-earth-and-whatever/)

[James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/)

> [Get to work because Mother Earth needs you right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/get-to-work-because-mother-earth-needs-you-right-now/)

[Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/)

> [I believe that if today's youth work together raising our collective voice, we can affect the positive environmental change that Planet Earth needs so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-gallagher/i-believe-that-if-today-s-youth-work-together-raising-our-collective/)

[Aidan Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-gallagher/)

> [Mother Earth needs us to keep our covenant. We will do this in courts, we will do this on our radio station, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-laduke/mother-earth-needs-us-to-keep-our-covenant-we-will-do-this-in-courts/)

[Winona LaDuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-laduke/)

> [It is not new continents the earth needs, but new men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/it-is-not-new-continents-the-earth-needs-but-new-men/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [The Earth needs rebels!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/the-earth-needs-rebels/)

[David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/)

> [“No matter what you are going through, do not think of going from the face of the earth. Someone needs you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/no-matter-what-you-are-going-through-do-not-think-of-going-from-the/)

Anyaele Sam Chiyson

## More by Tom Robbins

> [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-believe-in-everything-nothing-is-sacred-i-believe-in-nothing/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the-2/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

[Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If the earth needs night as well as day, wouldn't it follow that the soul requires endarkenment to balance enlightenment?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Robbins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day-wouldn-t-it-follow-that-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day-wouldn-t-it-follow-that-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/tom-robbins-169_buddhism_if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day_221201.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/tom-robbins-169_buddhism_if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day_221201.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/920/tom-robbins-169_buddhism_if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day_221201.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If the earth needs night as well as day, wouldn't it follow that the soul requires endarkenment to balance…” — Tom Robbins",
                "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": "Tom Robbins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If the earth needs night as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day-wouldn-t-it-follow-that-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/if-the-earth-needs-night-as-well-as-day-wouldn-t-it-follow-that-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
