--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Easy is the descent to hell; all night…" description: "\"Easy is the descent to hell; all night long, all day, the doors of dark Hades stand open; but to retrace the path; to come out again to the sweet air o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/virgil-1205_air_easy-is-the-descent-to-hell-all-night-lo_441880.jpg" --- # Easy is the descent to hell; all night long, all day, the… ![“Easy is the descent to hell; all night long, all day, the doors of dark Hades stand open; but to retrace the path; to come out again to the sweet air of Heaven - there is the task, there is the burden.” quote by Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/virgil-1205_air_easy-is-the-descent-to-hell-all-night-lo_441880.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/virgil-1205_air_easy-is-the-descent-to-hell-all-night-lo_441880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9e/virgil-1205_air_easy-is-the-descent-to-hell-all-night-lo_441880.jpg) > “Easy is the descent to hell; all night long, all day, the doors of dark Hades stand open; but to retrace the path; to come out again to the sweet air of Heaven - there is the task, there is the burden.” [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The path to virtue is arduous; the descent into suffering is easy, yet returning to goodness requires effort and burden. **In simple terms:** Choosing good over easy is hard but rewarding. Key Takeaway Choose the difficult but noble path. Themes morality struggle redemption Mood solemn inspirational Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - personal crisis - addiction recovery - spiritual pilgrimage - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts virtue ethics human suffering Questions to Reflect On - What burdens do you carry toward virtue? - How can you sustain hope in darkness? A Different Perspective The “burden” may feel overwhelming, leading to discouragement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Descent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/descent/) [Hades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hades/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) ## Related quotes > [Oh you who are born of the gods, easy is the descent into Hell. The door of darkness stands open day and night. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/oh-you-who-are-born-of-the-gods-easy-is-the-descent-into-hell-the/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [Facilis decensus averni. The descent into hell is easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/facilis-decensus-averni-the-descent-into-hell-is-easy/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“The descent into Hell is easy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/the-descent-into-hell-is-easy/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [I do not wish upon anyone a descent into hell. But if your life has to be turned inside out in order for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-do-not-wish-upon-anyone-a-descent-into-hell-but-if-your-life-has-to/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [Only the descent into the hell of self-knowledge can pave the way to godliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/only-the-descent-into-the-hell-of-self-knowledge-can-pave-the-way-to/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [The descent to hell is easy and those who begin by worshipping power, soon worship evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-descent-to-hell-is-easy-and-those-who-begin-by-worshipping-power/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [You are my angel and my damnation; in your presence I reach divine ecstasy and in your absence I descent to hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/you-are-my-angel-and-my-damnation-in-your-presence-i-reach-divine/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [The Christian life is a pilgrimage from earth to heaven, and our task is to take as many as possible with us as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-w-wiersbe/the-christian-life-is-a-pilgrimage-from-earth-to-heaven-and-our-task/) [Warren W. Wiersbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-w-wiersbe/) > [The descent to Hades is the same from every place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anaxagoras/the-descent-to-hades-is-the-same-from-every-place/) [Anaxagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anaxagoras/) > [Anaxagoras said to a man who was grieving because he was dying in a foreign land, "The descent to Hades is the same from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes-laertius/anaxagoras-said-to-a-man-who-was-grieving-because-he-was-dying-in-a/) [Diogenes Laertius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes-laertius/) > [The descent into Hades is much the same from whatever place we start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anaxagoras/the-descent-into-hades-is-much-the-same-from-whatever-place-we-start/) [Anaxagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anaxagoras/) > [“My only regret involved the sad knowledge that I could not handle the amount of alcohol I would have enjoyed. “Easy is the descent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-only-regret-involved-the-sad-knowledge-that-i-could-not-handle-the/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“the Devil's hand directs our every move the things we loathed become the things we love; day by day we drop through stinking shades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-devil-s-hand-directs-our-every-move-the-things-we-loathed-become/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“Facilis descensus Averni," he whispered, his ominous and preternatural words striking her very soul. "The descent to Hell is easy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/facilis-descensus-averni-he-whispered-his-ominous-and-preternatural/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“The descent into hell is easy." said Alec. "You just said kiss the cook" "Dammit" said Simon. "I knew Jace was screwing with me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/the-descent-into-hell-is-easy-said-alec-you-just-said-kiss-the-cook/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## More by Virgil > [We may be masters of our every lot By bearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/we-may-be-masters-of-our-every-lot-by-bearing-it/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“Facilis descensus Averni: noctes atque dies patet atri ianua Ditis; sed revocare gradium superasque evadere ad auras. hoc opus, hic labor est.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/facilis-descensus-averni-noctes-atque-dies-patet-atri-ianua-ditis-sed/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [The descent to the infernal regions is easy enough, but to retrace one's steps, and reach the air above, there's the rub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/the-descent-to-the-infernal-regions-is-easy-enough-but-to-retrace-one/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [If I am unable to make the gods above relent, I shall move hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/if-i-am-unable-to-make-the-gods-above-relent-i-shall-move-hell/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [Such is the love of praise, so great the anxiety for victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/such-is-the-love-of-praise-so-great-the-anxiety-for-victory/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“Spare the meek, but subdue the arrogant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/spare-the-meek-but-subdue-the-arrogant/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [We have to thank God for this retirement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/we-have-to-thank-god-for-this-retirement/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“..and why the winter suns so rush to bathe themselves in the sea and what slows down the nights to a long lingering crawl...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/and-why-the-winter-suns-so-rush-to-bathe-themselves-in-the-sea-and/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit. and perhaps it will be pleasing to have remembered these things one day”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/forsan-et-haec-olim-meminisse-iuvabit-and-perhaps-it-will-be-pleasing/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/timeo-danaos-et-dona-ferentes/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [The Britons are quite separated from all the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/the-britons-are-quite-separated-from-all-the-world/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [One man excels in eloquence, another in arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/one-man-excels-in-eloquence-another-in-arms/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“But the Danaan princes and Agamemnon’s battalions, soon as they saw the man and his arms flashing amid the glom, trembled with mighty fear;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/but-the-danaan-princes-and-agamemnon-s-battalions-soon-as-they-saw/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“What a tale he's told, what a bitter bowl of war he's drunk to the dregs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/what-a-tale-he-s-told-what-a-bitter-bowl-of-war-he-s-drunk-to-the/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“Non ignora mali, miseris succurrere disco.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/non-ignora-mali-miseris-succurrere-disco/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) [Explore all 273 Virgil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. 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