--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Instead of being a single, downright…" description: "\"“Instead of being a single, downright, bluff piece of work of which no man need feel ashamed, our commonest deeds are set about with a fluttering and f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/virginia-woolf-49_light_instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluf_3202559.jpg" --- # Instead of being a single, downright, bluff piece of work… ![“Instead of being a single, downright, bluff piece of work of which no man need feel ashamed, our commonest deeds are set about with a fluttering and flickering of wings, a rising and falling of lights.” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/virginia-woolf-49_light_instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluf_3202559.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/virginia-woolf-49_light_instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluf_3202559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/virginia-woolf-49_light_instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluf_3202559.jpg) > ““Instead of being a single, downright, bluff piece of work of which no man need feel ashamed, our commonest deeds are set about with a fluttering and flickering of wings, a rising and falling of lights.”” [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ordinary actions gain significance when described with poetic language, turning mundane deeds into something luminous and fragile. **In simple terms:** Simple deeds become poetic when described beautifully. Key Takeaway Find beauty in everyday actions. Themes literature poetry perception beauty Mood contemplative elegant Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing - teaching - mindfulness - creative arts Key Concepts symbolism transcendence aesthetic appreciation Questions to Reflect On - How can poetic language change our view of daily life? - What ordinary act could you describe more poetically? A Different Perspective Risk of over‑romanticizing trivial matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commonest Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonest-deeds-5951097/) [Falling Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-lights-5951096/) [Flickering Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flickering-wings-5951095/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Rising Falling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rising-falling-559463/) [Wings Rising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wings-rising-5951098/) ## Related quotes > [“Rising and falling of my journey made me strive for more in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/rising-and-falling-of-my-journey-made-me-strive-for-more-in-life/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/all-things-entail-rising-and-falling-timing-you-must-be-able-to/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) > [The spring sea rising and falling, rising and falling all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yosa-buson/the-spring-sea-rising-and-falling-rising-and-falling-all-day/) [Yosa Buson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yosa-buson/) > [Mr. Blatchford says that there was not a Fall but a gradual rise. But the very word "rise" implies that you know toward what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/mr-blatchford-says-that-there-was-not-a-fall-but-a-gradual-rise-but/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [There's a moment on the arch of a jump, when you are neither rising nor falling. All you can see is the sky. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/there-s-a-moment-on-the-arch-of-a-jump-when-you-are-neither-rising/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) > [Families are always rising and falling in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/families-are-always-rising-and-falling-in-america/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [As the competition goes further along, you start to see who's rising and who's falling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-symon/as-the-competition-goes-further-along-you-start-to-see-who-s-rising/) [Michael Symon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-symon/) > [He reached up t0 grab one and came down with several, and they kept coming, washing over him, floating all around him. Never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-reached-up-t0-grab-one-and-came-down-with-several-and-they-kept/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Then birds flew up like a shower of sparks, I followed them with my eyes and saw how they rose in a single breath,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/then-birds-flew-up-like-a-shower-of-sparks-i-followed-them-with-my/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [What is meant by reality? It would seem to be something very erratic, very undependable - now to be found in a dusty road,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-is-meant-by-reality-it-would-seem-to-be-something-very-erratic/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I don't want my kids to live like I do, sweating in a little metal box. I want them to have sunshine. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-higgins/i-don-t-want-my-kids-to-live-like-i-do-sweating-in-a-little-metal-box/) [Alex Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-higgins/) > [once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look it right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/once-in-awhile-you-get-shown-the-light-in-the-strangest-of-places-if/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Light it up, bitch.' 'Light it up, asshole,' ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/light-it-up-bitch-light-it-up-asshole/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) ## More by Virginia Woolf > [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. On one side all is correct, definite, orderly; the paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/across-the-broad-continent-of-a-woman-s-life-falls-the-shadow-of-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Sometimes he woke with a brain like lead; at others it was as if a thousand wax tapers were alight and people were throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-he-woke-with-a-brain-like-lead-at-others-it-was-as-if-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Love ought to stop on both sides, don’t you think, simultaneously?’ He spoke without any stress on the words, so as not to wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/love-ought-to-stop-on-both-sides-don-t-you-think-simultaneously-he/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“It is so vast an alleviation to be able to point for another to look at. And then not to talk. To follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/it-is-so-vast-an-alleviation-to-be-able-to-point-for-another-to-look/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“What a vast fertility of pleasure books hold for me! (...) I think I could happily live here & read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) [Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## More Light quotes > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Light it up, bitch.' 'Light it up, asshole,' ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/light-it-up-bitch-light-it-up-asshole/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look it right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/once-in-awhile-you-get-shown-the-light-in-the-strangest-of-places-if/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [I don't want my kids to live like I do, sweating in a little metal box. I want them to have sunshine. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-higgins/i-don-t-want-my-kids-to-live-like-i-do-sweating-in-a-little-metal-box/) [Alex Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-higgins/) > [I am not my own light unto myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-malebranche/i-am-not-my-own-light-unto-myself/) [Nicolas Malebranche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-malebranche/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [Caught in a racial uproar, people make all sorts of promises to make amends. Whatever they do tends to be heavy on symbolism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/caught-in-a-racial-uproar-people-make-all-sorts-of-promises-to-make/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I found out about Sister Song through Poppy Liu, who's on the show 'Hacks.' Reproductive rights are human rights, and I wanted to shine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/i-found-out-about-sister-song-through-poppy-liu-who-s-on-the-show/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) > [The morning breez and dew are still cold until they get hot by the sun,don't be deceive is morning wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakre-basit-babatunde/the-morning-breez-and-dew-are-still-cold-until-they-get-hot-by-the/) [Bakre Basit Babatunde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakre-basit-babatunde/) > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Love is like light, you see it but you can't keep it all the times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-light-you-see-it-but-you-can-t-keep-it-all-the-times/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 20,782 Light quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Instead of being a single, downright, bluff piece of work of which no man need feel ashamed, our commonest deeds are set about with a fluttering and flickering of wings, a rising and falling of lights.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Virginia Woolf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluff-piece-of-work-of-which-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Light" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluff-piece-of-work-of-which-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/virginia-woolf-49_light_instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluf_3202559.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/virginia-woolf-49_light_instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluf_3202559.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d20/virginia-woolf-49_light_instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluf_3202559.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Instead of being a single, downright, bluff piece of work of which no man need feel ashamed, our commonest…” — Virginia Woolf", "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": "Virginia Woolf", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Instead of being a single, downright,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluff-piece-of-work-of-which-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/instead-of-being-a-single-downright-bluff-piece-of-work-of-which-no/#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 } } ] } ```