---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never did anybody look so sad. Bitter and…"
description: "\"Never did anybody look so sad. Bitter and black, halfway down, in the darkness, in the shaft which ran from the sunlight to the depths, perhaps a tear ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/virginia-woolf-49_bitter_never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and_1028218.jpg"
---

#  Never did anybody look so sad. Bitter and black, halfway…

![“Never did anybody look so sad. Bitter and black, halfway down, in the darkness, in the shaft which ran from the sunlight to the depths, perhaps a tear formed; a tear fell; the waves swayed this way and that, received it, and were at rest. Never did anybody look so sad.” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/virginia-woolf-49_bitter_never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and_1028218.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/virginia-woolf-49_bitter_never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and_1028218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/virginia-woolf-49_bitter_never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and_1028218.jpg)

> “Never did anybody look so sad. Bitter and black, halfway down, in the darkness, in the shaft which ran from the sunlight to the depths, perhaps a tear formed; a tear fell; the waves swayed this way and that, received it, and were at rest. Never did anybody look so sad.”

[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.

A vivid description of deep sadness, using darkness and tears to convey emotional turmoil.

**In simple terms:** Intense sadness described with darkness.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address deep emotional pain.

Themes

sadness loneliness despair

Mood

melancholic poetic

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- creative writing
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

existential angst emotional expression

Questions to Reflect On

- What triggers this depth of sadness?
- How can you find light in darkness?

A Different Perspective

Sadness can be overwhelming without support.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bitterness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Sunlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunlight/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/)

## Related quotes

> [“It's too short,' she said, 'ever so much too short.' Never did anybody look so sad. Bitter and black, half-way down, in the darkness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/it-s-too-short-she-said-ever-so-much-too-short-never-did-anybody-look/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [I know I can feel bad, when I get in a bad mood, and the world can look so sad, only you make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-i-can-feel-bad-when-i-get-in-a-bad-mood-and-the-world-can-look/)

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

> [People say you should read your criticism because it will make you a better person but it doesn't. It just makes you a sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/people-say-you-should-read-your-criticism-because-it-will-make-you-a/)

[Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/)

> [It's better to be sad with the bitter facts rather than being happy with sweet lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-be-sad-with-the-bitter-facts-rather-than-being-happy/)

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

> [I leave a sad and bitter world; and if you remember me, and think of me as of one unjustly condemned, I am resigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-leave-a-sad-and-bitter-world-and-if-you-remember-me-and-think-of-me/)

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

> [That's what so sad about a lot of modern music, in my opinion, so many young bands never stay around long enough to fulfill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-vega/that-s-what-so-sad-about-a-lot-of-modern-music-in-my-opinion-so-many/)

[Alan Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-vega/)

> [You would get longer livelier and more frequent letters from me, if it weren't for the Christian religion. How that bell tolling at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/you-would-get-longer-livelier-and-more-frequent-letters-from-me-if-it/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“What if I don’t choose you, Kellan? What will you do?” He looked away, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I’ll leave, Kiera. I’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-stephens/what-if-i-don-t-choose-you-kellan-what-will-you-do-he-looked-away-a/)

[S.C. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-stephens/)

> [When you accused me of not loving you, a silent tear fell from my eyes, the pain was too much I cant help but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edchelyn/when-you-accused-me-of-not-loving-you-a-silent-tear-fell-from-my-eyes/)

Edchelyn

> [If a tear fell from my eyes each time I thought of you, I would have a puddle of fallen wishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah/if-a-tear-fell-from-my-eyes-each-time-i-thought-of-you-i-would-have-a/)

[Sarah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah/)

> [“He was doing what he had always promised her he would do, he was taking care of her . He was taking it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/he-was-doing-what-he-had-always-promised-her-he-would-do-he-was/)

[Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/)

> [A tear fell from my father's eye. I wondered what my dad would say. He said, "I love you and I'm proud of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-avett-brothers/a-tear-fell-from-my-father-s-eye-i-wondered-what-my-dad-would-say-he/)

[The Avett Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-avett-brothers/)

> [“If a tear fell from my eyes, Each time I wished you were with me, I would have an ocean shore outside my door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-chillemi/if-a-tear-fell-from-my-eyes-each-time-i-wished-you-were-with-me-i/)

[Stacey Chillemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-chillemi/)

> [If a tear fell from my eye everytime I wished you were with me, I would have a puddle of dead wishes lying at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-tear-fell-from-my-eye-everytime-i-wished-you-were-with-me-i/)

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

> [Those big blue eyes were swimming, and he was afraid that if the first tear fell, he would break and carry her off anywhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/those-big-blue-eyes-were-swimming-and-he-was-afraid-that-if-the-first/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

## 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 Bitter quotes

> [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/)

> [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/)

[Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/)

[Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/)

> [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [One may have been a fool, but there's no foolishness like being bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/one-may-have-been-a-fool-but-there-s-no-foolishness-like-being-bitter/)

[Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/)

> [“I doubt taking in a sullen, bitter, teenage girl with more issues than National Geographic is at the center of the vision board for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/i-doubt-taking-in-a-sullen-bitter-teenage-girl-with-more-issues-than/)

[Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/)

> [Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were left of all his love for Rosalind; these remained to him as payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tireless-passion-fierce-jealousy-longing-to-possess-and-crush-these/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Life is too bitter already, without territories and wars and noble feuds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-too-bitter-already-without-territories-and-wars-and-noble/)

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

> [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/)

[Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/)

> [“Without the bitter, the sweet ain’t as sweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-the-bitter-the-sweet-ain-t-as-sweet/)

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

> [I refuse to be one of those artists who, 10 years from now, they're bitter about the rise and the fall of their career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-refuse-to-be-one-of-those-artists-who-10-years-from-now-they-re/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [“In these days in which we live, when existence has become a thing of infinite complexity and fate, if it slips us a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/in-these-days-in-which-we-live-when-existence-has-become-a-thing-of/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-a-sudden-jar-can-cause-me-to-speak-an-impatient-unloving-word-then/)

[Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/)

Browse all 1,923 Bitter quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Never did anybody look so sad. Bitter and black, halfway down, in the darkness, in the shaft which ran from the sunlight to the depths, perhaps a tear formed; a tear fell; the waves swayed this way and that, received it, and were at rest. Never did anybody look so sad.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Virginia Woolf"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and-black-halfway-down-in-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bitter"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and-black-halfway-down-in-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/virginia-woolf-49_bitter_never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and_1028218.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/virginia-woolf-49_bitter_never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and_1028218.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/virginia-woolf-49_bitter_never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and_1028218.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Never did anybody look so sad. Bitter and black, halfway down, in the darkness, in the shaft which ran from…” — 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": "Never did anybody look so sad....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and-black-halfway-down-in-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/never-did-anybody-look-so-sad-bitter-and-black-halfway-down-in-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```