--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But in Ward 9 the air had a real quality…" description: "\"“But in Ward 9 the air had a real quality, it clamped itself over your face like a pad of cotton wool, soaked through with the sweet chloroform of utte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/will-self-2296_depressing_but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality_2075252.png" --- # But in Ward 9 the air had a real quality, it clamped… ![“But in Ward 9 the air had a real quality, it clamped itself over your face like a pad of cotton wool, soaked through with the sweet chloroform of utter sadness. - Ward 9” quote by Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/will-self-2296_depressing_but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality_2075252.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/will-self-2296_depressing_but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality_2075252.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/will-self-2296_depressing_but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality_2075252.png) > ““But in Ward 9 the air had a real quality, it clamped itself over your face like a pad of cotton wool, soaked through with the sweet chloroform of utter sadness. - Ward 9”” [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes an oppressive, sad atmosphere in Ward 9, likened to a cotton wool pad soaked in chloroform, emphasizing suffocating melancholy. **In simple terms:** Sad, suffocating environment. Key Takeaway Recognize and address oppressive atmospheres. Themes sadness oppression environment Mood somber introspective Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - hospital wards - urban decay - mental health settings Key Concepts psychological weight ambient mood social decay Questions to Reflect On - How does environment affect mood? - Can spaces be redesigned for comfort? A Different Perspective The metaphor may exaggerate; personal perception varies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Sadness Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness-ward-4025423/) [Utter Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utter-sadness-4025425/) [Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ward/) [Ward Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ward-air-4025424/) ## Related quotes > [I was born in a neighborhood called the Third Ward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-jordan/i-was-born-in-a-neighborhood-called-the-third-ward/) [DeAndre Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-jordan/) > [“We all know that everything will end some day, but we can not let that slow us. We must not let that stop us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-ward/we-all-know-that-everything-will-end-some-day-but-we-can-not-let-that/) [Rachel Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-ward/) > [There is no suggestion box in the Psych Ward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-autumn/there-is-no-suggestion-box-in-the-psych-ward/) [Emilie Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-autumn/) > [The psychiatric ward was a really creepy place and, hindsight being 20/20, the creepiest thing about it was that I truly belonged there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-o/the-psychiatric-ward-was-a-really-creepy-place-and-hindsight-being-20/) [Steve-O](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-o/) > [I always wear my evil eye necklace to ward off bad karma. I always wear one to protect me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-gold/i-always-wear-my-evil-eye-necklace-to-ward-off-bad-karma-i-always/) [Gracie Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-gold/) > [My parents were like June and Ward Cleaver; there was nothing dysfunctional about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/my-parents-were-like-june-and-ward-cleaver-there-was-nothing/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [“But I’m old now and Ward has made himself rich and powerful. He has the resources to ensure that one day he’ll perfect his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-hall/but-i-m-old-now-and-ward-has-made-himself-rich-and-powerful-he-has/) [Steven Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-hall/) > [I take a multivitamin, I take extra C, I take chondroitin and glucosamine for my joints, I take calcium for my bones. And by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-welch/i-take-a-multivitamin-i-take-extra-c-i-take-chondroitin-and/) [Raquel Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-welch/) > [Andre Ward is a guy I look up to, a guy I have the highest respect for in and out of the ring, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jacobs/andre-ward-is-a-guy-i-look-up-to-a-guy-i-have-the-highest-respect-for/) [Daniel Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jacobs/) > [“I remain with my back to him, knowing all too well that if I turn to acknowledge him, I’ll be hauled into the hazardous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-ellen-malpas/i-remain-with-my-back-to-him-knowing-all-too-well-that-if-i-turn-to/) [Jodi Ellen Malpas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-ellen-malpas/) > [“Damn you, Jesse Ward, of an age I don't know!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-ellen-malpas/damn-you-jesse-ward-of-an-age-i-don-t-know/) [Jodi Ellen Malpas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-ellen-malpas/) > [I live in Brick Towers, a public housing project in Newark's Central Ward. I moved in when the projects were privately owned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-live-in-brick-towers-a-public-housing-project-in-newark-s-central/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [I'm from downtown New Orleans. Downtown consists of the 7th ward, the 8th ward, the 9th ward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-alsina/i-m-from-downtown-new-orleans-downtown-consists-of-the-7th-ward-the/) [August Alsina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-alsina/) > [My mother-in-law trained as a nurse in a 1960s gynae ward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-page/my-mother-in-law-trained-as-a-nurse-in-a-1960s-gynae-ward/) [Joanna Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-page/) > [Hee that strikes with his tongue, must ward with his head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/hee-that-strikes-with-his-tongue-must-ward-with-his-head/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## More by Will Self > [As for critical writing about modernism, its moments of lucidity are but fulgurations illuminating the dark and incomprehensible landscape of its subject's unabashed difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-for-critical-writing-about-modernism-its-moments-of-lucidity-are/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“As my voice died away I became conscious of the voice of another woman two tables away. I couldn't hear what she was saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-my-voice-died-away-i-became-conscious-of-the-voice-of-another/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [That tertiary education is under a sustained assault by a political and - it often seems - social consensus that equates all education with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/that-tertiary-education-is-under-a-sustained-assault-by-a-political/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-fiction-offers-us-is-an-intimacy-shorn-of-the-messy/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-d-rather-fiddle-with-my-phone-for-precious-seconds-than-neglect-an/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'm very happy for whatever plaudits might come the way of my work, but I never ever sit down to write x with y…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-very-happy-for-whatever-plaudits-might-come-the-way-of-my-work/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [As a writer, I'm not convinced that we are the best equipped to understand how we go about the business of literary production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-a-writer-i-m-not-convinced-that-we-are-the-best-equipped-to/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“I explained to him - as I withdrew the cup, ripped open the sachet and dunked the tea bag - that tea was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-explained-to-him-as-i-withdrew-the-cup-ripped-open-the-sachet-and/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [There is something mysteriously powerful that can happen when young, inchoate minds come into contact with older and more worldly ones in a spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/there-is-something-mysteriously-powerful-that-can-happen-when-young/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [It would seem that I, who never could make much sense of physics when I was at school, have now gained a strong sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/it-would-seem-that-i-who-never-could-make-much-sense-of-physics-when/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [Drug use and procrastination often go hand in tourniquet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/drug-use-and-procrastination-often-go-hand-in-tourniquet/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“…with the morbid realisation that his sexual being was a dull thing, a lifeless thing, a mass-produced marionette with chipped paint and fraying strings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/with-the-morbid-realisation-that-his-sexual-being-was-a-dull-thing-a/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [A creative life cannot be sustained by approval any more than it can be destroyed by criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/a-creative-life-cannot-be-sustained-by-approval-any-more-than-it-can/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I don't think in terms of that bizarre tautology 'value for money' in my literary and journalistic work - and nor will I in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-don-t-think-in-terms-of-that-bizarre-tautology-value-for-money-in/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) [Explore all 172 Will Self quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## More Depressing quotes > [We don't make glamorous movies today. Everything now is very realistic, artistic - and depressing. When is the last time you you saw a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-head/we-don-t-make-glamorous-movies-today-everything-now-is-very-realistic/) [Edith Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-head/) > [There is not a country on earth that could get its fiscal house in order by shrinking opportunity and depressing growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-malley/there-is-not-a-country-on-earth-that-could-get-its-fiscal-house-in/) [Martin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-malley/) > [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [I think it is kind of depressing how few female filmmakers there are. I think it is in general depressing how few women there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/i-think-it-is-kind-of-depressing-how-few-female-filmmakers-there-are/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [We're in a situation where talented, motivated school leavers and graduates can send off a hundred CVs and not get a reply, and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jameela-jamil/we-re-in-a-situation-where-talented-motivated-school-leavers-and/) [Jameela Jamil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jameela-jamil/) > [It's so Canada. On some level, you laugh, but on another level, it's just depressing. We pride ourselves: We're not like the bad old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-backhouse/it-s-so-canada-on-some-level-you-laugh-but-on-another-level-it-s-just/) [Constance Backhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-backhouse/) > [It is, of course, a luxury to create art and, on top of this, to insist on expressing one's own artistic opinion. Nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beckmann/it-is-of-course-a-luxury-to-create-art-and-on-top-of-this-to-insist/) [Max Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beckmann/) > [Antidepressants sure kill your sexual life...Now, THAT'S depressing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/antidepressants-sure-kill-your-sexual-life-now-that-s-depressing/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [I read the most extravagant things about people who suffer and depress because of things written about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-jagger/i-read-the-most-extravagant-things-about-people-who-suffer-and/) [Mick Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-jagger/) > [Take the story of Cain and Abel. Why were we given that story? Scientifically, you may have an explanation for it, but I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/take-the-story-of-cain-and-abel-why-were-we-given-that-story/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Despite my extremely modest prices, dealers and art lovers are turning their backs on me. It is very depressing to see the lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/despite-my-extremely-modest-prices-dealers-and-art-lovers-are-turning/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I've seen few things more depressing than the end-of-season Giants-Padres series in 2001 in which Barry Bonds hit his 68th homer of the year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rodrick/i-ve-seen-few-things-more-depressing-than-the-end-of-season-giants/) [Stephen Rodrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-rodrick/) > [Everything we do really is just a little marker on the long road to death. And sometimes that’s overwhelmingly depressing to me, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/everything-we-do-really-is-just-a-little-marker-on-the-long-road-to/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) [Browse all 888 Depressing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But in Ward 9 the air had a real quality, it clamped itself over your face like a pad of cotton wool, soaked through with the sweet chloroform of utter sadness. - Ward 9”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Will Self" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality-it-clamped-itself-over-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Depressing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality-it-clamped-itself-over-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/will-self-2296_depressing_but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality_2075252.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/will-self-2296_depressing_but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality_2075252.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/will-self-2296_depressing_but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality_2075252.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But in Ward 9 the air had a real quality, it clamped itself over your face like a pad of cotton wool, soaked…” — Will Self", "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": "Will Self", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But in Ward 9 the air...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality-it-clamped-itself-over-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/but-in-ward-9-the-air-had-a-real-quality-it-clamped-itself-over-your/#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 } } ] } ```