Quotes about the night

A collection of quotes on the topic of night.

„One night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about town, I fancied that the cat avoided my presence. I seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fiber of my frame. I took from my waistcoat-pocket a penknife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket!“

The Black Cat (1843)

„A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future.“

— Leonard Bernstein American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist 1918 - 1990

Leonard Bernstein, statement of 1953, quoted in A Wonderful Life : 50 Eulogies to Lift the Spirit (2006) by Cyrus M. Copeland, p. 190

Future

„Sound loves to revel in a summer night.“

— Edgar Allan Poe, Al Aaraaf

Al Aaraaf (1829).

Summer, Love

„I love borders. August is the border between summer and autumn; it is the most beautiful month I know.

Twilight is the border between day and night, and the shore is the border between sea and land. The border is longing: when both have fallen in love but still haven't said anything. The border is to be on the way. It is the way that is the most important thing.“

— Tove Jansson Finnish children's writer and illustrator 1914 - 2001

Sea, Summer, Autumn, Way

„The night is my best friend. It calms the storm in my soul and it lets the guiding stars rise.“

— Joseph Goebbels Nazi politician and Propaganda Minister 1897 - 1945

Die Nacht ist meine beste Freundin. Sie glättet den Sturm in der Seele und lässt die weisenden Sterne aufgehen.
Michael: a German fate in diary notes (1926)

Star, Soul

„O' my Allah! Sustainer of the high sky and the suspended firmament which Thou hast made a shelter for the night and the day, an orbit for the sun and the moon and a path for the rotating stars, and for populating it Thou hast created a group of Thy angels who do not get weary of worshipping Thee. O' Sustainer of this earth which Thou hast made an abode for people and a place for the movement of insects and beasts and countless other creatures seen and unseen. O' Sustainer of strong mountains which Thou hast made as pegs for the earth and (a means of) support for people. If Thou givest us victory over our enemy, save us from excesses and keep us on the straight path of truth. But if Thou givest them victory over us, then grant us martyrdom and save us from mischief.“

— Ali, book Nahj al-Balagha

Nahj al-Balagha

Victory, Sun, Strong, Support

„True friendship is like the sun that you can't always see in the darkness of night, but you know will return to brighten your day.“

— RJ Intindola (Gandolfo)

1987

Friendship, Sun

„I can’t believe how fast 20 years went by. I mean, this is crazy… To be standing here, standing on the court with my teammates behind me, and appreciate this journey that we’ve been along… I grew up a die heart—I mean it—a die heart Laker fan. Die heart. I mean, I knew everything about every players’ that had played here. So, to be drafted, and then traded to this organization, and to spend 20 years here, I mean, you can’t write something better than this… The thing that had me crackin’ me up all night long was, in fact, I go though 20 years of everybody screaming, ‘pass the ball!’ and I was like, ‘No passing!’ (laugh)… (I also have to thank) my family: my wife, Vanessa, my daughters, Natalia and Gianna. Thank you guys for your sacrifice… What can I say? Mamba Out!“

— Kobe Bryant American basketball player 1978 - 2020

A speech after Bryant's last game, 13 April 2016, posted on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg0mxPXIpLY&t=5s.

Guy, Heart, Daughters, Family

„What makes night within us may leave stars.“

— Victor Hugo French poet, novelist, and dramatist 1802 - 1885

Variant: Whatever causes night in our souls may leave stars.
Source: Ninety-Three

Star

„I was moved to tears by the thought that from being nobody the night before, I had become somebody.“

— Milkha Singh Indian track and field athlete 1935

While at the EME Army center in 1951 in the cross country race he was declared 6 in the top 10 who among the 500 who ran. Quoted in ‘Flying Sikh' takes a nostalgic jog down memory lane, 6 April 2012, 13 December 2013, The Hindu http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/flying-sikh-takes-a-nostalgic-jog-down-memory-lane/article3285904.ece,

Tear

„The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.“

— T. H. White, book The Book of Merlyn

The Book of Merlyn (1977)

Evil, Learning, Dreams, Fear

„I’d made a family friendly game about a beaver before this, when I went to put it online it got torn apart by a few prominent reviewers. People said that the main character looked like a scary animatronic animal. I was heartbroken and was ready to give up on game-making. Then one night something just snapped in me, and I thought to myself- I bet I can make something a lot scarier than that.“

— Scott Cawthon American independent video game designer 1971

Animals, Game, Family, People

„After a year and half Mamu told me if you see anything don’t talk about it. One night I was playing deep in meditation. I smelled something. It was an indescribable scent, something like sandalwood and jasmine. I thought it was the aroma of Ganges but the scent got more powerful. When I opened my eyes, there was Balaji standing right next to me, exactly as he is pictured. My door was locked from inside; nobody was allowed to enter when I did riyaz.“

— Bismillah Khan Indian musician 1916 - 2006

He said ‘play my son’ but I was sweating. I stopped playing.
Khan used to do riyaz (practice) before the temple of Balaji as advised by his mamu (maternal uncle) who had also told him not talk to any body about anything that might happen. But when he told his mamu about his seeing Balaji, mamu was annoyed and slapped him.
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