70 Dark Quotes About its Haunting Beauty That Let Hope Shine

Darkness — the lack of illumination — unveils life's complexity. On the one hand, it signifies sadness, fear, or death, and on the other, it could also convey the unknown blessing that has yet to come or a canvass for a shining light. From the shadows within to the challenges we face, from psychologists to artists, explore our collection of dark quotes that capture the duality of this natural phenomenon.

Quick links to our selection of dark quotes:

Quotes About Darkness And Light

Darkness results from the absence of light, but such absence takes its own form. Dark and light always coexist in the natural world through to our psychological experiences. For instance, the timing of any form of light and total darkness dictates our circadian rhythm, even the animals. Yin and Yang, a Chinese philosophical concept, represents two opposite yet connected positive and negative forces. 

To start this section, American poet and activist Maya Angelou (on Amazon) describes these basic phenomena and concepts as two sides of the same coin.

Let's deepen our reflection on both through the dark quotes below or head to our light quotes for more insights from the other side of the spectrum, away from our darkest moment.

Related: you might also like our selection of black color quotes. 

"Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin. We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice."
- Maya Angelou

"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle."
- St. Francis of Assisi ‍

"It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed."
- Doe Zantamata

"Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being."
- Albert Schweitzer

"As Believers, we shine brightest in a sad and dark world; like a diamond that illuminates best when placed on black velvet."
- Chris Alexander

"Because you don’t notice the light without a bit of shadow. Everything has both dark and light. You have to play with it till you get it exactly right."
- Libba Bray

Dark Quotes About Life And The Shadows

Life encompasses moments of joy, heartache, and everything in between. As we navigate these experiences, we often encounter dark thoughts and emotions that can cast a shadow over our lives. Facing challenges, witnessing our shadows grow, and questioning our values are both enlightening and terrifying as it forces us to confront our true selves.

Carl Jung refers to our dark sides as our shadow selves, but whatever we call this part of our personalities, we must never forget that it is just that — parts. Through mindfulness, compassion, and forgiveness, we can learn to accept who we are and make necessary changes without persecuting ourselves.

Embrace your shadows within as you read the following dark quotes about life.

"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."
- Mark Twain

"When you spend so long trapped in darkness, you find that the darkness begins to stare back."
- Sarah J. Maas

"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing."
- August Wilson

"I wonder if that's how darkness wins, by convincing us to trap it inside ourselves, instead of emptying it out. I don't want it to win."
- Jasmine Warga

"You don't go through a deep personal transformation without some kind of dark night of the soul."
- Sam Keen

"I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul."
- Pablo Neruda

"I knew that if I did not start chanting with people, that I would never be able to clean out the dark corners of my own heart. I knew it with every cell in my body and mind."
- Krishna Das

Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light shining somewhere nearby.

~ Ruth E. Renkel

Quotes About Dark Times And Overcoming Adversity

The darkness of life reveals itself to us through adversities — dealing with failures, battling depression, and coping with someone's death. These dark times can be incredibly challenging, testing our resilience and pushing us to our limits. A study even proved how post-traumatic growth fosters resilience¹, improving mental health and well-being.

As German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche says, "That which does not kill us outright makes us stronger." Often in these dark moments, we discover our true strength and learn to appreciate the light that follows. 

To start this section of dark quotes, we have American minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr., who fought inequality through his "I Have a Dream" speech and other nonviolent tactics and eventually paved the way for the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.

Whatever you're facing in life, emerge from it with the help of the dark quotes below.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
- Martin Luther King Jr

"However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light."
- Stanley Kubrick

"You can hit the lowest low and face the darkest dark, but you can always get back up and get in the light. All of this is what actually makes life worth living."
- Kerli

"Sometimes when you’re overwhelmed by a situation – when you’re in the darkest of darkness – that’s when your priorities are reordered."
- Phoebe Snow

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."
- Khalil Gibran

"You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun."
- Shaun Hick

"Don’t give up when dark times come. The more storms you face in life, the stronger you’ll be. Hold on. Your greater is coming."
- Germany Kent

"We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light."
- Earl Nightingale

Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.

~ Marthin Luther King Jr.

To all who walk the dark path, and to those who walk in the sunshine but hold out a hand in the darkness to travel beside us.

~ Jenny Lawson

Beautiful Darkness Quotes That Reflect On Its Beauty

Darkness is often associated with mystery, fear, and the unknown. Yet it still holds a certain magnificence that no one can deny. In nature, we can appreciate the dark in how it contrasts with the brightness of the stars and the moon, casting a mesmerizing glow across the night sky. Likewise, the vibrant colors of a sunset or a sunrise create a breathtaking view that we can only witness with darkness as the canvas.

Delve deep into the beauty of darkness through the beautiful and deep dark quotes below or click on to our night quotes for more from dark nights.

"The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. Darkness will be your cloak, your shield, your mother's milk. Darkness will make you strong."
- George R. R. Martin

"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift."
- Mary Oliver

"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars."
- Og Mandino

"The moon will guide you through the night with her brightness, but she will always dwell in the darkness, in order to be seen."
- Shannon L. Alder

"Creativity — like human life itself — begins in darkness."
- Julia Cameron

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."
- Francis Bacon

"You start with a darkness to move through, but sometimes the darkness moves through you."
- Dean Young

"And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."
- Haruki Murakami

Insightful Dark Quotes From Authors And Artists

Like all natural phenomena, authors and artists have taken inspiration from the dark and given life to their works with their own touch. Take, for example, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, a renowned Mexican artistic photographer known as Mexico's Poet of Light.

A famous Mexican poet Xavier Villaurrutia perfectly describes that his best photos "confront us with veritable representations of the unrepresentable, tangible proofs of the invisible."

Pick the minds of the authors and poets through their dark quotes below to have a newfound perspective on darkness.

"I think that light and shadow have exactly the same duality that exists between life and death."
- Manuel Alvarez Bravo

"When your dark clouds roll in and I hear your thunder rumble, I promise, I won't run for cover. I'll hold you, and slow dance with you in the rain."
- Onur Taskiran

"Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads."
- Erica Jong

"There will dawn a day when these hostile hours, these days of hatred and violence, seem the faintest of memories, but dark and steep and long is the road up out of hell. So do not tire, do not despair, do not abandon your brethren, and do not forget that through this darkness we and we alone carry the light of freedom."
- Pierce Brown

"All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark."
- Swami Vivekananda

"People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night. But safety – like light – is a façade."
- C.J. Roberts

The sky grew darker and darker blue, and soon the stars came out. Teddy Robinson lay and stared at them without blinking, and they twinkled and shone and winked at him as if they were surprised to see a teddy bear lying in the garden.

~ Joan G. Robinson

It was the possibility of darkness that made the day seem so bright.

~ Stephen King

We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand, and it is no good moving from place to place to save things; because the shadow always follows. Choose a place where you won't do harm – yes, choose a place where you won't do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine.

~ E.M. Forster

The darkness declares the glory of light.

~ T. S. Eliot

Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.

~ Oscar Wilde

Deep Dark Quotes From Psychologists And Philosophers

The human psyche is complex and fascinating, resulting in psychologists and philosophers developing numerous theories to explain our thinking and way of being. To expound on Carl Jung's shadows, as mentioned above, is one of four archetypes derived from the collective unconscious.

Like Freud's id, Jung describes the shadow as "the thing a person has no wish to be.²" The other archetypes are persona, the face we show to the world; anima/animus, the unconscious side of our opposite sex; and self, the union of the conscious and unconscious psyche.

Psychologists and philosophers have long been developing theories about how our minds work. However, this does not even scratch the surface. So after reading the deep dark quotes below, explore their ideas and form your own insights.

For another take on understanding personality traits, check out our article on enneagram triads.

"People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."
- Carl Jung

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness."
- Carl Jung

"Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people."
- Carl Jung

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
- Plato

"I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."
- Aristotle

More Dark Quotes From Famous People

In this section, we get insights from famous personalities like William Shakespeare, the renowned English playwright and poet, who has penned numerous dark quotes in his works, such as Macbeth. (here on Amazon) This fine play reminds us not to let evil thoughts corrupt us, no matter how ambitious we get. 

We also have a dark quote from Anne Frank. The young Jewish girl wrote a diary during the Holocaust, which reveals her thoughts on life and hope in the middle of chaos. 

Both remind us to avoid the dark from stealing the light within us. Check out more perspectives from the dark quotes of authors to celebrities below.

"Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires."
- William Shakespeare, Macbeth

"Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness."
- Anne Frank

"We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."
- J. K. Rowling

"If I must die, I will encounter darkness as a bride, and hug it in mine arms."
- William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me…. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."
- Walt Disney

"When you look ahead and darkness is all you see, faith and determination will pull you through."
- Drake

"I feel that what was done in the dark will come to light. There are secrets everybody's gonna find out about."
- Tupac Shakur

In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you.

~ Janet Jackson

Whenever you see darkness, there is extraordinary opportunity for the light to burn brighter.

~ Bono

Short Dark Quotes To Post On Social Media

We have always received comfort from encouraging messages online, especially during the height of the pandemic. But, more than getting updates and entertainment, we also utilized social media platforms like Instagram to seek connections that social distancing deprived us of. 

Even if there were instances it affected our mental health or bombarded us with negative and fake news, most of us continued to use it. Whether talking to loved ones, seeking solidarity, getting the correct information, or spreading hope, we must constantly use social media to attain its benefits.

Pandemic or not, grab an eco-friendly candle to create some light and share the dark quotes below to let light persist in the darkest moments.

"Hope begins in the dark."
- Anne Lamott

"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise."
- Victor Hugo

"Stars are born out of dark moments."
- Matshona Dhliwayo

"In the midst of darkness, light persists."
- Mahatma Gandhi

"To see a candle's light one must take it into a dark place."
- Ursula K. Le Guin

"I think we all have light and dark inside us."
- Sean Penn

"I consider myself a natural optimist. I like the dark side of things."
- Fritz Scholder

"Once you conquer your selfish self, all your darkness will change to light."
- Rumi

"By running from what we fear, we feed the inner darkness!"
- Tara Brach

"We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey."
- Kenji Miyazawa

"In a dark time, the eye begins to see."
- Cavett Robert

"What makes night within us may leave stars."
- Victor Hugo

Darkness exists to make light truly count.

~ Ryan O'Neal

The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

~ Thomas Fuller