I often think that the night is more alive and more richly

Hear, O seekers of beauty and mystery, the words of Vincent van Gogh, who declared: “I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.” In this utterance lies the vision of a soul that could see beyond the veil of common sight. Where most perceive the night as absence, darkness, or silence, Van Gogh discerned life, vibrancy, and secret colors that glow only in shadow. His was the eye of the poet and the painter, one who knew that truth often hides where others refuse to look.

The meaning of this teaching is not only about the physical world, but also about the soul. The day represents clarity, certainty, and activity—the realm of the obvious, the familiar. The night, however, represents mystery, depth, and the unseen forces that shape our lives. Van Gogh tells us that in darkness there is not only emptiness but richness, not only silence but song. To those who open their eyes with wonder, the night is not dead—it is alive with infinite hues of spirit and imagination.

The origin of these words lies in Van Gogh’s own experience as an artist. Struggling with inner turmoil and yet bursting with creative fire, he often painted under the light of the stars. His famous “Starry Night” is not the work of one who saw the night as void, but of one who saw it teeming with energy, swirling with movement, breathing with unseen life. In his vision, the heavens themselves became a living tapestry. The night revealed to him what the day could not: the hidden vitality of existence.

Consider the story of Galileo Galilei, who, in the stillness of the night, lifted his telescope toward the sky. By day, he could see only what all men saw: the sun, the earth, and the ordinary. But in the night, he discovered moons circling Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the infinity of stars beyond counting. The night revealed the richness of the cosmos, alive in ways no one had imagined. His discoveries proved Van Gogh’s words—that night, though cloaked in shadow, is more alive and more richly colored than the day.

Think also of Harriet Tubman, who led her people from slavery to freedom. By day, danger lurked in every corner, but by night she traveled under the cover of stars. For her, the night was not terror but protection, a living ally that sheltered her steps and guided her path. The same darkness others feared became for her the pathway to liberation. Her story reveals that night, far from being lifeless, can hold the colors of courage, freedom, and destiny.

O children of tomorrow, understand this: life is not only in the bright hours, but also in the hidden, the quiet, the unknown. Do not fear the night seasons of your soul, those times of uncertainty and struggle. For it is often there, in the silence and the shadow, that your greatest strength and inspiration will awaken. Just as the stars cannot be seen by day, so too the deepest truths of your spirit are revealed in the darker hours of life.

Practical wisdom calls you: when you find yourself in darkness, do not despair. Look closely, and you will find life stirring in the silence. In solitude, listen for the whispers of inspiration. In hardship, search for the hidden beauty waiting to be revealed. Train your eyes, like Van Gogh’s, to see colors where others see only blackness. And when you find these colors, paint them upon the canvas of your life, so that others may see that night is not to be feared, but embraced as a teacher.

Therefore remember Van Gogh’s words: “The night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.” Let them remind you that mystery holds life, that silence hides music, and that darkness conceals beauty. For the soul that learns to see the richness of the night will never be afraid of shadows, but will find in them the glowing colors of eternity.

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