"Active at night. Morbid. Laid back."

"Understanding and admiring how beautiful the darker side of life can be."

"Darkness, love of dark, a need to feel worse than others or make life worse."

"My life is pretty humdrum aside from the usual comments: "are you some kind of devil worshipper?" & "wheres your coffin bitch?" But if you like the lifestyle then who cares what they think, but i have fun just going out all night."

"Never ask permission to live."

"Angst. Philosophy. Darkness. Moodiness. Possibly permanent(but not manic, except in some cases) depression. Death is cool. Dead people seem to be the smartest ones around sometimes. Life isn't that wonderful. None of those damn emoticons or interrobangs."

"Night-owls (myself), morbid sense of humor, thoughts that stray from the norm, and a fascination with death, mild (me) or otherwise."

"By night, secretive, not really giving a damn about peple that suck."

"I think that the goth life is one wherein the practitioner realizes the ultimate despair and absurdity of everyting, and yet somehow keeps going. I imagine myself with a sardonic half-smile."

"Depressed, alone, full of anxiety."

"Being pale, and living mostly at night."

"In a really sick way, we are all goth. We are all dead. And we all know the truth is there. But some, the goths, took that extra step to see the truth. To be able to touch it. To know death."

"I will not even touch this one. It depends entirely upon the person in question. There is no 'typical gothic life.'"

"Lonely if you live in a small village! But fun if you live near some good clubs ect. Its a very close scene every body seems to know every one else!"

"Walking the devil's road... Experience in the Dark side. The night and it's haunting beauty... the joy of the silence under the moon... The sensual feeling of the night, away from the harsh glare of the sun. Not always necessary to be moody and unhappy... rather, to revel in the minimalism that makes the night so sensual."

"A realization that our darker fears and counter souls must be bared to provide the truth neccessary to go on. Darkness is an unavoidable counterpart to light, some know how to embrace it and see its productive qualities in regards to life balance."

"Beautiful poetry, good literature, fantasy novels, horror movies, cemeteries, clubs, a good glass of wine, and good friends."

"Searching for a deeper meaning and appriciating the darker side of life."

"Insomnia, going to cemeteries, depression, dark beauty, death."

"Gothic life is whatever you want it to be. One of the main points of goth was to do what you enjoy, and conforming to a specific 'lifestyle' goes against everything that it came into existence for. Do what you like, and screw the 'darker than thous' if it's not 'gothic' enough for them."

"I live through feeling, and thinking, everything means something. I think being gothic is what you make it. I'm feel everything, I think that's what goths have in common, they feel more than most, and they can interpret it easier."

"Open minded, many different religious views."

"Meeting people who have the same interests, watching bands or going down to a club."

"Contemplation, reflection, annoying non-goths, debating, philosophising, questioning, and dancing, dancing, dancing...."

"You should not define your life so narrowly but let it happen and LIVE."

"To me the life of a goth is cool. You dress extravagent, you live to the full."

"Appreciation of night and all her forms..."

"Helpful, peaceful, loving, calm, introspective, and sad."

"General love of 'dark' and beautiful things... supernatural, eerie, etc."

"Living every moment of each day in the passion of life, death, and the comfort of knowledge."

"Life??? Lifestyle doesn't mean that goths all lead a similar life. It's what we have inside, the way we relate to life, death and art that makes us Goth - there is no gothic life style in the real meaning of the word."

"Careful yet careless. Idealistic. Revolutionary."

"There is no complete answer to this question. We are all a little different from the rest of humanity and all a little different from eachother. I think mostly what links us together is the darkness."

"We prefer the night to the daylight."

"I feel Goth is a perception of reality, where you can appreciate the contrast of the soothing peace of darkness and innocent beauty. Accepting that all things fade and that darkness is not a representation of evil, but a shroud that covers many things that are yet to be explored."

"A little morbid, liking the darker side of life. If you keep a hangman's noose in your locker it's a good indication. Interested in the occult possibly."

"We are not troublemakers, satanist, or delenquents, we are just diffrent from the norms and prefer it that way."

"The undying need to be and feel different from 'mundanes.' To loathe the term 'normal.'"

"Relatively solitary, thoughtful, conteplative, creative."

"Hard living, drinking, dancing."

"Being suicidal isn't necessarily a characterist of being gothic, contrary to popular opinion. Goths may fabulously adore being alive, but they do not utilize life in the same manner as non-goths. Gothic people work life to its full extent, instead of spending the entire time preparing for the rest of their lives."

"A life devoted to keep the balance between light and darkness in this universe."

"We have 'real-world' jobs...much to most 'normal' peoples' surprise. A goth is contemplative... deep... they know how to listen to silence."

"The homepage which lists types of goths has what? 200-something types? So anything goes. Some tend to be 'gothier-than-thou' or mopey or perky or angry..."

"An appreciation of the magical, the darker side of human nature and a desire to define ones own life by articles taken from past and present as mainstream culture is constantly changing, it is a comfort to secure yourself in a lifestyle that can trace it's roots back many years (decades for sure, centuries if you reach a bit)."

"Most people think you must be morose to be goth. Goths are dark by nature, we're drawn to what society deams 'the unnatural.' We are each our own unique creature. We go about life during the day becaue we must but the night is for us."

"No wicca! Depressed goth sucks. Have fun, get drunk, go dancing. Lifes not that bad, its just a big joke."

"Angst caused by society and the misinterpretation of intellectual pursuits."

"I'm a manic depressive... I'm always depressed... I hate my life. Life sucks."

"Goth sight is a mixed blessing, but worth the depression for the knowledge that you really know what's what."

"We are individuals, we see the light and the dark sides of life and death. Mostly it is an articstic person that walks the Gothic Path."

"Writing poetry, listening to deppressing music, pondering, damning things, complaining, or making the bad things into the good things just by changing your view on them."

"Normal full-time job and school."

"Sad (some just pretend though). Understanding that you can only live if you can live with death. Being yourself nomatter whats "in" or "out", romantic, passionate, tomorrow's lifestyle."

"Accepting those who are not 'perfect'. Learning to live with solitude and seeing the immortal beauty in it. Accepting the dark side of everything. Goth is a good example of 'Do not judge the book by the film.' I meen, I`m male and I wear makeup. I dress in black and only black. I love the night. In other words: In the eyes of 'normal' people Im a hellspawn... But even though I look like a living dead there are some people who gives themselves the great favour of talking to me, learning what I am and what I feel. It also happens that they learn to love me and learn that I too can Love. I often hear from my female friends (females are more open-minded and have it more easy to understand the riddle of -Me-) that I'm so Romantic and friendly and that before they knew me they didn't think I believed in love. It`s frightening how wrong people can be. I'm the most loving person I`ve ever met. (If you dont belive me ask my girlfriend.) I am also very friendly, I never reject anyone."

"Open-minded, free-spirited, observant."

"The TRUE gothis life is a depressed life of self-pitty, angst, hopelessness, alienation, hate and sometimes total apathy."

"Most goths lead a relatively normal life those over 18 usually go to gothic night clubs, and the gothic youths go to school."

"Most goths, in my humble opinion, are into poetry, short stories, anything creative. Usually from the romantic period in history."

"The real goths (no Mansonites) are generally intelligent, artistic, cynical, and bitter about life. There is no one special trend -- goth is more a way of being different."

"Spending all your money on club cover charges and Clove ciggarettes :)"

"In the times of the original goths or the gothic period in history they all wore black beause they were in mourning over those who died in the black plague. Today I feel we are in mourning over the murder of the Earth."

"Probablly more independant. Less time in front of the tube. Appreciation for intellectual stimulation. A person does not decide to 'become' goth... in doing that they are accepting an image. Goth is Goth. It's usually the way that you are your whole life."

"People that are 'goth' are open-minded and usually free of any particular kind of religion. All goths are not cynical, depressed, or rude.... I hate stereotypes."

"It really depends on who you ask. A lot of goths from where I live do some drugs and a lot of them have sex quite often with different people each time. I on the other hand do none of these things, nor do most of my friends and we are all still considered gothic. One's lifestyle is really a reflexion of one's background and we all have different backgrounds."

"Life in the goth culture (sans the cheesy people who either think they are vampires or 'The Crow') is all about being yourself and not what society thinks you should be."

"To love and to hate, to live and then die."

"We live our lives typically the same as everyone else, at least I do. I go to parties with friends, work every day, go shopping, go out to Denny's late at night, and talk on the telephone just like anyone my age."

"Everything holds it's own shadows."

"You have to learn the life. Being depressed and doing sad things somewhichway, isn't how to be goth. You have to learn to be Goth. You have to have a certain thought structure. Yes, I suppose you have to be depressed."

"Sleep all day and party all night. ;-) Be a beautiful people, not just outside but inside, too. Be sad when it is needed, be happy when it is possible, trying to live good and enjoying life as creatures called human."

"An autistic, introverted, self-absorbed, perhaps at times, nihilistic life."

"People think that were all depressed or something - were happy as hell."

"To have an open mind, to understand more than the normal everyday like people in society. To not blend into what they majority sees as normal."

"Artistic, non-conformist, don't really care what the rest of the world thinks about you."

"I keep to myself because there are not really any goths around where I live."

"Looking at life through a positive pessimist window."

"You dont have to be a 'night' goth... it's not fair to goths who work the evening shift, and have to go to bed at night, but it is nice to be a goth who nevers sees the sun, and YES! there is such thing as a happy goth!"

"Constant shunning and mocking."

"A feeling that Darkness is good. It means being comfortable with death and mortality."

"Stereotypes say we "come out at night" but that's not nessescarily the case."

"There are no 'characteristics...' besides perhaps, meloncholiness, and a desire to be 'different.'"

"Perhaps a closeness to tragedy and pain that isn't lived by others. An acceptance of the dark side of life, embracing it as opposed to denying its existence (i.e. as does modern society)."

"Whatever you feel like doing and pissing society off."

"Everyone is different but we share the same spark. We express it in our lives differently but there is a definite distinction between Goths and others."

"Females... usually bisexual, and males usually gay. Rooms are dark with candles and 'making out' consists of biting each other on the neck. A lot of passion, and usually while listening to gothic music."

"Not too much different than run-of-the mill life, except a lot of goths seem to think they're above eveyone else."

"Depression; nocturnal habits; no apparent source of income."

"Not a lifestyle but a deathstyle."

"Nocturnal, solitary, classical interests in art & music."

"Drugs, sex, and rock and roll... without the rock and roll."

"To me its about being in touch with my feelings and understanding myself. I find a lot of goths in different areas have different opinions and attitudes. In Glasgow the attitude is terrible. A lot of goths don't accept others who have just become goths for quite a while, and they do not accept those goths who have a genuine interest in vampyre literature and films, and they pass us off as flakes, just because we are not depressed. Its also about accepting the darker side of life, nature and death, not because its welcomed, but its all part of life, and by accepting it, it becomes less scary."

"In the goth around hear their way of life is computers, beer, cb, laser pointers and all kinds of other weird shit that frightens the hell out of the locals and children."

"Poetry, passion, and pain."