@dreamshade "On" is used for days of the week and dates, or specific days (e.g. on the day the world ended). "In" is used when parameters can be established, like the beginning and end of the month, so everything that happens during that month but not specified by a date or day can take "in". "At" is used for a specific time (and "at the weekend").
Depends entire on context. "In" is used to mean "during a specific timeframe" while "on" is used to express a certain day/date. I imagine (from your sentence) that you would want "in".
@hamsicle I've seen people use 'in' for "in the dead of night" and "in the still of night." Maybe that's why 'on' sounds weird to me. Anyway, thank you so much for your help :D
@dreamshade Yeah, it would depend on the context. Though, I can't imagine when I would actually use "in". I might say "A wolf howled into the quiet night." but that's about it. Or maybe "I heard screaming in the dead of night."
@hamsicle I've seen both versions. 'On the quiet night' and 'In the quiet night'. 'In' does sound quite weird to me, but I want to make sure I use the preposition correctly. When I searched on google, I found both versions and I was confused as to which one would be correct. So, in this case, it depends on the context of the sentence. Like that?
@Jstarfully But it can still be used when followed by an occurrence. "On the night that you were born, there was a terrible thunderstorm," for example.
Actually, I would use ON in this case, like "on this quiet night.." It would mean that the event happened on a particular day and particular night, usually used with an adjective before the noun. I would use IN when talking about a period during the night.
Also, I've read over hundreds of books in English and rarely saw "in this ___ night". It sounds weird to me.
'On' is generally the preposition used to describe a surface, such as the placement of an object 'on' a surface, be it above it or around it. But in this context, one cannot place something 'on' the quiet night unless you're seeking to create a metaphor.
So I am going to have to say that 'in' is the correct preposition for what you're writing, because you're speaking about an event that is contained within the night. According to https://blog.udemy.com/in-vs-on/ , "It may also be used to represent general times of the day, month, year, or season. For instance, if you say that you tend to wake up early in the morning, or that you work less in the summer, or that your next semester of school starts in August."
I hope this helps! Visit that link for more information, it explains it all rather well.
