---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Finally she lets herself think about how…"
description: "\"“Finally she lets herself think about how it feels: to be so frightened that you almost can't breathe to speed so fast and be so completely out of cont..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/ali-smith-1801_heart_finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how_329805.jpg"
---

#  Finally she lets herself think about how it feels: to be…

![“Finally she lets herself think about how it feels: to be so frightened that you almost can't breathe to speed so fast and be so completely out of control to know the meaning of helplessness to spin across a shining space knowing any moment you might end up hurt, but likewise, all the same, like…” quote by Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/ali-smith-1801_heart_finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how_329805.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/ali-smith-1801_heart_finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how_329805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/ali-smith-1801_heart_finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how_329805.jpg)

> ““Finally she lets herself think about how it feels: to be so frightened that you almost can't breathe to speed so fast and be so completely out of control to know the meaning of helplessness to spin across a shining space knowing any moment you might end up hurt, but likewise, all the same, like plus wise you just might not.””

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage explores the intense, frightening experience of losing control and confronting helplessness, while also hinting at a paradoxical acceptance of uncertainty.

**In simple terms:** Feeling frightened and out of control can also reveal deeper insight.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty to discover hidden strengths.

Themes

fear control helplessness acceptance paradox

Mood

tense reflective hopeful

Type

psychological existential inspirational

When to use this quote

- high‑stress situations
- creative processes
- personal crises
- spiritual contemplation

Key Concepts

psychological turbulence existential insight emotional depth

Questions to Reflect On

- What does feeling out of control teach you about yourself?
- How can you transform fear into creative energy?

A Different Perspective

Over‑identifying with fear may paralyze rather than enlighten.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Helplessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helplessness/)

## Related quotes

> [Something magical has happened to me: like a dream when one feels frightened and creepy, and suddenly wakes up to the knowledge that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/something-magical-has-happened-to-me-like-a-dream-when-one-feels/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“What would any man do with a soggy girl who can't assert herself, who has a weak voice, and whose main personality component is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/what-would-any-man-do-with-a-soggy-girl-who-can-t-assert-herself-who/)

[Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/)

> [Absolute power, as we have always known, corrupts absolutely; it corrupts because it does not do the trick for the individual. Reality always creeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/absolute-power-as-we-have-always-known-corrupts-absolutely-it/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [“Well, on some level, it’s similar to the psychological phenomenon of helplessness, where the will to try is lost. You get to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-love/well-on-some-level-it-s-similar-to-the-psychological-phenomenon-of/)

[Zack Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-love/)

> [“There was no way out; not, at least, in this direction. I was like a hamster that had climbed to the top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/there-was-no-way-out-not-at-least-in-this-direction-i-was-like-a/)

[Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/)

> [“Most of those who think their strength is gone and ask for help from others do not know that the strength that seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/most-of-those-who-think-their-strength-is-gone-and-ask-for-help-from/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“Power is fortified not just by what it destroys, but also by what it creates. Not just by what it takes, but also by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/power-is-fortified-not-just-by-what-it-destroys-but-also-by-what-it/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/perhaps-everything-that-frightens-us-is-in-its-deepest-essence/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [Another person is, at the heart of it, unknowable. And if you cannot know a person enough to always guess what they’re capable of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/another-person-is-at-the-heart-of-it-unknowable-and-if-you-cannot/)

[Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/)

> [“If you become so frightened of realities that are not your own, if you take upon yourselves tragedies that do not exist in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/if-you-become-so-frightened-of-realities-that-are-not-your-own-if-you/)

[Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/)

> [“The world was full of forces you couldn't fight against which suddenly loomed up and aimed a crushing blow at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarjei-vesaas/the-world-was-full-of-forces-you-couldn-t-fight-against-which/)

[Tarjei Vesaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarjei-vesaas/)

> [O.K., helplessness is repugnant to me, as a father, as a piece of protoplasm. My parents were activists. I don't believe you can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-brickman/o-k-helplessness-is-repugnant-to-me-as-a-father-as-a-piece-of/)

[Marshall Brickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-brickman/)

> [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. Your helplessness is the very thing which opens wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-hallesby/to-pray-is-to-open-the-door-unto-jesus-and-admit-him-into-your/)

[Ole Hallesby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-hallesby/)

> [“You don’t know what it’s like to worry you’ll start to despise the people who help you, the ones you should love, because they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-guzeman/you-don-t-know-what-it-s-like-to-worry-you-ll-start-to-despise-the/)

[Tracy Guzeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-guzeman/)

> [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

## More by Ali Smith

> [As for Aliki - if you were to stand in the middle of Rome and say the name Sophia Loren, or Paris and say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/as-for-aliki-if-you-were-to-stand-in-the-middle-of-rome-and-say-the/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“Elisabeth had been listening to the programme in the bath. She'd switched the radio off after it and wondered if she'd be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/elisabeth-had-been-listening-to-the-programme-in-the-bath-she-d/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [There is a kind of poetry, bad and good, in evrything, everywhere we look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/there-is-a-kind-of-poetry-bad-and-good-in-evrything-everywhere-we-look/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“human beings can’t be legends, being mortal,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/human-beings-can-t-be-legends-being-mortal/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“I could lick it off with my tongue, if I had a tongue again, if my tongue was wet, and I could taste it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/i-could-lick-it-off-with-my-tongue-if-i-had-a-tongue-again-if-my/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“How very disappointing truth is sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/how-very-disappointing-truth-is-sometimes/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“...he had simply typed the words something beautiful into the Google images box. Up came a picture of some leaves against the sun. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/he-had-simply-typed-the-words-something-beautiful-into-the-google/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“Is there any escaping the junkshop of the self?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/is-there-any-escaping-the-junkshop-of-the-self/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [What shop did this book come from? she asked. Her father was looking worried at the cooker. He always got rice wrong. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/what-shop-did-this-book-come-from-she-asked-her-father-was-looking/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [What's the point of art, of any art, if it doesn't let us see with a little bit of objectivity where we are?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/what-s-the-point-of-art-of-any-art-if-it-doesn-t-let-us-see-with-a/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [If you can read the world as a construct, you can ask questions of the construct, and you can suggest ways to change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/if-you-can-read-the-world-as-a-construct-you-can-ask-questions-of-the/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“I’m tired of the news. I’m tired of the way it makes things spectacular that aren’t, and deals so simplistically with what’s truly appalling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/i-m-tired-of-the-news-i-m-tired-of-the-way-it-makes-things/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“(this is before we're living together, before we do the most faithful act of all, mix our separate books into one library)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/this-is-before-we-re-living-together-before-we-do-the-most-faithful/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [“Believe me. Everything is meant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/believe-me-everything-is-meant/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [ \[Property\] is a brilliant, chillingly revelatory piece of fiction, a work of craft, economy and such good merciless observation-one of those rare, crucial novels… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/property-is-a-brilliant-chillingly-revelatory-piece-of-fiction-a-work/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

[Explore all 199 Ali Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

## More Heart quotes

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/)

[Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/)

[Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/)

> [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/)

Rena Kornreich Gelissen

> [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/)

[Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/)

> [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/)

[Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/)

> [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/)

[Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/)

> [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/)

[Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

[Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Finally she lets herself think about how it feels: to be so frightened that you almost can't breathe to speed so fast and be so completely out of control to know the meaning of helplessness to spin across a shining space knowing any moment you might end up hurt, but likewise, all the same, like plus wise you just might not.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ali Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how-it-feels-to-be-so-frightened/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Heart"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how-it-feels-to-be-so-frightened/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/ali-smith-1801_heart_finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how_329805.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/ali-smith-1801_heart_finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how_329805.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b65/ali-smith-1801_heart_finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how_329805.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Finally she lets herself think about how it feels: to be so frightened that you almost can't breathe to…” — Ali Smith",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ali Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Finally she lets herself think about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how-it-feels-to-be-so-frightened/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/finally-she-lets-herself-think-about-how-it-feels-to-be-so-frightened/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
