--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Question: I am interested in so many…" description: "\"“Question: I am interested in so many things, and I have a terrible fear because my mother keeps telling me that I'm just going to be exploring the res..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/anais-nin-288_fear_question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-thin_2735212.jpg" --- # Question: I am interested in so many things, and I have a… ![“Question: I am interested in so many things, and I have a terrible fear because my mother keeps telling me that I'm just going to be exploring the rest of my life and never get anything done. But I find it really hard to set my ways and say, "Well, do I want to do this, or should I try to exploit…” quote by Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/anais-nin-288_fear_question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-thin_2735212.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/anais-nin-288_fear_question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-thin_2735212.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/anais-nin-288_fear_question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-thin_2735212.jpg) > ““Question: I am interested in so many things, and I have a terrible fear because my mother keeps telling me that I'm just going to be exploring the rest of my life and never get anything done. But I find it really hard to set my ways and say, "Well, do I want to do this, or should I try to exploit that, or should I escape and completely do one thing?" Anaïs Nin: One word I would banish from the dictionary is 'escape.' Just banish that and you'll be fine. Because that word has been misused regarding anybody who wanted to move away from a certain spot and wanted to grow. He was an escapist. You know if you forget that word you will have a much easier time. Also you're in the prime, the beginning of your life; you should experiment with everything, try everything… We are taught all these dichotomies, and I only learned later that they could work in harmony. We have created false dichotomies; we create false ambivalences, and very painful one's sometimes -the feeling that we have to choose. But I think at one point we finally realize, sometimes subconsciously, whether or not we are really fitted for what we try and if it's what we want to do. You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or you're not a painter anymore. It may happen. It has happened. I mean Gauguin decided at a certain point he wasn't a banker anymore; he was a painter. And so he walked away from banking. I think we have a right to change course. But society is the one that keeps demanding that we fit in and not disturb things. They would like you to fit in right away so that things work now.”” [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote urges embracing curiosity, experimenting with many paths, and rejecting false binaries that limit personal growth, recognizing that vocations can evolve over time. **In simple terms:** Explore many interests, avoid rigid choices, accept change. Key Takeaway Allow yourself to experiment and adapt. Themes growth choice experimentation identity societal pressure Mood reflective hopeful inspirational Type advice philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - creative pursuits - personal development - educational choices - life transitions Key Concepts self‑actualization fluid identity lifelong learning Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance exploration with commitment? - What false dichotomies limit your choices? A Different Perspective Societal expectations may pressure premature specialization, causing anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anais-nin/) [Change Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-course/) [Choose Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-think-382589/) [Experiment Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment-life-585437/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Finally Realize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finally-realize/) [Gauguin Decided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gauguin-decided-2476665/) [Know Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-vocation-2476666/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question/) [Ten years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-years/) ## Related quotes > [“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your-life-you-will-make-mistakes/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your-life-you-will-make-mistakes-2/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [You will know your vocation by the joy that it brings you. You will know. You will know when it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/you-will-know-your-vocation-by-the-joy-that-it-brings-you-you-will/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [If you want to be a writer, you should go into the largest library you can find and stand there contemplating the books that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-you-should-go-into-the-largest-library-you/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [You need not see what someone is doing to know if it is his vocation, you have only to watch his eyes: a cook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/you-need-not-see-what-someone-is-doing-to-know-if-it-is-his-vocation/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I'm restless. Things are calling me away. My hair is being pulled by the stars again. ANAÏS NIN, Fire: From "A Journal of Love"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-m-restless-things-are-calling-me-away-my-hair-is-being-pulled-by-2/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [This is the deepest experiment of life. And whatever has been discovered in regard to life, this is the most significant finding of all:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-is-the-deepest-experiment-of-life-and-whatever-has-been/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A fool is a man who never tried an experiment in his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erasmus-darwin/a-fool-is-a-man-who-never-tried-an-experiment-in-his-life/) [Erasmus Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erasmus-darwin/) > [ \[The Constitution\] is an experiment as all life is an experiment. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/the-constitution-is-an-experiment-as-all-life-is-an-experiment/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [I like to experiment, and my life has been eventful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-air/i-like-to-experiment-and-my-life-has-been-eventful/) [Donna Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-air/) > [“The truth of it was, I'd been running the wrong experiment my whole life, and while Cassidy was the first person to realize, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-schneider/the-truth-of-it-was-i-d-been-running-the-wrong-experiment-my-whole/) [Robyn Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-schneider/) > [I think what my father appreciated was the science experiment of life. He had these kids, and they had their own experiences. He wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmet-zappa/i-think-what-my-father-appreciated-was-the-science-experiment-of-life/) [Ahmet Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmet-zappa/) > [any experiment of interest in life will be carried out at your own expense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilmot/any-experiment-of-interest-in-life-will-be-carried-out-at-your-own/) [John Wilmot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilmot/) > [“The only unforgivable crime is to cut short the experiment of one’s own life before its natural end. To do so is a weakness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-only-unforgivable-crime-is-to-cut-short-the-experiment-of-one-s/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Experiment with life by exploring and trying new things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-baker/experiment-with-life-by-exploring-and-trying-new-things/) [Robin S. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-baker/) ## More by Anais Nin > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“…For love it is never the same. What goes on inside is never the same just like this music which changes every instant. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/for-love-it-is-never-the-same-what-goes-on-inside-is-never-the-same/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [I have so strong a sense of creation, of tomorrow, that I cannot get drunk, knowing I will be less alive, less well, less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-have-so-strong-a-sense-of-creation-of-tomorrow-that-i-cannot-get/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [We don't have a language for the senses. Feelings are images, sensations are like musical sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/we-don-t-have-a-language-for-the-senses-feelings-are-images/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Strange, isn't it, that no chemical will give a human being the iridescence that illusions have given them? Give me your hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/strange-isn-t-it-that-no-chemical-will-give-a-human-being-the/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [The personal, if it is deep enough, becomes universal, mythical, symbolic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-personal-if-it-is-deep-enough-becomes-universal-mythical-symbolic/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Introspection is a devouring monster. You have to feed it with much material, much experience, many people, many places, many loves, many creations, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/introspection-is-a-devouring-monster-you-have-to-feed-it-with-much/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [I don't mind working, holding my ground intellectually, artistically; but as a woman, oh, God, as a woman I want to be dominated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-don-t-mind-working-holding-my-ground-intellectually-artistically/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“Laughter and tears are not separate experiences, with intervals of rest: they rush out together and it is like walking with a sword between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/laughter-and-tears-are-not-separate-experiences-with-intervals-of/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [The basis of insincerity is the idealized image we hold of ourselves and wish to impose on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-basis-of-insincerity-is-the-idealized-image-we-hold-of-ourselves/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [I write emotional algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-write-emotional-algebra/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-the-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-can-all-say-but-what-we/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [I say quotations are literary. They are good only when dealing with ideas, not with experience. Experience should be pure, unique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-say-quotations-are-literary-they-are-good-only-when-dealing-with/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) [Explore all 715 Anais Nin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/) [Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/) > [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/) [M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/) > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) [Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/) > [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) [Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Question: I am interested in so many things, and I have a terrible fear because my mother keeps telling me that I'm just going to be exploring the rest of my life and never get anything done. But I find it really hard to set my ways and say, \"Well, do I want to do this, or should I try to exploit that, or should I escape and completely do one thing?\" Anaïs Nin: One word I would banish from the dictionary is 'escape.' Just banish that and you'll be fine. Because that word has been misused regarding anybody who wanted to move away from a certain spot and wanted to grow. He was an escapist. You know if you forget that word you will have a much easier time. Also you're in the prime, the beginning of your life; you should experiment with everything, try everything… We are taught all these dichotomies, and I only learned later that they could work in harmony. We have created false dichotomies; we create false ambivalences, and very painful one's sometimes -the feeling that we have to choose. But I think at one point we finally realize, sometimes subconsciously, whether or not we are really fitted for what we try and if it's what we want to do. You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or you're not a painter anymore. It may happen. It has happened. I mean Gauguin decided at a certain point he wasn't a banker anymore; he was a painter. And so he walked away from banking. I think we have a right to change course. But society is the one that keeps demanding that we fit in and not disturb things. They would like you to fit in right away so that things work now.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anais Nin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-things-and-i-have-a-terrible-fear/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-things-and-i-have-a-terrible-fear/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/anais-nin-288_fear_question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-thin_2735212.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/anais-nin-288_fear_question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-thin_2735212.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/anais-nin-288_fear_question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-thin_2735212.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Question: I am interested in so many things, and I have a terrible fear because my mother keeps telling me…” — Anais Nin", "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": "Anais Nin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Question: I am interested in so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-things-and-i-have-a-terrible-fear/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-things-and-i-have-a-terrible-fear/#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 } } ] } ```