---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thud my heart gave when I saw him…"
description: "\"“The thud my heart gave when I saw him unannounced both terrified and thrilled me. I was afraid when he showed up, afraid when he failed to, afraid whe..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/andre-aciman-459_frightened_the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-un_675639.jpg"
---

#  The thud my heart gave when I saw him unannounced both…

![“The thud my heart gave when I saw him unannounced both terrified and thrilled me. I was afraid when he showed up, afraid when he failed to, afraid when he looked at me, more frightened yet when he didn’t.” quote by André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/andre-aciman-459_frightened_the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-un_675639.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/andre-aciman-459_frightened_the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-un_675639.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/andre-aciman-459_frightened_the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-un_675639.jpg)

> ““The thud my heart gave when I saw him unannounced both terrified and thrilled me. I was afraid when he showed up, afraid when he failed to, afraid when he looked at me, more frightened yet when he didn’t.””

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator feels a mix of fear and excitement when the beloved appears unexpectedly, highlighting vulnerability and desire.

**In simple terms:** Unexpected love brings both fear and thrill.

Key Takeaway

Embrace vulnerability and trust your feelings.

Themes

love fear vulnerability desire

Mood

anxious hopeful intense

Type

literary romantic

When to use this quote

- first meeting
- secret romance
- confessing feelings

Key Concepts

attachment anticipation emotional conflict

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this fear reveal about your own desires?
- How can you balance excitement with fear?

A Different Perspective

The intensity may be romanticized beyond realistic emotional responses.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/)

## Related quotes

> [“But all of these hours were strained by fear, as if fear were a brooding specter, or a strange, lost bird trapped in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/but-all-of-these-hours-were-strained-by-fear-as-if-fear-were-a/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“He looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him, and I saw myself."1,080 rount”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-cowell/he-looked-as-frightened-as-i-was-i-looked-at-him-and-i-saw-myself-1/)

[Cressida Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-cowell/)

> [I held a gun to my head, dont worry it wasnt loaded. but there was bullets next to me. that could have been my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-held-a-gun-to-my-head-dont-worry-it-wasnt-loaded-but-there-was/)

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

> [“She would never tell him and was ashamed to admit it, even to herself, but she’d fallen in love with him the instant she’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-marie-rice/she-would-never-tell-him-and-was-ashamed-to-admit-it-even-to-herself/)

[Lisa Marie Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-marie-rice/)

> [“The Gray Man seemed to be considering. Usually everyone else looked frightened by this point of this conversation, but it was possible the Gray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/the-gray-man-seemed-to-be-considering-usually-everyone-else-looked/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [I'm terrified of flying and have tried everything from prescription drugs to booze and herbal remedies. The only thing that works is Valium. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-mack/i-m-terrified-of-flying-and-have-tried-everything-from-prescription/)

[Lee Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-mack/)

> [Being on set is quite difficult, because it's so big and you've got to try and relax, which isn't easy when you know you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/being-on-set-is-quite-difficult-because-it-s-so-big-and-you-ve-got-to/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [I did a thing called 24 Hour Plays, a thing they do every year on Broadway. A bunch of playwrights and actors get together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/i-did-a-thing-called-24-hour-plays-a-thing-they-do-every-year-on/)

[Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/)

> [I remember learning about the Holocaust when I was in kindergarten and being terrified. I think we even watched a graphic video about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-soloway/i-remember-learning-about-the-holocaust-when-i-was-in-kindergarten/)

[Jill Soloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-soloway/)

> [“banshee continued, mixed with terrified”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/banshee-continued-mixed-with-terrified/)

[Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/)

> [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [You know, I read the papers and I watch the news a lot. I watch 'Dateline' and '48 Hours'. And I think we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-galecki/you-know-i-read-the-papers-and-i-watch-the-news-a-lot-i-watch/)

[Johnny Galecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-galecki/)

> [The idea of a bowed and terrified liberal minority during McCarthy's 'reign of terror' is poppycock. Then as now, all elite opinion was against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-idea-of-a-bowed-and-terrified-liberal-minority-during-mccarthy-s/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

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

## More by André Aciman

> [Don't all writers have a hidden nerve, call it a secret chamber, something irreducibly theirs, which stirs their prose and makes it tick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/don-t-all-writers-have-a-hidden-nerve-call-it-a-secret-chamber/)

[Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“I wanted him to remember the morning on Monet's berm when I'd kissed him not the first but the second time and given him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-wanted-him-to-remember-the-morning-on-monet-s-berm-when-i-d-kissed/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [Rituals are how we step into our private field of dreams, a small Elysium all our own. Rituals are made not just for us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/rituals-are-how-we-step-into-our-private-field-of-dreams-a-small/)

[Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“I desperately wanted to give him something. By contrast, taking seemed so bland, so facile, so mechanical.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-desperately-wanted-to-give-him-something-by-contrast-taking-seemed/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“The man who'll lay the last stone here isn't even born yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/the-man-who-ll-lay-the-last-stone-here-isn-t-even-born-yet/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [Proust is interested in minutiae because life, as he sees it, is seldom ever about things but about our impression of things, not about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/proust-is-interested-in-minutiae-because-life-as-he-sees-it-is-seldom/)

[Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“Well, since you're not going to do anything with me—can you at least read me a story? I'd settle for that. I wanted him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/well-since-you-re-not-going-to-do-anything-with-me-can-you-at-least/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“This is heaven.” And I wouldn’t hear him say another word for at least an hour. There was nothing I loved more in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/this-is-heaven-and-i-wouldn-t-hear-him-say-another-word-for-at-least/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“He loved the sticky taste. What had I done? I told him and pointed to the bruised evidence sitting on my desk. “Let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/he-loved-the-sticky-taste-what-had-i-done-i-told-him-and-pointed-to/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“When had they separated us, you and me, Oliver? And why did I know it, and why didn't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/when-had-they-separated-us-you-and-me-oliver-and-why-did-i-know-it/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“As we were swimming back, he asked as though it were an afterthought, “Are you going to hold last night against me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/as-we-were-swimming-back-he-asked-as-though-it-were-an-afterthought/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“To be with you. To be with you, Oliver. With or without my bathing suit. To be with you on my bed. In your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/to-be-with-you-to-be-with-you-oliver-with-or-without-my-bathing-suit/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“I thought I could ever want another living soul, gently, softly, and, with the kindness one Jew extends to another, work his way into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-thought-i-could-ever-want-another-living-soul-gently-softly-and/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“Oliver: But there's the catch: you're still twenty years younger than those gathered around you, which is why I can be twenty-four in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/oliver-but-there-s-the-catch-you-re-still-twenty-years-younger-than/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [I cannot write if there is a sense of plenitude. I have to hypothesize that there is a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-cannot-write-if-there-is-a-sense-of-plenitude-i-have-to-hypothesize/)

[Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

[Explore all 527 André Aciman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

## More Frightened quotes

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/)

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

> [I don't think kids have a problem with death. It's us older ones who are nearer to it, that start being frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-don-t-think-kids-have-a-problem-with-death-it-s-us-older-ones-who/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [American imperialism has always been the imperialism that has been frightened of speaking its name. Now it's beginning to do so. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/american-imperialism-has-always-been-the-imperialism-that-has-been/)

[Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/)

> [We all have prejudices to dispel: the need to get away from thinking that 'I' am important and special and 'you' are not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/we-all-have-prejudices-to-dispel-the-need-to-get-away-from-thinking/)

[Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/)

> [“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/she-had-just-started-living-like-a-grown-up-and-she-d-never-felt-more/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [Megachurches. I can't be the only one frightened when our houses of worship sound like they could take on Godzilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/megachurches-i-can-t-be-the-only-one-frightened-when-our-houses-of/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [No one seems to have learned, or can remember, the magic words that calm people when they are frightened or threatened: "I'm sorry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/no-one-seems-to-have-learned-or-can-remember-the-magic-words-that/)

[Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/)

> [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/)

[Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/)

> [Sometimes I've been to a party where no one spoke to me for a whole evening. The men, frightened by their wives or sweeites...the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/sometimes-i-ve-been-to-a-party-where-no-one-spoke-to-me-for-a-whole/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [All your names I and my friend approve of or nearly all as to sense & expression, but I am frightened by their length…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/all-your-names-i-and-my-friend-approve-of-or-nearly-all-as-to-sense/)

[Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/)

> [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/)

[Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/)

> [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. Yet all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/she-was-using-the-water-as-she-had-used-the-fruit-earlier-to-calm/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

Browse all 1,303 Frightened quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The thud my heart gave when I saw him unannounced both terrified and thrilled me. I was afraid when he showed up, afraid when he failed to, afraid when he looked at me, more frightened yet when he didn’t.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "André Aciman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-unannounced-both-terrified-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Frightened"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-unannounced-both-terrified-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/andre-aciman-459_frightened_the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-un_675639.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/andre-aciman-459_frightened_the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-un_675639.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/andre-aciman-459_frightened_the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-un_675639.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The thud my heart gave when I saw him unannounced both terrified and thrilled me. I was afraid when he…” — André Aciman",
                "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": "André Aciman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The thud my heart gave when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-unannounced-both-terrified-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/the-thud-my-heart-gave-when-i-saw-him-unannounced-both-terrified-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```