---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now I understood why I had to prevent the…"
description: "\"“Now I understood why I had to prevent the day world from getting real. I saw that my instinct about this was a true one. As my eyes grew more discerni..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/anna-kavan-8510_quote_now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-th_2176571.jpg"
---

#  Now I understood why I had to prevent the day world from…

![“Now I understood why I had to prevent the day world from getting real. I saw that my instinct about this was a true one. As my eyes grew more discerning, I recognized my enemy’s face and I was afraid, seeing there was a danger that one day might destroy me. Because of my fear that the daytime…” quote by Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/anna-kavan-8510_quote_now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-th_2176571.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/anna-kavan-8510_quote_now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-th_2176571.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/anna-kavan-8510_quote_now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-th_2176571.jpg)

> ““Now I understood why I had to prevent the day world from getting real. I saw that my instinct about this was a true one. As my eyes grew more discerning, I recognized my enemy’s face and I was afraid, seeing there was a danger that one day might destroy me. Because of my fear that the daytime world would become real, I had to establish reality in another place.””

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

## 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 fears reality becoming too vivid, so she creates an alternate world to protect herself from perceived danger.

**In simple terms:** She avoids reality by building a safe fantasy.

Key Takeaway

Recognize when escapism harms or helps.

Themes

fear escapism reality protection psychology

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

novelistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal coping
- mental health
- creative writing
- fictional world‑building

Key Concepts

Self‑preservation subjective reality

Questions to Reflect On

- What dangers arise from refusing to face reality?
- When is creating an alternate reality beneficial?

A Different Perspective

Escapism can prevent confronting real issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Daytime World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daytime-world-481429/) [Establish Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establish-reality-481427/) [Fear Daytime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-daytime-481426/) [Saw Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saw-instinct-4683221/) [Seeing Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing-danger-4683222/)

## Related quotes

> [Because of my fear that the daytime world would become real, I had to establish reality in another place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/because-of-my-fear-that-the-daytime-world-would-become-real-i-had-to/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [For me, I always have to establish a reality for the character. In very actor-y terms, you just have to understand his reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-wilson/for-me-i-always-have-to-establish-a-reality-for-the-character-in-very/)

[Patrick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-wilson/)

> [I can't really recall the first time I was noticed by a producer but the first time I was on television was doing Daytime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-shackelford/i-can-t-really-recall-the-first-time-i-was-noticed-by-a-producer-but/)

[Ted Shackelford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-shackelford/)

> [“Dawn and sunset are the times when Nature herself is unstable and in flux. The nocturnal world and the daytime world are meeting, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-viola/dawn-and-sunset-are-the-times-when-nature-herself-is-unstable-and-in/)

[Bill Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-viola/)

## More by Anna Kavan

> [At last I feel identified with the mountains, clean, cold, hard, detached.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/at-last-i-feel-identified-with-the-mountains-clean-cold-hard-detached/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“There is, I believe, a kind of telepathy between the condemned: a sort of intuitive recognition which can even make itself felt through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/there-is-i-believe-a-kind-of-telepathy-between-the-condemned-a-sort/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [I had a friend, a lover. Or did I dream it? So many dreams are crowding upon me now that I can scarcely tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/i-had-a-friend-a-lover-or-did-i-dream-it-so-many-dreams-are-crowding/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“It was always the same now, the ghost always coming between her and her life in the world, so much more important, since that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/it-was-always-the-same-now-the-ghost-always-coming-between-her-and/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“Their eyes met for a moment. And the glance that flickered between them had been a wordless message of understanding, the affirmation of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/their-eyes-met-for-a-moment-and-the-glance-that-flickered-between/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“She looked, and saw the black, domed sky arching over her head. And her heart dilated; she felt the great black dome in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/she-looked-and-saw-the-black-domed-sky-arching-over-her-head-and-her/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“An intolerable pain pierced him. He was totally lost without her...estranged from his life utterly, and from the world. This was the world into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/an-intolerable-pain-pierced-him-he-was-totally-lost-without-her/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“Her albino hair illuminated my dreams, shining brighter than moonlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/her-albino-hair-illuminated-my-dreams-shining-brighter-than-moonlight/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“Everything was so quiet, as if the silence was listening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/everything-was-so-quiet-as-if-the-silence-was-listening/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“In a polished surface of metal I happen to notice my reflected face; it wears a pale, beaten lonely look, eyes looking out at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/in-a-polished-surface-of-metal-i-happen-to-notice-my-reflected-face/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [Because of my fear that the daytime world would become real, I had to establish reality in another place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/because-of-my-fear-that-the-daytime-world-would-become-real-i-had-to/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“All at once I feel desperate, outraged. Why am I alone doomed to spend nights of torment, with an unseen jailer, when all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/all-at-once-i-feel-desperate-outraged-why-am-i-alone-doomed-to-spend/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“Then instead of hurrying he was standing still, he was very tired and sweating under the heavy coat, and looking up he saw a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/then-instead-of-hurrying-he-was-standing-still-he-was-very-tired-and/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“He sees her looking at him with interest, and is encouraged to go on. 'I wouldn't be here with you now. This wouldn't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/he-sees-her-looking-at-him-with-interest-and-is-encouraged-to-go-on-i/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“But to whom can one appeal when one does not even know where to find the judge? How can one ever hope to prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/but-to-whom-can-one-appeal-when-one-does-not-even-know-where-to-find/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

[Explore all 80 Anna Kavan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

## More Fear Daytime quotes

> [Because of my fear that the daytime world would become real, I had to establish reality in another place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/because-of-my-fear-that-the-daytime-world-would-become-real-i-had-to/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

[Browse all 2 Fear Daytime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-daytime-481426/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Now I understood why I had to prevent the day world from getting real. I saw that my instinct about this was a true one. As my eyes grew more discerning, I recognized my enemy’s face and I was afraid, seeing there was a danger that one day might destroy me. Because of my fear that the daytime world would become real, I had to establish reality in another place.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anna Kavan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-the-day-world-from-getting-real/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fear Daytime"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-the-day-world-from-getting-real/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/anna-kavan-8510_quote_now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-th_2176571.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/anna-kavan-8510_quote_now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-th_2176571.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/anna-kavan-8510_quote_now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-th_2176571.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Now I understood why I had to prevent the day world from getting real. I saw that my instinct about this was…” — Anna Kavan",
                "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": "Anna Kavan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Now I understood why I had...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-the-day-world-from-getting-real/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/now-i-understood-why-i-had-to-prevent-the-day-world-from-getting-real/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
