--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fear? Back then, I didn't even realize…" description: "\"“Fear? Back then, I didn't even realize what that new feeling was. Later, when it overwhelmed me and almost pulled me under, I understood. And, since t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/annemarie-schwarzenbach-32829_fear_fear-back-then-i-didn-t-even-realize-wha_932604.jpg" --- # Fear? Back then, I didn't even realize what that new… ![“Fear? Back then, I didn't even realize what that new feeling was. Later, when it overwhelmed me and almost pulled me under, I understood. And, since then, a nameless fear has hung like a plume of smoke over the great, colourful desert of this country, above my sometimes blissful, sometimes…” quote by Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/annemarie-schwarzenbach-32829_fear_fear-back-then-i-didn-t-even-realize-wha_932604.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/annemarie-schwarzenbach-32829_fear_fear-back-then-i-didn-t-even-realize-wha_932604.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/annemarie-schwarzenbach-32829_fear_fear-back-then-i-didn-t-even-realize-wha_932604.jpg) > ““Fear? Back then, I didn't even realize what that new feeling was. Later, when it overwhelmed me and almost pulled me under, I understood. And, since then, a nameless fear has hung like a plume of smoke over the great, colourful desert of this country, above my sometimes blissful, sometimes terrible memories of it.”” [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She describes an unnamed, lingering fear that haunts her memories of a vibrant but troubled land. **In simple terms:** Nameless fear haunts her memories. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and explore hidden anxieties. Themes fear memory landscape Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - travel reflection - creative writing - therapy sessions - historical analysis Key Concepts psychology existential dread Questions to Reflect On - What unnamed fears shape your perception? - How can you transform fear into insight? A Different Perspective Fear may be misinterpreted as weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-didn-782911/) [Fear Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-hung-1530759/) [Nameless Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nameless-fear-1530757/) [New Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-feeling-256241/) ## Related quotes > [I love transforming myself constantly because it gives me that 'new' feeling that I'm very much addicted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-love-transforming-myself-constantly-because-it-gives-me-that-new/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [I think we're about ready for a new feeling to enter music. I think that will come from the Arabic world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-think-we-re-about-ready-for-a-new-feeling-to-enter-music-i-think/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Amazing, powerful, inspirational - those adjectives might make me sound like a fawning fan, but REWORK is that useful. Be prepared for a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-sierra/amazing-powerful-inspirational-those-adjectives-might-make-me-sound/) [Kathy Sierra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-sierra/) > [That's why I'm sorry. I'm sorry because you shouldn't have to be everything to me. I had you, but I'd forgotten that I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/that-s-why-i-m-sorry-i-m-sorry-because-you-shouldn-t-have-to-be/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [“I am an uncle, though this is not a new feeling for me, as I’ve been one before. I’ve also been 2 through 32,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-am-an-uncle-though-this-is-not-a-new-feeling-for-me-as-i-ve-been/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“It’s really a whole new feeling when you realize you’re in charge of your life, your thoughts, and your actions—or inaction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaira-rouda/it-s-really-a-whole-new-feeling-when-you-realize-you-re-in-charge-of/) [Kaira Rouda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaira-rouda/) > [It surprised me, the feeling I got when I won the Oscar for 'Scent of a Woman.' It was a new feeling. I'd never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/it-surprised-me-the-feeling-i-got-when-i-won-the-oscar-for-scent-of-a/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [“He recognized and accepted this strange new feeling: that he would rather be hurt himself than hurt Alec.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/he-recognized-and-accepted-this-strange-new-feeling-that-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Very gently and quietly, almost as if it were the blood singing in her veins, or the water of the stream running over stones,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/very-gently-and-quietly-almost-as-if-it-were-the-blood-singing-in-her/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Now I knew why I had been hollowed out, why my insides were chipped away with a chisel and mallet. It was to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lang-leav/now-i-knew-why-i-had-been-hollowed-out-why-my-insides-were-chipped/) [Lang Leav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lang-leav/) > [“There’s always that thrill of learning something new, feeling your brain grow inside your head, no matter what that something is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/there-s-always-that-thrill-of-learning-something-new-feeling-your/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“She had a new feeling, the feeling of danger; on which a new remedy rose to meet it, the idea of an inner self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-had-a-new-feeling-the-feeling-of-danger-on-which-a-new-remedy/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [It was a completely new feeling for me–like someone had just released a million, tiny butterflies loose in my stomach, and they were feverishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-a-completely-new-feeling-for-me-like-someone-had-just-released/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Before I met you, life used to be so predictable and I knew exactly what was going to happen. It was boring. But from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/before-i-met-you-life-used-to-be-so-predictable-and-i-knew-exactly/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [I still get a chill when I sing, 'You Don't Own Me.' I find some new feeling in it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-gore/i-still-get-a-chill-when-i-sing-you-don-t-own-me-i-find-some-new/) [Lesley Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-gore/) ## More by Annemarie Schwarzenbach > [“If you wish to know the state of a people, turn to its youth: here, nothing is disfigured yet, they express themselves in ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/if-you-wish-to-know-the-state-of-a-people-turn-to-its-youth-here/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“What does it help me now to think back on the reeling despair that seized me and declare it a mistake! Should I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/what-does-it-help-me-now-to-think-back-on-the-reeling-despair-that/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“This book will bring little joy to the reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/this-book-will-bring-little-joy-to-the-reader/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“Our life is like a journey…’ – and so the journey seems to me less an adventure and a foray into unusual realms than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/our-life-is-like-a-journey-and-so-the-journey-seems-to-me-less-an/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“Do I often think of Sibylle? I'd say that I don't know. I don't think about her but I haven't forgotten her for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/do-i-often-think-of-sibylle-i-d-say-that-i-don-t-know-i-don-t-think/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“In the end, one can only die for Sibylle. To love for her, my friends say, is degrading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/in-the-end-one-can-only-die-for-sibylle-to-love-for-her-my-friends/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“One sometimes clings tightly to pain, to bitter home-sickness and bitter regret, but one forgets one's guilt; in vain, you might think back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/one-sometimes-clings-tightly-to-pain-to-bitter-home-sickness-and/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“The simultaneity of near and far confused me; I thought it possible to find the past, the present and the future united in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/the-simultaneity-of-near-and-far-confused-me-i-thought-it-possible-to/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“But should it matter what we do as long as we use our strength courageously and lead a life without desperation to the end?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/but-should-it-matter-what-we-do-as-long-as-we-use-our-strength/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“It seemed just as clear to me that I would never pick up a pen again, fill a page with writing. The profession seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/it-seemed-just-as-clear-to-me-that-i-would-never-pick-up-a-pen-again/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“Perhaps my sense of reality is not very highly developed, perhaps I lack a sound and reassuring instinct for the solid facts of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/perhaps-my-sense-of-reality-is-not-very-highly-developed-perhaps-i/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“On a journey the face of reality changes with the mountains and rivers, with the architecture of the buildings, the layout of the gardens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/on-a-journey-the-face-of-reality-changes-with-the-mountains-and/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) [Explore all 13 Annemarie Schwarzenbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) ## 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": "“Fear? Back then, I didn't even realize what that new feeling was. Later, when it overwhelmed me and almost pulled me under, I understood. 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