--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They found my husband with his feet…" description: "\"“They found my husband with his feet treading empty air, touching the soil of no country. Death, of course, is a refuge. It's where you go when a new n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/chris-cleave-1698_asylum_they-found-my-husband-with-his-feet-trea_3086824.jpg" --- # They found my husband with his feet treading empty air… ![“They found my husband with his feet treading empty air, touching the soil of no country. Death, of course, is a refuge. It's where you go when a new name, or a mask and cape, can no longer hide you from yourself. It's where you run to when none of the principalities of your conscience will grant…” quote by Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/chris-cleave-1698_asylum_they-found-my-husband-with-his-feet-trea_3086824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/chris-cleave-1698_asylum_they-found-my-husband-with-his-feet-trea_3086824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/chris-cleave-1698_asylum_they-found-my-husband-with-his-feet-trea_3086824.jpg) > ““They found my husband with his feet treading empty air, touching the soil of no country. Death, of course, is a refuge. It's where you go when a new name, or a mask and cape, can no longer hide you from yourself. It's where you run to when none of the principalities of your conscience will grant you asylum.”” [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) ## 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 reflects on death as an ultimate escape when all identities and defenses fail, leaving one exposed to self. **In simple terms:** Death is the final refuge when masks fail. Key Takeaway Accept mortality, confront self. Themes mortality identity escape conscience Mood somber reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - philosophical debate - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism psychology politics Questions to Reflect On - What masks are you hiding behind? - How does confronting death change your daily choices? A Different Perspective It may romanticize death, overlooking its finality and pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asylum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylum/) [Course Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/course-refuge-4216263/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge/) [Refuge New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge-new-4216261/) ## Related quotes > [Death, of course, is a refuge. It's where you go when a new name, or a mask and cape, can no longer hide you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/death-of-course-is-a-refuge-it-s-where-you-go-when-a-new-name-or-a/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“Insane asylums are deliberate and premeditated receptacles of black magic, and it is not only that doctors encourage magic with their untimely and hybrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/insane-asylums-are-deliberate-and-premeditated-receptacles-of-black/) [Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/) > [“Asylum. The word always made me smile. Such a pretty name for a hellhole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/asylum-the-word-always-made-me-smile-such-a-pretty-name-for-a-hellhole/) [jennifer estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [The United States should be an asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-united-states-should-be-an-asylum-for-the-persecuted-lovers-of/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“I was in a mental asylum? When the fuck did that happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-was-in-a-mental-asylum-when-the-fuck-did-that-happen/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [I had, toward the last, been shut off from all visitors, and so when the lawyer, Peter A. Hendricks, came and told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-had-toward-the-last-been-shut-off-from-all-visitors-and-so-when-the/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-petigru/south-carolina-is-too-small-for-a-republic-and-too-large-for-an/) [James L. Petigru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-petigru/) > [I shouldn't make movies anymore. I should go to a lunatic asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-shouldn-t-make-movies-anymore-i-should-go-to-a-lunatic-asylum/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Individuals whose asylum claims have been accepted have gone on to become professors, soldiers in our military, artists, and more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/individuals-whose-asylum-claims-have-been-accepted-have-gone-on-to/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [The lunatics have taken over the asylum and we can do anything we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-lunatics-have-taken-over-the-asylum-and-we-can-do-anything-we-want/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [This is called 'the land of the free and the home of the brave'; it is called the 'asylum of the oppressed,' and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wells-brown/this-is-called-the-land-of-the-free-and-the-home-of-the-brave-it-is/) [William Wells Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wells-brown/) > [I would not invest in a Trump hate wall. We don't need to be protected from immigrants that are coming here seeking asylum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/i-would-not-invest-in-a-trump-hate-wall-we-don-t-need-to-be-protected/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) > [“congress - that great, benevolent asylum for the helpless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/congress-that-great-benevolent-asylum-for-the-helpless/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Sometimes I think they should set up an asylum for people like that... a whole slew of paparazzi defending their positions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-think-they-should-set-up-an-asylum-for-people-like-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Any country that grants asylum to Snowden risks retaliation from the United States, including diplomatic isolation and costly trade sanctions. Several don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/any-country-that-grants-asylum-to-snowden-risks-retaliation-from-the/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) ## More by Chris Cleave > [It was hard not to be full of hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/it-was-hard-not-to-be-full-of-hope/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [This is the forked tongue of grief again. It whispers in one ear: return to what you once loved best, and in the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/this-is-the-forked-tongue-of-grief-again-it-whispers-in-one-ear/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [In a few breaths' time I will speak some sad words to you. But you must hear them the same way we have agreed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/in-a-few-breaths-time-i-will-speak-some-sad-words-to-you-but-you-must/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Wouldn't that be funny, if the oil rebels were playing U2 in their jungle camps, and the government soldiers were playing U2 in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/wouldn-t-that-be-funny-if-the-oil-rebels-were-playing-u2-in-their/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“When death comes you do not stay for one minute in the place it has visited. Many things arrive after death-sadness, questions, and policemen-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/when-death-comes-you-do-not-stay-for-one-minute-in-the-place-it-has/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“I smiled down at Charlie, and I understood that he would be free now even if I would not. In this way the life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-smiled-down-at-charlie-and-i-understood-that-he-would-be-free-now/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I do think it is harder to acknowledge our strengths, or to forgive ourselves and each other for our shortcomings, when there has not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-do-think-it-is-harder-to-acknowledge-our-strengths-or-to-forgive/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I think the recent cluster of WWII novels is so good because we have reached an optimal distance from the war. Just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-think-the-recent-cluster-of-wwii-novels-is-so-good-because-we-have/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“Yu only be livin one life, darlin. Don't matter yu don't uh-preshie-ate part of it, cos it don't stop bein part of yu.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/yu-only-be-livin-one-life-darlin-don-t-matter-yu-don-t-uh-preshie-ate/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Sometimes we don't notice that someone is being brave, because they are only doing something that seems quite easy for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/sometimes-we-don-t-notice-that-someone-is-being-brave-because-they/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Life is extremely short and you cannot dance to current affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/life-is-extremely-short-and-you-cannot-dance-to-current-affairs/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Sad words are just another beauty. A sad story means, this storyteller is alive. The next thing you know something fine will happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/sad-words-are-just-another-beauty-a-sad-story-means-this-storyteller/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“If I was telling this story to the girls from back home, I would have to explain to them how it was possible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/if-i-was-telling-this-story-to-the-girls-from-back-home-i-would-have/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [“April showers bring May flower”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/april-showers-bring-may-flower/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) [Explore all 214 Chris Cleave quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) ## More Asylum quotes > [Any country that grants asylum to Snowden risks retaliation from the United States, including diplomatic isolation and costly trade sanctions. Several don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/any-country-that-grants-asylum-to-snowden-risks-retaliation-from-the/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Sometimes I think they should set up an asylum for people like that... a whole slew of paparazzi defending their positions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-think-they-should-set-up-an-asylum-for-people-like-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“congress - that great, benevolent asylum for the helpless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/congress-that-great-benevolent-asylum-for-the-helpless/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I would not invest in a Trump hate wall. We don't need to be protected from immigrants that are coming here seeking asylum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/i-would-not-invest-in-a-trump-hate-wall-we-don-t-need-to-be-protected/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) > [This is called 'the land of the free and the home of the brave'; it is called the 'asylum of the oppressed,' and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wells-brown/this-is-called-the-land-of-the-free-and-the-home-of-the-brave-it-is/) [William Wells Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wells-brown/) > [The lunatics have taken over the asylum and we can do anything we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-lunatics-have-taken-over-the-asylum-and-we-can-do-anything-we-want/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Individuals whose asylum claims have been accepted have gone on to become professors, soldiers in our military, artists, and more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/individuals-whose-asylum-claims-have-been-accepted-have-gone-on-to/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [I shouldn't make movies anymore. I should go to a lunatic asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-shouldn-t-make-movies-anymore-i-should-go-to-a-lunatic-asylum/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-petigru/south-carolina-is-too-small-for-a-republic-and-too-large-for-an/) [James L. Petigru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-petigru/) > [I had, toward the last, been shut off from all visitors, and so when the lawyer, Peter A. Hendricks, came and told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-had-toward-the-last-been-shut-off-from-all-visitors-and-so-when-the/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [“I was in a mental asylum? When the fuck did that happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-was-in-a-mental-asylum-when-the-fuck-did-that-happen/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [The United States should be an asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-united-states-should-be-an-asylum-for-the-persecuted-lovers-of/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“Asylum. The word always made me smile. Such a pretty name for a hellhole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/asylum-the-word-always-made-me-smile-such-a-pretty-name-for-a-hellhole/) [jennifer estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [“Insane asylums are deliberate and premeditated receptacles of black magic, and it is not only that doctors encourage magic with their untimely and hybrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/insane-asylums-are-deliberate-and-premeditated-receptacles-of-black/) [Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/) > [Instead of turning loose these bogus asylum applicants onto the American streets never to be seen again, let's put them into mobile homes. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kobach/instead-of-turning-loose-these-bogus-asylum-applicants-onto-the/) [Kris Kobach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kobach/) [Browse all 166 Asylum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylum/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They found my husband with his feet treading empty air, touching the soil of no country. Death, of course, is a refuge. It's where you go when a new name, or a mask and cape, can no longer hide you from yourself. 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