--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By pressing our faces against the wire we…" description: "\"“By pressing our faces against the wire we could clearly see, nestling amongst torn bin liners, a red-splashed pot of discarded paint. I immediately di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/colin-bateman-35435_fear_by-pressing-our-faces-against-the-wire-w_2950686.jpg" --- # By pressing our faces against the wire we could clearly… ![“By pressing our faces against the wire we could clearly see, nestling amongst torn bin liners, a red-splashed pot of discarded paint. I immediately directed Jeff to climb the fence to retrieve it. I would have done it myself, but my back had not been good for several days, mostly through shifting…” quote by Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/colin-bateman-35435_fear_by-pressing-our-faces-against-the-wire-w_2950686.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/colin-bateman-35435_fear_by-pressing-our-faces-against-the-wire-w_2950686.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/582/colin-bateman-35435_fear_by-pressing-our-faces-against-the-wire-w_2950686.jpg) > ““By pressing our faces against the wire we could clearly see, nestling amongst torn bin liners, a red-splashed pot of discarded paint. I immediately directed Jeff to climb the fence to retrieve it. I would have done it myself, but my back had not been good for several days, mostly through shifting unsold copies of Hannibal Rising from the front of the shop to the rear. Also, I have a morbid fear of rats, and mice, and nettles and wasps and jagged cans and rotting food and damp newspapers and the unemployed.”” [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A chaotic scene of retrieving a paint pot reveals the narrator’s physical limitations and aversion to hazards. **In simple terms:** Narrator struggles with physical tasks and fears. Key Takeaway Seek help when unsafe. Themes fear physical limitation hazard Mood anxious reflective Type narrative descriptive When to use this quote - home repairs - warehouse work - DIY projects - health constraints Key Concepts risk assessment self‑care environmental awareness Questions to Reflect On - When to ask for assistance? - How to manage phobias in daily life? A Different Perspective Reliance on others may cause embarrassment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Copies Hannibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies-hannibal-4446086/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Rats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-rats-4446085/) [Hannibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hannibal/) [Hannibal Rising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hannibal-rising-4446087/) [Morbid Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morbid-fear-2005162/) ## Related quotes > [I am death-fearing. I don't think I'm morbid. That seems to me a fear of death that goes beyond the rational. Whereas it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-am-death-fearing-i-don-t-think-i-m-morbid-that-seems-to-me-a-fear/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [I was a postman one Christmas and I developed a morbid fear of dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-abbott/i-was-a-postman-one-christmas-and-i-developed-a-morbid-fear-of-dogs/) [Diane Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-abbott/) > [“For me, boviscopophobia (=the morbid fear of being seen as bovine) is an even stronger motive than semi-agoraphobia for staying on the ship when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-me-boviscopophobia-the-morbid-fear-of-being-seen-as-bovine-is-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would have let you shoot me without further ado! But it is not possible to hang the German Reichsmarschall! I cannot permit this.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-goring/i-would-have-let-you-shoot-me-without-further-ado-but-it-is-not/) [Hermann Goring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-goring/) > [The Following and Hannibal are really well made, but the tone is very consistently dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlton-cuse/the-following-and-hannibal-are-really-well-made-but-the-tone-is-very/) [Carlton Cuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlton-cuse/) > [With 'Hannibal,' it's like reactive scoring so I don't get ahead. I don't read a script; I don't want to know what's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reitzell/with-hannibal-it-s-like-reactive-scoring-so-i-don-t-get-ahead-i-don-t/) [Brian Reitzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reitzell/) > [“Inveniam viam aut faciam…” “I will find a way or make one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannibal/inveniam-viam-aut-faciam-i-will-find-a-way-or-make-one/) [Hannibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannibal/) > [“I know what you're afraid of. It's not pain, or solitude. It's indignity you can't stand, Hannibal, you're like a cat that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/i-know-what-you-re-afraid-of-it-s-not-pain-or-solitude-it-s-indignity/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > […well just call me Hannibal Lecter. With cleavage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/well-just-call-me-hannibal-lecter-with-cleavage/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [My son Hannibal will be a great general, because of all my soldiers he best knows how to obey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilcar-barca/my-son-hannibal-will-be-a-great-general-because-of-all-my-soldiers-he/) [Hamilcar Barca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilcar-barca/) > [“Every person is worth your time, Hannibal. If at first appearance a person seems dull, then look harder, look into him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/every-person-is-worth-your-time-hannibal-if-at-first-appearance-a/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [I felt, selfishly, that if there was going to be a TV show about 'Hannibal Lecter' whether I was going to be involved or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/i-felt-selfishly-that-if-there-was-going-to-be-a-tv-show-about/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [Homer, Hesiod, Pythagoras, Plato, and Cicero, just to name a few, all lived in pagan societies. Some of the greatest political and military leaders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-myers/homer-hesiod-pythagoras-plato-and-cicero-just-to-name-a-few-all-lived/) [Brendan Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-myers/) > [Everything was so designed by Hannibal to break down Will in the first season, until Will's sanity became questionable. It's so much easier to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/everything-was-so-designed-by-hannibal-to-break-down-will-in-the/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [I've put a lot of records out and a lot of soundtracks, and 'Hannibal' is kind of a special one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reitzell/i-ve-put-a-lot-of-records-out-and-a-lot-of-soundtracks-and-hannibal/) [Brian Reitzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reitzell/) ## More by Colin Bateman > [If you dwell in the darkness, you can see in the dark and look into the light. But in choosing the darkness, you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/if-you-dwell-in-the-darkness-you-can-see-in-the-dark-and-look-into/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“Serial Killer Week got off to an inauspicious start when the opening wine and bean evening was invaded by a former prisoner who misinterpreted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/serial-killer-week-got-off-to-an-inauspicious-start-when-the-opening/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“He had started out the way nearly all writers do, and I'd seen it a hundred times--amateurs transformed into gibbering wrecks by actually being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/he-had-started-out-the-way-nearly-all-writers-do-and-i-d-seen-it-a/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“Books are precious things and cannot be selected like tinned peas in Tesco.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/books-are-precious-things-and-cannot-be-selected-like-tinned-peas-in/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“Bookselling is like prostitution, you sell your wares, you close your eyes, and you never fall in love with the clients. You also keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/bookselling-is-like-prostitution-you-sell-your-wares-you-close-your/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“They asked me how I would be paying and I told them that if past experience was anything to go by probably with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/they-asked-me-how-i-would-be-paying-and-i-told-them-that-if-past/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“Coffee is coffee to me, I don't mind what country it comes from, who picks it or under what conditions, and I really don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/coffee-is-coffee-to-me-i-don-t-mind-what-country-it-comes-from-who/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“Also, I have a mornid fear of rates, and mice, and nettles and wasps and jagged cans and rotting food and damp newspapers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/also-i-have-a-mornid-fear-of-rates-and-mice-and-nettles-and-wasps-and/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“He was the type of man women said they hated, they absolutely hated, they absolutely and categorically hated, and then they went to bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/he-was-the-type-of-man-women-said-they-hated-they-absolutely-hated/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“Anything with the word 'Tesco' or 'Weight Watchers' on the label should be viewed with some suspicion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/anything-with-the-word-tesco-or-weight-watchers-on-the-label-should/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“I then swept the crumbs into my palm and opened one of the empty drawers and poured them in. I was working on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/i-then-swept-the-crumbs-into-my-palm-and-opened-one-of-the-empty/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) > [“Alison was snoring gently, and I was thinking about what would happen if I pinched her nose. And covered her mouth. The head is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-bateman/alison-was-snoring-gently-and-i-was-thinking-about-what-would-happen/) [Colin Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) [Explore all 13 Colin Bateman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-bateman/) ## 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": "“By pressing our faces against the wire we could clearly see, nestling amongst torn bin liners, a red-splashed pot of discarded paint. I immediately directed Jeff to climb the fence to retrieve it. I would have done it myself, but my back had not been good for several days, mostly through shifting unsold copies of Hannibal Rising from the front of the shop to the rear. 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