--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Awakenings are always terrifying as they…" description: "\"Awakenings are always terrifying as they force you to realize your past has been lived in confinement, the most disturbing part is when you recognize t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/dean-karnazes-7712_awakening_awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they_758377.png" --- # Awakenings are always terrifying as they force you to… ![“Awakenings are always terrifying as they force you to realize your past has been lived in confinement, the most disturbing part is when you recognize that the shackle holding you down are largely once you have placed upon yourself, the prison is self constructed” quote by Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/dean-karnazes-7712_awakening_awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they_758377.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/dean-karnazes-7712_awakening_awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they_758377.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/dean-karnazes-7712_awakening_awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they_758377.png) > “Awakenings are always terrifying as they force you to realize your past has been lived in confinement, the most disturbing part is when you recognize that the shackle holding you down are largely once you have placed upon yourself, the prison is self constructed” [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Awakening to personal limits reveals that many constraints are self‑imposed, making true freedom a matter of releasing those mental shackles. **In simple terms:** We often imprison ourselves with our own beliefs. Key Takeaway Identify and release self‑imposed limits. Themes self‑awareness freedom personal growth Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career stagnation - relationship patterns - health habits - creative blocks Key Concepts psychology self‑limiting beliefs mindset Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs are you holding that limit you? - How can you test if a limitation is truly external? A Different Perspective Self‑imposed limits can be hard to recognize without external feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) [Awakenings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakenings/) [Confinement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confinement/) [Our past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-past/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Shackles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shackles/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Your past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-past/) ## Related quotes > [I know no other way out of what is both the maze of the eternal present and the prison of the self except with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/i-know-no-other-way-out-of-what-is-both-the-maze-of-the-eternal/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [Sometimes, the most profound of awakenings come wrapped in the quietest of moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/sometimes-the-most-profound-of-awakenings-come-wrapped-in-the/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [You will reach a point where you can finally go for an hour, or a day, or a week without painful reminders of absence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-katafiasz/you-will-reach-a-point-where-you-can-finally-go-for-an-hour-or-a-day/) Karen Katafiasz > [“At first the room is dark and then the furniture reappears dimly as her eyes adjust; it even takes on a faint and hallucinatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/at-first-the-room-is-dark-and-then-the-furniture-reappears-dimly-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“...my awakening life. I am awake in the present. The present is today. Today is a great gift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/my-awakening-life-i-am-awake-in-the-present-the-present-is-today/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Happiness is something that you cannot see. It is naturally felt. When you feel it, you wouldn't wanna let go of it. It makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nio-noveno/happiness-is-something-that-you-cannot-see-it-is-naturally-felt-when/) Nio Noveno > [“In a world of sleepwalkers an awakened mind is a teacher and a catalyst for new awakenings, whether they want to be or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/in-a-world-of-sleepwalkers-an-awakened-mind-is-a-teacher-and-a/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Life is perhaps best regarded as a bad dream between two awakenings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-perhaps-best-regarded-as-a-bad-dream-between-two-awakenings/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [Awakenings occur when we lose faith in the viability of our institutions and the authority of our leaders. Religious and spiritual awakening gives people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/awakenings-occur-when-we-lose-faith-in-the-viability-of-our/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [“LIFE IS A SERIES OF RUDE AWAKENINGS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dazz/life-is-a-series-of-rude-awakenings/) Andrew Dazz > [“Awake my soul. Awake my spirit. Awake my desires. Awake my light. Awake my mind. Awake my hope. Awake my faith. Awake my love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/awake-my-soul-awake-my-spirit-awake-my-desires-awake-my-light-awake/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“I refuse to be left behind in this world, so I need to catch up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-park/i-refuse-to-be-left-behind-in-this-world-so-i-need-to-catch-up/) [Jessica Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-park/) > [“I was terrified as only grown men and women can be when they wake up in the middle of the night and begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ageyev/i-was-terrified-as-only-grown-men-and-women-can-be-when-they-wake-up/) [M. Ageyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ageyev/) > [Life is a series of awakenings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-mukerji/life-is-a-series-of-awakenings/) Swami Mukerji > [“I won the battles, Justin. And I won the war. And now there is no more fighting. Now there is peace. You told me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-park/i-won-the-battles-justin-and-i-won-the-war-and-now-there-is-no-more/) [Jessica Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-park/) ## More by Dean Karnazes > [“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. —T. S. Eliot”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/only-those-who-will-risk-going-too-far-can-possibly-find-out-how-far/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused comfort with happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/somewhere-along-the-line-we-seem-to-have-confused-comfort-with/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [If you keep chasing your dreams, one day you'll catch them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/if-you-keep-chasing-your-dreams-one-day-you-ll-catch-them/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [I am always nervous before the start of a race. It helps me to say to myself to try my very best. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/i-am-always-nervous-before-the-start-of-a-race-it-helps-me-to-say-to/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/i-run-because-if-i-didn-t-i-d-be-sluggish-and-glum-and-spend-too-much/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [Unlike running on a road or concrete, natural surfaces are more forgiving and offer a more varied terrain, ultimately resulting in less repetitive micro-trauma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/unlike-running-on-a-road-or-concrete-natural-surfaces-are-more/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [I do a lot of marathons as training runs. If I'm somewhere and there's a marathon, I'll sign up and just go run it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/i-do-a-lot-of-marathons-as-training-runs-if-i-m-somewhere-and-there-s/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [Any goal worth achieving involves an element of risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/any-goal-worth-achieving-involves-an-element-of-risk/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/if-it-felt-good-you-didn-t-push-hard-enough-it-s-supposed-to-hurt/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [If someone had said to me before I started doing this that a human being is capable of running 100 miles nonstop, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/if-someone-had-said-to-me-before-i-started-doing-this-that-a-human/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [The human body has limitations. The human spirit is boundless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/the-human-body-has-limitations-the-human-spirit-is-boundless/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [I eat nothing that's processed or refined - no high-fructose corn syrup, no sugar, no trans-fats. I eat a lot of fish and monounsaturated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/i-eat-nothing-that-s-processed-or-refined-no-high-fructose-corn-syrup/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [People think I'm crazy to put myself through such torture, though I would argue otherwise. Somewhere along the line we seem to have confused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/people-think-i-m-crazy-to-put-myself-through-such-torture-though-i/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [“Never, under any circumstances, argue with a tired woman. She is always right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/never-under-any-circumstances-argue-with-a-tired-woman-she-is-always/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [A lot of ultramarathoners are soloists. They're single and live lives off the grid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/a-lot-of-ultramarathoners-are-soloists-they-re-single-and-live-lives/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) [Explore all 88 Dean Karnazes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) ## More Awakening quotes > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [“Low states are a like a poison to the psyche. Millions of people throughout the world take tranquillizers each day to combat depression, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belsebuub/low-states-are-a-like-a-poison-to-the-psyche-millions-of-people/) [Belsebuub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belsebuub/) > [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [My political awakening, if I can be as grand as to call it that, was all about what was happening around me. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/my-political-awakening-if-i-can-be-as-grand-as-to-call-it-that-was/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [How often have you sailed in my dreams. And now you come in my awakening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-often-have-you-sailed-in-my-dreams-and-now-you-come-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“CWC (Church Women Concerned) enabled us as women in that part of South Africa, to see ourselves as ordinary citizens who found themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sindiwe-magona/cwc-church-women-concerned-enabled-us-as-women-in-that-part-of-south/) Sindiwe Magona > [I feel there is a great spiritual awakening on the planet right now. More than any previous time, people are drawn to meditation, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/i-feel-there-is-a-great-spiritual-awakening-on-the-planet-right-now/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [When I was 20 years old, I got cast in 'Spring Awakening' and got swept up in this experience where it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-groff/when-i-was-20-years-old-i-got-cast-in-spring-awakening-and-got-swept/) [Jonathan Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-groff/) > [Motivation is awakening own mind and Inspiration is arising spirit in others to find their own with their heart and soul in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/motivation-is-awakening-own-mind-and-inspiration-is-arising-spirit-in/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Life is perhaps best regarded as a bad dream between two awakenings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-perhaps-best-regarded-as-a-bad-dream-between-two-awakenings/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“The Illusion - The source of suffering can be linked back to a condition of the mind that creates the illusion of separation--the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-blanchard/the-illusion-the-source-of-suffering-can-be-linked-back-to-a/) L.M.Blanchard [Browse all 1,440 Awakening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Awakenings are always terrifying as they force you to realize your past has been lived in confinement, the most disturbing part is when you recognize that the shackle holding you down are largely once you have placed upon yourself, the prison is self constructed", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dean Karnazes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they-force-you-to-realize-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awakening" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they-force-you-to-realize-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/dean-karnazes-7712_awakening_awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they_758377.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/dean-karnazes-7712_awakening_awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they_758377.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e3/dean-karnazes-7712_awakening_awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they_758377.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Awakenings are always terrifying as they force you to realize your past has been lived in confinement, the…” — Dean Karnazes", "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": "Dean Karnazes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Awakenings are always terrifying as they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they-force-you-to-realize-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/awakenings-are-always-terrifying-as-they-force-you-to-realize-your/#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 } } ] } ```