Frightened Quote by Doris Lessing
““She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. Yet all the time she was thinking: I’m right off balance. I feel as if the atmosphere of this flat were being poisoned, as if a spirit of perverse and ugly spite were everywhere. Yet it’s nonsense. The truth is, everything I’m thinking at the moment is wrong. I can feel it is…and yet I’m saving myself by this sort of thinking. Saving myself from what? She felt ill again, and frightened, as she had on the tube. She thought: I’ve got to stop it, I simply must—though she could not have said what she had to stop. I’ll go next door, she decided, and sit down, and—she did not finish the thought, but she had a mental image of a dry well, slowly filling up with water. Yes; that’s what’s wrong with me—I’m dry. I’m empty.””
About This Quote
The narrator battles inner turmoil, using mundane actions to anchor herself while recognizing her thoughts are self‑defeating and she feels emotionally depleted.
In simple terms: Self‑deception masks deep emptiness.
Key Takeaway
Awareness of self‑sabotage reveals hidden voids.
Themes
self‑analysis
psychological distress
illusion vs reality
emptiness
coping mechanisms
Mood
anxious
reflective
melancholic
Type
personal reflection
psychological narrative
When to use this quote
- experiencing anxiety in a confined space
- seeking calm through routine actions
- recognizing self‑defeating thoughts
- feeling emotionally drained during a crisis
Key Concepts
cognitive dissonance
self‑preservation
mental imagery
emotional dryness
Practical Applications
- therapy focusing on thought patterns
- mindfulness exercises to ground the body
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the dry well symbolize for you?
- How might you break the cycle of self‑defeating thinking?
A Different Perspective
The narrator may be over‑introspecting, missing external factors that contribute to her distress.
