---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The quick, sudden terror of exploding…"
description: "\"“The quick, sudden terror of exploding bombs is not the same as the never-ending, bone-sapping fear of discovery and capture. It never goes away. There..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/elizabeth-wein-3764_bombs_the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bom_1422675.png"
---

#  The quick, sudden terror of exploding bombs is not the…

![“The quick, sudden terror of exploding bombs is not the same as the never-ending, bone-sapping fear of discovery and capture. It never goes away. There isn’t ever any relief, never the possibility of an ‘All Clear’ siren. You always feel a little bit sick inside, knowing the worst might happen at…” quote by Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/elizabeth-wein-3764_bombs_the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bom_1422675.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/elizabeth-wein-3764_bombs_the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bom_1422675.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/elizabeth-wein-3764_bombs_the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bom_1422675.png)

> ““The quick, sudden terror of exploding bombs is not the same as the never-ending, bone-sapping fear of discovery and capture. It never goes away. There isn’t ever any relief, never the possibility of an ‘All Clear’ siren. You always feel a little bit sick inside, knowing the worst might happen at any moment.””

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The terror of sudden violence differs from the chronic dread of being discovered, which never fully eases.

**In simple terms:** Constant fear of capture is relentless.

Key Takeaway

Prepare for long‑term anxiety.

Themes

fear war psychological trauma

Mood

tense somber

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- combat zones
- spy work
- high‑stress professions
- personal insecurity

Key Concepts

existential dread survivalism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you cope with unending fear?
- What strategies reduce chronic anxiety?

A Different Perspective

Relief may be impossible without resolution.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-discovery-5043715/) [Sudden Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sudden-terror-4046743/) [Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror/) [Terror Exploding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror-exploding-5043714/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [Something did happen to me somewhere that robbed me of confidence and courage and left me with a fear of discovery and change and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/something-did-happen-to-me-somewhere-that-robbed-me-of-confidence-and/)

[Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/)

> [“Most days I woke up brimming with a sudden terror--that I'd forgotten to do essential things, that I'd never make friends in Colorado, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-read/most-days-i-woke-up-brimming-with-a-sudden-terror-that-i-d-forgotten/)

[Cornelia Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-read/)

> [The only rule Muslims know is to win. It does not matter how. All rules can be broken as long as they win the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/the-only-rule-muslims-know-is-to-win-it-does-not-matter-how-all-rules/)

[Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/)

> [Terror is the poor man's war, war is the rich man's terror. Ultimately, all wars will end either in annihilation or at the negotiating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/terror-is-the-poor-man-s-war-war-is-the-rich-man-s-terror-ultimately/)

[William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/)

> [We live in a world of guns, bombs and terror. To conquer hate seems a nigh-impossible task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-bikel/we-live-in-a-world-of-guns-bombs-and-terror-to-conquer-hate-seems-a/)

[Theodore Bikel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-bikel/)

> [For fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/for-fear-of-causing-terror-to-living-beings-mahamati-let-the/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [“As if we didn't have enough weapons already. But that's human nature, we've always got to go one better, to increase the terror another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-f-hamilton/as-if-we-didn-t-have-enough-weapons-already-but-that-s-human-nature/)

[Peter F. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-f-hamilton/)

> [Terror has its inspiration, as well as competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/terror-has-its-inspiration-as-well-as-competition/)

[Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/)

> [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/)

[Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/)

> [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/)

[Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/)

> [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

## More by Elizabeth Wein

> [“It was wonderful flirting with him, all the razor-edged literary banter, like Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. A battle of wit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/it-was-wonderful-flirting-with-him-all-the-razor-edged-literary/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“She was never so petty. She did not dabble with minnows at the surface when there were thirty-pound salmon swimming deeper down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/she-was-never-so-petty-she-did-not-dabble-with-minnows-at-the-surface/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [A part of me will always be unflyable, stuck in the climb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/a-part-of-me-will-always-be-unflyable-stuck-in-the-climb/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“I, of course, took the opportunity to interpose with pigheaded Wallace pride, 'I am not English, you ignorant Jerry bastard, I am a SCOT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-of-course-took-the-opportunity-to-interpose-with-pigheaded-wallace/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“I seem to be good at asking for trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-seem-to-be-good-at-asking-for-trouble/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [Incredible what slender threads you begin to hang your hopes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/incredible-what-slender-threads-you-begin-to-hang-your-hopes-on/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“Which would you rather have––an unlimited supply of Chanel No. 5, or freedom?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/which-would-you-rather-have-an-unlimited-supply-of-chanel-no-5-or/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“And this, even more wonderful and mysterious, is also true: when I read it, when I read what Julie's written, she is instantly alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/and-this-even-more-wonderful-and-mysterious-is-also-true-when-i-read/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [I tend not to attempt to describe pain. I don't feel I can comprehend or re-create the personal suffering of others, so I simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-tend-not-to-attempt-to-describe-pain-i-don-t-feel-i-can-comprehend/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“KISS ME, HARDY! Kiss me, QUICK!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/kiss-me-hardy-kiss-me-quick/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“She gave a low and delighted chuckle. Her eyes were black as a moonless December night and reflected the electric lights like stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/she-gave-a-low-and-delighted-chuckle-her-eyes-were-black-as-a/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“Kiss me, Hardy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/kiss-me-hardy/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“I don't believe for a minute-that we wouldn't have become friends somehow-that an unexploded bomb wouldn't have gone off and blown us both into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-don-t-believe-for-a-minute-that-we-wouldn-t-have-become-friends/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“FLY THE PLANE, MADDIE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/fly-the-plane-maddie/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [“Writing to you like this makes me feel that you are still alive. It’s an illusion I’ve noticed before—words on a page are like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/writing-to-you-like-this-makes-me-feel-that-you-are-still-alive-it-s/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

[Explore all 120 Elizabeth Wein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

## More Bombs quotes

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/)

[Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/)

> [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/)

[Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/)

> [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/)

[Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/)

> [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [I had a very well-respected writer ask me point blank to my face whether it actually mattered to me. Now, without wanting to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-furyk/i-had-a-very-well-respected-writer-ask-me-point-blank-to-my-face/)

[Jim Furyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-furyk/)

> [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [There are cameras nowadays that have been developed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-are-cameras-nowadays-that-have-been-developed-to-tell-the/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

[Browse all 1,253 Bombs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The quick, sudden terror of exploding bombs is not the same as the never-ending, bone-sapping fear of discovery and capture. It never goes away. There isn’t ever any relief, never the possibility of an ‘All Clear’ siren. You always feel a little bit sick inside, knowing the worst might happen at any moment.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Wein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bombs-is-not-the-same-as-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bombs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bombs-is-not-the-same-as-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/elizabeth-wein-3764_bombs_the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bom_1422675.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/elizabeth-wein-3764_bombs_the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bom_1422675.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/elizabeth-wein-3764_bombs_the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bom_1422675.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The quick, sudden terror of exploding bombs is not the same as the never-ending, bone-sapping fear of…” — Elizabeth Wein",
                "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": "Elizabeth Wein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The quick, sudden terror of exploding...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bombs-is-not-the-same-as-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/the-quick-sudden-terror-of-exploding-bombs-is-not-the-same-as-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
