--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No: that fear had been inside him for…" description: "\"“No: that fear had been inside him for many years, it had lived with him, it had been another shadow cast over his own shadow ever since the night he a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_bad-dream_no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-man_464824.jpg" --- # No: that fear had been inside him for many years, it had… ![“No: that fear had been inside him for many years, it had lived with him, it had been another shadow cast over his own shadow ever since the night he awoke, shaken by a bad dream, and realized that death was not only a permanent probability, as he had always believed, but an immediate reality.” quote by Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_bad-dream_no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-man_464824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_bad-dream_no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-man_464824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_bad-dream_no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-man_464824.jpg) > ““No: that fear had been inside him for many years, it had lived with him, it had been another shadow cast over his own shadow ever since the night he awoke, shaken by a bad dream, and realized that death was not only a permanent probability, as he had always believed, but an immediate reality.”” [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The protagonist confronts the realization that death is not just a distant possibility but an ever‑present reality, haunting his existence like a shadow within a shadow. **In simple terms:** Death is an immediate, constant presence. Key Takeaway Accept mortality to live fully. Themes mortality existential dread self‑awareness Mood somber reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - personal reflection - creative writing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts philosophy psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing death change daily choices? - What shadows in your life reflect deeper anxieties? A Different Perspective It may overlook the resilience people can find despite fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-dream/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [and realized that death was not only a permanent probability, as he had always believed, but an immediate reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/and-realized-that-death-was-not-only-a-permanent-probability-as-he/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Lives begun in deception are always lived in shadow." (Stated by Yellowfang, page 3)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/lives-begun-in-deception-are-always-lived-in-shadow-stated-by/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [“Death, so permanent for the dead, should be more than just an afternoon activity for the mourners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/death-so-permanent-for-the-dead-should-be-more-than-just-an-afternoon/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Bruises fade. Death is permanent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joann-ross/bruises-fade-death-is-permanent/) [JoAnn Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joann-ross/) > [“I never realized Death was so fleet of foot.' 'The fleetest. Always dancing in the shadows.' 'Always waiting for his next partner?' 'Dancing through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mallory/i-never-realized-death-was-so-fleet-of-foot-the-fleetest-always/) [Anne Mallory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mallory/) > [“And I realized that a death in the family wasn’t permanent—that a new life could replace an old life, and that the world moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-pinkerton/and-i-realized-that-a-death-in-the-family-wasn-t-permanent-that-a-new/) Caleb Pinkerton > [I never realized that death could occur but I ain't a quitter. -Willie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duck-dynasty/i-never-realized-that-death-could-occur-but-i-ain-t-a-quitter-willie/) [Duck Dynasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duck-dynasty/) > [“Once a person had realized death, if they could turn aside from pain they immediately turned toward wonder and Sa. 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We worry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/people-can-be-well-they-can-be-wonderful-and-sometimes-unfortunately/) [Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/) > [All you can do is hide from the fear, but it's already inside you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/all-you-can-do-is-hide-from-the-fear-but-it-s-already-inside-you/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) ## More by Gabriel García Márquez > [“The Captain looked at Fermina Daza and saw on her eyelashes the first glimmer of wintry frost. Then he looked at Florentino Ariza, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-captain-looked-at-fermina-daza-and-saw-on-her-eyelashes-the-first/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Courage did not come from the need to survive, or from a brute indifference inherited from someone else, but from a driving need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/courage-did-not-come-from-the-need-to-survive-or-from-a-brute/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“He aprendido que un hombre sólo tiene derecho a mirar a otro hacia abajo cuando ha de ayudarle a levantarse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-aprendido-que-un-hombre-s-lo-tiene-derecho-a-mirar-a-otro-hacia/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [From the moment I wrote 'Leaf Storm' I realized I wanted to be a writer and that nobody could stop me and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/from-the-moment-i-wrote-leaf-storm-i-realized-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Berhentilah sepi, hidup ini pendek.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/berhentilah-sepi-hidup-ini-pendek/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“I didn't do any of what they told me,' she said, 'because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-didn-t-do-any-of-what-they-told-me-she-said-because-the-more-i/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [He thought about his people without sentimentalily, with a strick closing of his accounts with life, beginning to understand how much he really loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-thought-about-his-people-without-sentimentalily-with-a-strick/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Why were you so old when we met? I answered with the truth: Age isn't how old you are but how old you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/why-were-you-so-old-when-we-met-i-answered-with-the-truth-age-isn-t/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Between the covers of the books that no one had ever read again, in the old parchments damaged by dampness, a livid flower had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/between-the-covers-of-the-books-that-no-one-had-ever-read-again-in/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Fear had absorbed her completely and remained there, fixed, tenacious, almost corporeal, as if it were some invisible person who had made up his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/fear-had-absorbed-her-completely-and-remained-there-fixed-tenacious/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Today I know I was right. The adolescents of my generation, greedy for life, forgot in body and soul about their hopes for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/today-i-know-i-was-right-the-adolescents-of-my-generation-greedy-for/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“...It was then, for the first time, that she understood above all her virtues what was in command was the vanity of a metaphysical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/it-was-then-for-the-first-time-that-she-understood-above-all-her/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) [Explore all 872 Gabriel García Márquez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) ## More Bad dream quotes > [“The other day Nan said, 'Nothing can ever be quite the same for any of us again.' It made me feel rebellious. Why shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/the-other-day-nan-said-nothing-can-ever-be-quite-the-same-for-any-of/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“For a moment Dustfinger felt as if he had never been away- as if he had simply had a bad dream, and the memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/for-a-moment-dustfinger-felt-as-if-he-had-never-been-away-as-if-he/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“Ben and Freda were happy for Cindy. She had recovered from the horrible abuses she had suffered the previous year. Her last bad dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shafter-bailey/ben-and-freda-were-happy-for-cindy-she-had-recovered-from-the/) [Shafter Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shafter-bailey/) > [“The only bad dreams are those not worth chasing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-bad-dreams-are-those-not-worth-chasing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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 past was like a bad dream; the future was all happy holiday as I moved Southwards week by week, easily, lazily, lingering as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/the-past-was-like-a-bad-dream-the-future-was-all-happy-holiday-as-i/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [I pray that fear would just be a dream, a bad dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-blanchard/i-pray-that-fear-would-just-be-a-dream-a-bad-dream/) [Anastasia Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anastasia-blanchard/) > [“Don't let what's happened spoil your life; it doesn't have to. If help is offered, take it if you want it. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james-3/don-t-let-what-s-happened-spoil-your-life-it-doesn-t-have-to-if-help/) P D James > [“Tina thought about the idea of how much a person could take. People only survived because they turned the real into the surreal. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-trope/tina-thought-about-the-idea-of-how-much-a-person-could-take-people/) [Nicole Trope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-trope/) > [I hate having bad dreams about the people I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-having-bad-dreams-about-the-people-i-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I only have two kinds of dreams: the bad and the terrible. Bad dreams I can cope with. They're just nightmares, and they end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-only-have-two-kinds-of-dreams-the-bad-and-the-terrible-bad-dreams-i/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When you are having bad dreams, turn your pillow over. The good dreams are on the other side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit/when-you-are-having-bad-dreams-turn-your-pillow-over-the-good-dreams/) [Rohit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit/) > [“By now you must have guessed: I come from another planet. But I will never say to you, Take me to your leaders. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/by-now-you-must-have-guessed-i-come-from-another-planet-but-i-will/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Sometimes life begins like a bad dream and ends up like a kid's fairytale. The kind our grandmothers used to tell us about sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-kakalopoulou/sometimes-life-begins-like-a-bad-dream-and-ends-up-like-a-kid-s/) [Georgia Kakalopoulou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-kakalopoulou/) > [Close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream. That's how I get by. -Jack Sparrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirates-of-the-caribbean/close-your-eyes-and-pretend-it-s-all-a-bad-dream-that-s-how-i-get-by/) Pirates Of The Caribbean [Browse all 257 Bad dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“No: that fear had been inside him for many years, it had lived with him, it had been another shadow cast over his own shadow ever since the night he awoke, shaken by a bad dream, and realized that death was not only a permanent probability, as he had always believed, but an immediate reality.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gabriel García Márquez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-many-years-it-had-lived-with-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad dream" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-many-years-it-had-lived-with-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_bad-dream_no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-man_464824.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_bad-dream_no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-man_464824.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_bad-dream_no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-man_464824.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No: that fear had been inside him for many years, it had lived with him, it had been another shadow cast…” — Gabriel García Márquez", "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": "Gabriel García Márquez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“No: that fear had been inside...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-many-years-it-had-lived-with-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/no-that-fear-had-been-inside-him-for-many-years-it-had-lived-with-him/#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 } } ] } ```