--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I existed in a world that never is , a…" description: "\"“I existed in a world that never is , a prison of the mind.”\" — Gene Tierney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gene-tierney-7683_crime_i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-pri_2904001.jpg" --- # I existed in a world that never is , a prison of the mind. ![“I existed in a world that never is , a prison of the mind.” quote by Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gene-tierney-7683_crime_i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-pri_2904001.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gene-tierney-7683_crime_i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-pri_2904001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gene-tierney-7683_crime_i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-pri_2904001.jpg) > ““I existed in a world that never is , a prison of the mind.”” [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A feeling of being trapped in an unchanging mental state, unable to escape one own thoughts. **In simple terms:** Feeling trapped in one's mind. Key Takeaway Recognize mental limits and seek change. Themes psychology existential freedom Mood reflective somber Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - mindfulness practice - self‑reflection Key Concepts self‑perception mental prison reality perception Questions to Reflect On - How does your mind create prisons? - What steps break mental constraints? A Different Perspective The metaphor may over‑dramatize normal stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Existed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existed/) [Existed World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existed-world-1242368/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Prison Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison-mind-740238/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [World Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-prison-984807/) ## Related quotes > [I existed in a world that never is - the prison of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-the-prison-of-the-mind/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [“I started wondering if God really existed. The world seemed too empty and lonely for there to be a God in it. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippie/i-started-wondering-if-god-really-existed-the-world-seemed-too-empty/) [Hippie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippie/) > [“What they didn’t want to believe, what they tried repeatedly to dismiss, was that whatever good and evil existed in the world came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/what-they-didn-t-want-to-believe-what-they-tried-repeatedly-to/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [“In the beginning I was so young and such a stranger to myself I hardly existed. I had to go out in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-olier/in-the-beginning-i-was-so-young-and-such-a-stranger-to-myself-i/) [Mary Olier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-olier/) > [“Because you’re my favorite person ever. Ever that has ever existed in all the world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/because-you-re-my-favorite-person-ever-ever-that-has-ever-existed-in/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“Of all the bars in the world, prison is the worst, followed closely by the ones that serve alcohol.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/of-all-the-bars-in-the-world-prison-is-the-worst-followed-closely-by/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“I wanted a woman who could get me out of a Third World prison. Life's too short to hang out with people who aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-wanted-a-woman-who-could-get-me-out-of-a-third-world-prison-life-s/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [“He had become her whole world,a way out of the prison of her own mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-matheson/he-had-become-her-whole-world-a-way-out-of-the-prison-of-her-own-mind/) [Lynn Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-matheson/) > [You can be locked away in prison and be free if your mind is not a prison. Or you can be walking around with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-be-locked-away-in-prison-and-be-free-if-your-mind-is-not-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Over months of being with him, my prison had become my sanctuary, and now that I was free, the world was my prison. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-thomas/over-months-of-being-with-him-my-prison-had-become-my-sanctuary-and/) [Kitty Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-thomas/) > [“The world is a prison for the believer and paradise for a non-believer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prophet-muhammad-saw-2/the-world-is-a-prison-for-the-believer-and-paradise-for-a-non-believer/) [Prophet Muhammad SAW](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prophet-muhammad-saw-2/) > [The most miserable prison in the world is the prison we make for ourselves when we refuse to show mercy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-w-wiersbe/the-most-miserable-prison-in-the-world-is-the-prison-we-make-for-2/) [Warren W. Wiersbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-w-wiersbe/) > [The world is a prison in which solitary confinement is preferable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/the-world-is-a-prison-in-which-solitary-confinement-is-preferable/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [“I’ll dream up a world where you never existed. A world you could never live in. I’ll live there without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-j-ginger/i-ll-dream-up-a-world-where-you-never-existed-a-world-you-could-never/) [Coco J. Ginger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-j-ginger/) > [Why should not every individual man have existed more than once upon this world? Why should I not come back as often as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/why-should-not-every-individual-man-have-existed-more-than-once-upon/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) ## More by Gene Tierney > [I have a role now that I think becomes me. I am a grandmother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-have-a-role-now-that-i-think-becomes-me-i-am-a-grandmother/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [When my mood was high, I seemed normal, even buoyant. I felt smarter. I had secrets. I could see God in a light bulb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/when-my-mood-was-high-i-seemed-normal-even-buoyant-i-felt-smarter-i/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [The word actress has always seemed less a job description to me than a title](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/the-word-actress-has-always-seemed-less-a-job-description-to-me-than/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [Rehearsals and screening rooms are often unreliable because they can't provide the chemistry between an audience and what appears on the stage or screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/rehearsals-and-screening-rooms-are-often-unreliable-because-they-can/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [I simply did not want my face to be my talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-simply-did-not-want-my-face-to-be-my-talent/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [I knew I could not cope with the future unless I was able to rediscover the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-knew-i-could-not-cope-with-the-future-unless-i-was-able-to/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [The main cause of my difficulties stemmed from the tragedy of my daughter's unsound birth and my inability to face my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/the-main-cause-of-my-difficulties-stemmed-from-the-tragedy-of-my/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [Men are wonderful. I adore them. They always give you the benefit of the doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/men-are-wonderful-i-adore-them-they-always-give-you-the-benefit-of/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [Joe Schenck, a top 20th Century-Fox executive, once said to me that he really believed I had a future, and that was because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/joe-schenck-a-top-20th-century-fox-executive-once-said-to-me-that-he/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [I remember the 1940s as a time when we were united in a way known only to that generation. We belonged to a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-remember-the-1940s-as-a-time-when-we-were-united-in-a-way-known/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [Everyone should see Hollywood once, I think, through the eyes of a teenage girl who has just passed a screen test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/everyone-should-see-hollywood-once-i-think-through-the-eyes-of-a/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [I had no romantic interest in Gable. I considered him an older man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-had-no-romantic-interest-in-gable-i-considered-him-an-older-man/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [When you have spent an important part of your life playing Let's Pretend, it's often easy to see symbolism where none exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/when-you-have-spent-an-important-part-of-your-life-playing-let-s/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [I am not the kind of woman who excuses her mistakes while reminding us of what used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-am-not-the-kind-of-woman-who-excuses-her-mistakes-while-reminding/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [As an actress, I was trained to show emotion I did not feel, or no emotion at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/as-an-actress-i-was-trained-to-show-emotion-i-did-not-feel-or-no/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) [Explore all 88 Gene Tierney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/) [Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/) > [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/) [Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/) [Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I existed in a world that never is , a prison of the mind.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gene Tierney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-prison-of-the-mind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crime" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-prison-of-the-mind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gene-tierney-7683_crime_i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-pri_2904001.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gene-tierney-7683_crime_i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-pri_2904001.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/384/gene-tierney-7683_crime_i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-pri_2904001.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I existed in a world that never is , a prison of the mind.” — Gene Tierney", "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": "Gene Tierney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I existed in a world that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-prison-of-the-mind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-existed-in-a-world-that-never-is-a-prison-of-the-mind/#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 } } ] } ```