---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At such times I felt instinctively that a…"
description: "\"“At such times I felt instinctively that a life and death struggle was going on inside me in which I, the owner of the body, was entirely powerless to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/gopi-krishna-50404_death_at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that_298784.jpg"
---

#  At such times I felt instinctively that a life and death…

![“At such times I felt instinctively that a life and death struggle was going on inside me in which I, the owner of the body, was entirely powerless to take part, forced to lie quietly and watch as a spectator the weird drama unfolded in my own flesh.” quote by Gopi Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/gopi-krishna-50404_death_at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that_298784.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/gopi-krishna-50404_death_at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that_298784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/gopi-krishna-50404_death_at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that_298784.jpg)

> ““At such times I felt instinctively that a life and death struggle was going on inside me in which I, the owner of the body, was entirely powerless to take part, forced to lie quietly and watch as a spectator the weird drama unfolded in my own flesh.””

[Gopi Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/)

## About This Quote

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

A vivid description of feeling powerless within one's own body during a profound inner struggle.

**In simple terms:** Feeling helpless inside one's own body.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address inner turmoil.

Themes

inner conflict psychology spirituality body mind

Mood

introspective somber

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- mental health therapy
- spiritual practice
- creative expression
- stress management

Key Concepts

consciousness dualism existential crisis

Questions to Reflect On

- What inner conflicts are you observing?
- How can you regain agency?

A Different Perspective

May overemphasize victimhood.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [When life is victorious, there is birth; when it is thwarted, there is death. A warrior is always engaged in a life-and-death struggle for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/when-life-is-victorious-there-is-birth-when-it-is-thwarted-there-is/)

[Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/)

> [Competitiveness always rests on the assumption of a life-and-death struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-nibley/competitiveness-always-rests-on-the-assumption-of-a-life-and-death/)

[Hugh Nibley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-nibley/)

> [Anne "felt instinctively" that romance was peeping at her around a corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anne-felt-instinctively-that-romance-was-peeping-at-her-around-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For a long time, I felt instinctively irritated - sometimes repelled - by scientific friends' automatic use of the word 'mechanism' for automatic bodily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/for-a-long-time-i-felt-instinctively-irritated-sometimes-repelled-by/)

[A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/)

> [You've got the oil companies fighting Pope Francis. Fighting the scientists of the world. Fighting the governor of California. They are engaged in literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/you-ve-got-the-oil-companies-fighting-pope-francis-fighting-the/)

[Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/)

> [In a life and death struggle, we cannot afford to leave our destinies in the hands of failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-attlee/in-a-life-and-death-struggle-we-cannot-afford-to-leave-our-destinies/)

[Clement Attlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-attlee/)

> [Increasingly I felt as if I were entering a struggle that might even be more than life and death. It might be a struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/increasingly-i-felt-as-if-i-were-entering-a-struggle-that-might-even/)

[Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/)

> [To die with elation is a crappy way of dying... A warrior dies the hard way. His death must struggle to take him. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/to-die-with-elation-is-a-crappy-way-of-dying-a-warrior-dies-the-hard/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [The nation is in a death-struggle. It must either become one vast slaveocracy of petty tyrants, or wholly the land of the free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-grimke/the-nation-is-in-a-death-struggle-it-must-either-become-one-vast/)

[Angelina Grimke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-grimke/)

> [Revolution, the substitution of one social system for another, has always been a struggle, a painful and a cruel struggle, a life and death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/revolution-the-substitution-of-one-social-system-for-another-has/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [“death struggle had been a grievous one. On”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/death-struggle-had-been-a-grievous-one-on/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“But the living must fear death, or they would not struggle to stay alive. from 'The Fallen Kings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-harrod-eagles/but-the-living-must-fear-death-or-they-would-not-struggle-to-stay-2/)

[Cynthia Harrod-Eagles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-harrod-eagles/)

> [“But the living must fear death, or they would not struggle to stay alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-harrod-eagles/but-the-living-must-fear-death-or-they-would-not-struggle-to-stay/)

[Cynthia Harrod-Eagles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-harrod-eagles/)

> [The Emperor died forsaken by all, on this horrible rock. (St. Helena) His death struggle was awful!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-emperor-died-forsaken-by-all-on-this-horrible-rock-st-helena-his/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [Life and death were so unpredictable. So close to each other. We existed moment to moment, never knowing who would be the next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/life-and-death-were-so-unpredictable-so-close-to-each-other-we/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

## More by Gopi Krishna

> [“All at once, with the speed of lightning, a sudden question, never thought of before, shot across my mind. I stood stockstill in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/all-at-once-with-the-speed-of-lightning-a-sudden-question-never/)

[Gopi Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/)

> [“Occasionally, noticing an exact identity of thought between what I felt but could not articulate and the clearly expressed idea of a writer, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/occasionally-noticing-an-exact-identity-of-thought-between-what-i/)

[Gopi Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/)

> [“if this store of cosmic prana were inanimate, without a will and a direction of its own, we could very well flatter ourselves that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/if-this-store-of-cosmic-prana-were-inanimate-without-a-will-and-a/)

[gopi krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/)

> [“Little did I realize that from that day onwards I was never to be my old normal self again, that I had unwittingly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/little-did-i-realize-that-from-that-day-onwards-i-was-never-to-be-my/)

[Gopi Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/)

> [“One who sees inaction in action and action in inaction- he is a wise man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/one-who-sees-inaction-in-action-and-action-in-inaction-he-is-a-wise/)

[Gopi Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/)

> [“I suffered unbearable torture in silence, weeping internallyat the sad turn of events, blaming myself bitterly again and again for having delved into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/i-suffered-unbearable-torture-in-silence-weeping-internallyat-the-sad/)

[Gopi Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/)

[Explore all 7 Gopi Krishna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

J. Anthony Torino

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“At such times I felt instinctively that a life and death struggle was going on inside me in which I, the owner of the body, was entirely powerless to take part, forced to lie quietly and watch as a spectator the weird drama unfolded in my own flesh.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gopi Krishna"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that-a-life-and-death-struggle-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that-a-life-and-death-struggle-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/gopi-krishna-50404_death_at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that_298784.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/gopi-krishna-50404_death_at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that_298784.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/gopi-krishna-50404_death_at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that_298784.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At such times I felt instinctively that a life and death struggle was going on inside me in which I, the…” — Gopi Krishna",
                "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": "Gopi Krishna",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gopi-krishna/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“At such times I felt instinctively...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that-a-life-and-death-struggle-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gopi-krishna/at-such-times-i-felt-instinctively-that-a-life-and-death-struggle-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
