--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to…" description: "\"Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay awake, dreaming other dreams.\" — Gustave Flaubert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c23/gustave-flaubert-354_awake_emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to_70722.jpg" --- # Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and… ![“Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay awake, dreaming other dreams.” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c23/gustave-flaubert-354_awake_emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to_70722.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c23/gustave-flaubert-354_awake_emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to_70722.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c23/gustave-flaubert-354_awake_emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to_70722.jpg) > “Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay awake, dreaming other dreams.” [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emma feigns sleep to observe, revealing inner restlessness and hidden desires while others rest. **In simple terms:** Feigning sleep masks inner turmoil. Key Takeaway Appearances can conceal deeper thoughts. Themes deception inner conflict observation dreams psychology Mood melancholy suspense Type narrative psychological When to use this quote - secret surveillance - unrequited love - self-reflection - nighttime introspection Key Concepts masking vigilance unconscious yearning Practical Applications - character analysis - narrative tension Questions to Reflect On - What does pretending to sleep reveal about Emma's motives? - How does this contrast with the other character's obliviousness? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dozing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozing/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ## Related quotes > [Henry Ward Beecher, so the story goes, was once asked by a young preacher how he could keep his congregation wide awake and attentive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/henry-ward-beecher-so-the-story-goes-was-once-asked-by-a-young/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [I was already dozing off in the shade, dreaming that the rustling trees were my many selves explaining themselves all at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/i-was-already-dozing-off-in-the-shade-dreaming-that-the-rustling/) [Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/) > [You might catch me dozing off, but only for a minute. For a second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-chop/you-might-catch-me-dozing-off-but-only-for-a-minute-for-a-second/) Young Chop > [When I went back to England after a year away, the country seemed stuck, dozing in a fairy tale, stifled by the weight of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/when-i-went-back-to-england-after-a-year-away-the-country-seemed/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Sometimes I dream that I'm working; that's awful. When you awaken after a big, surprising dream, you feel it's very interesting. When you sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-ocelot/sometimes-i-dream-that-i-m-working-that-s-awful-when-you-awaken-after/) [Michel Ocelot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-ocelot/) > [“He shook my dozing soul and threw the cold water of reality in my face, so that life and God and heaven and hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/he-shook-my-dozing-soul-and-threw-the-cold-water-of-reality-in-my/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [The point is not how long you meditate; the point is whether the practice actually brings you to a certain state of mindfulness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/the-point-is-not-how-long-you-meditate-the-point-is-whether-the/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [Six, or at most seven, hours' sleep is, for a constancy, as much as you or anybody else can want; more is only laziness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/six-or-at-most-seven-hours-sleep-is-for-a-constancy-as-much-as-you-or/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [The forest of Compiegne. Look at it. Like a kind grandmother dozing in her rocking chair. Old trees practicing curtsies in the wind because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/the-forest-of-compiegne-look-at-it-like-a-kind-grandmother-dozing-in/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I like the fact you can spend two hours setting up a scene that will only last a couple of seconds. And I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-crook/i-like-the-fact-you-can-spend-two-hours-setting-up-a-scene-that-will/) [Mackenzie Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-crook/) > [An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-ant-on-the-move-does-more-than-a-dozing-ox/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Before her marriage she had thought that she had love within her grasp; but since the happiness which she had expected this love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/before-her-marriage-she-had-thought-that-she-had-love-within-her/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Iced champagne was served, and the feel of the cold wine in her mouth gave Emma a shiver that ran over her from head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/iced-champagne-was-served-and-the-feel-of-the-cold-wine-in-her-mouth/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Remembering the ball became for Emma a daily occupation. Every time Wednesday came round, she told herself when she woke up: 'Ah! One week…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/remembering-the-ball-became-for-emma-a-daily-occupation-every-time/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [He was bored now when Emma suddenly began to sob on his breast; and his heart, like the people who can only stand a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/he-was-bored-now-when-emma-suddenly-began-to-sob-on-his-breast-and/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## More by Gustave Flaubert > [As for the piano, the faster her fingers flew over it, the more he marveled. She struck the keys with aplomb and ran from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/as-for-the-piano-the-faster-her-fingers-flew-over-it-the-more-he/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it too much. The artist, in my opinion, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/caught-up-in-life-you-see-it-badly-you-suffer-from-it-or-enjoy-it-too/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“When one does something, one must do it wholly and well. Those bastard existences where you sell suet all day and write poetry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-one-does-something-one-must-do-it-wholly-and-well-those-bastard/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/love-is-a-springtime-plant-that-perfumes-everything-with-its-hope/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“But her life was as cold as an attic facing north; and boredom, like a silent spider, was weaving its web in the shadows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/but-her-life-was-as-cold-as-an-attic-facing-north-and-boredom-like-a/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [When you reduce a woman to writing, she makes you think of a thousand other women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-you-reduce-a-woman-to-writing-she-makes-you-think-of-a-thousand/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/travel-makes-one-modest-you-see-what-a-tiny-place-you-occupy-in-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“We must not touch our idols; the gilt sticks to our fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/we-must-not-touch-our-idols-the-gilt-sticks-to-our-fingers/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/a-superhuman-will-is-needed-in-order-to-write-and-i-am-only-a-man/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The writer must wade into life as into the sea, but only up to the navel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-writer-must-wade-into-life-as-into-the-sea-but-only-up-to-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [COLD. Healthier than heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/cold-healthier-than-heat/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [And indeed, what is better than to sit by one's fireside in the evening with a book, while the wind beats against the window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/and-indeed-what-is-better-than-to-sit-by-one-s-fireside-in-the/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [One's existence should be in two parts: one should live like a bourgeois and think like a demigod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/one-s-existence-should-be-in-two-parts-one-should-live-like-a/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Maybe happiness too is a metaphor invented on a day of boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/maybe-happiness-too-is-a-metaphor-invented-on-a-day-of-boredom/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) [Explore all 526 Gustave Flaubert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) ## More Awake quotes > [“I am awake. I know what you took. I am coming for you. Vengeance is mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-burks/i-am-awake-i-know-what-you-took-i-am-coming-for-you-vengeance-is-mine/) [Robin Burks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-burks/) > [Reagan was sitting up at Cath's desk when Cath woke up. "Are you awake?" "Have you been watching me sleep?" "Yes, Bella. Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/reagan-was-sitting-up-at-cath-s-desk-when-cath-woke-up-are-you-awake/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Are you awake?” “Have you been watching me sleep?” “Yes, Bella. Are you awake?” “No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/are-you-awake-have-you-been-watching-me-sleep-yes-bella-are-you-awake/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/have-courage-for-the-great-sorrows-of-life-and-patience-for-the-small/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the Messiah?" "No," answered Buddha. "Then are you a healer?" "No," Buddha replied. "Then are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/one-of-his-students-asked-buddha-are-you-the-messiah-no-answered/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [Hopes are dreams of those who are awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hopes-are-dreams-of-those-who-are-awake/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If your heart isn't yet illumined Be awake always, be a seeker of the heart, Be at war continually with your carnal soul. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/if-your-heart-isn-t-yet-illumined-be-awake-always-be-a-seeker-of-the/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Wherever I went I felt like the last person awake in a room full of sleepers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/wherever-i-went-i-felt-like-the-last-person-awake-in-a-room-full-of/) [Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/) > [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) > [As your awareness of the riches available to you in your everyday life grows, you are on the way to becoming the laughing Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/as-your-awareness-of-the-riches-available-to-you-in-your-everyday/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“Think of it this way, Mara. We don’t have the power to make the sun rise, but we can choose to be awake when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-garlough-brown/think-of-it-this-way-mara-we-don-t-have-the-power-to-make-the-sun/) [Sharon Garlough Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-garlough-brown/) > [“The owl,” he was saying, “is one of the most curious creatures. A bird that stays awake when the rest of the world sleeps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-rose/the-owl-he-was-saying-is-one-of-the-most-curious-creatures-a-bird/) [M.J. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-rose/) > [The shadows in the early morning don't tell much. The shadows rest at that time. So it's useless to gaze very early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/the-shadows-in-the-early-morning-don-t-tell-much-the-shadows-rest-at/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/shall-we-keep-men-in-a-fool-s-paradise-shall-we-lull-them-into-soft/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) Browse all 1,663 Awake quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay awake, dreaming other dreams.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gustave Flaubert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to-be-asleep-and-while-he-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awake" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to-be-asleep-and-while-he-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c23/gustave-flaubert-354_awake_emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to_70722.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c23/gustave-flaubert-354_awake_emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to_70722.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c23/gustave-flaubert-354_awake_emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to_70722.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay…” — Gustave Flaubert", "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": "Gustave Flaubert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Emma was no asleep, she was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to-be-asleep-and-while-he-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to-be-asleep-and-while-he-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 } } ] } ```