--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I go to bed, and I wait for sleep as a…" description: "\"I go to bed, and I wait for sleep as a man might wait for the executioner. I wait for its coming with dread, and my heart beats and my legs tremble, wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/guy-de-maupassant-1364_beats_i-go-to-bed-and-i-wait-for-sleep-as-a-ma_981122.jpg" --- # I go to bed, and I wait for sleep as a man might wait for… ![“I go to bed, and I wait for sleep as a man might wait for the executioner. I wait for its coming with dread, and my heart beats and my legs tremble, while my whole body shivers beneath the warmth of the bedclothes, until the moment when I suddenly fall asleep, as a man throws himself into a pool…” quote by Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/guy-de-maupassant-1364_beats_i-go-to-bed-and-i-wait-for-sleep-as-a-ma_981122.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/guy-de-maupassant-1364_beats_i-go-to-bed-and-i-wait-for-sleep-as-a-ma_981122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/guy-de-maupassant-1364_beats_i-go-to-bed-and-i-wait-for-sleep-as-a-ma_981122.jpg) > “I go to bed, and I wait for sleep as a man might wait for the executioner. I wait for its coming with dread, and my heart beats and my legs tremble, while my whole body shivers beneath the warmth of the bedclothes, until the moment when I suddenly fall asleep, as a man throws himself into a pool of stagnant water in order to drown. I do not feel this perfidious sleep coming over me as I used to, but a sleep which is close to me and watching me, which is going to seize me by the head, to close my eyes and annihilate me.” [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator likens falling asleep to an inevitable, terrifying encounter with death, feeling powerless as it approaches and overtakes him. **In simple terms:** Sleep feels like a deadly, unavoidable force. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront fear of the unknown. Themes fear death sleep powerlessness anxiety Mood uneasy introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - nighttime insomnia - pre‑death anxiety - meditative reflection - creative writing - therapy Key Concepts existential dread mortality psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does this metaphor reveal about your own anxieties? - How can you reframe sleep as restorative? A Different Perspective Sleep is a natural need, not a predator; fear may be exaggerated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beats/) [Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body Shivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-shivers-1948430/) [Coming Dread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-dread-1948429/) [Dread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dread/) [Drown Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drown-feel-1948428/) [Executioners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executioners/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart beat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-beat/) [Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legs/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [My heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-heart/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Pool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pool/) [Shiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shiver/) [Shivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shivers/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Stagnant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stagnant/) [Stagnant water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stagnant-water/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Wait Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait-sleep-394744/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Warmth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warmth/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [I don't sleep. I wait. I sleep in cars and on couches. I sleep when I can, but when I can't sleep, I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/i-don-t-sleep-i-wait-i-sleep-in-cars-and-on-couches-i-sleep-when-i/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [“When you come from the city to the town you lie wakeful in the absence of noise at first. You wait for something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/when-you-come-from-the-city-to-the-town-you-lie-wakeful-in-the/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Rise and grind... the money ain't gonna wait for you while you sleep son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnell-rawlings/rise-and-grind-the-money-ain-t-gonna-wait-for-you-while-you-sleep-son/) [Donnell Rawlings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnell-rawlings/) > [Sometimes I can't wait to go to sleep, because I know I'll dream of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-can-t-wait-to-go-to-sleep-because-i-know-i-ll-dream-of-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In one picture, the pool was half hidden by a fringe of mace- weeds, and the dead willow was leaning across it at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-ashton-smith/in-one-picture-the-pool-was-half-hidden-by-a-fringe-of-mace-weeds-and/) [Clark Ashton Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-ashton-smith/) > [“In History, stagnant waters, whether they be stagnant waters of custom or those of despotism, harbour no life; life is dependent on the ripples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/in-history-stagnant-waters-whether-they-be-stagnant-waters-of-custom/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [Anyone who tries to imprison love will cut off the spring that feeds it, and the trapped water will grow stagnant and rank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/anyone-who-tries-to-imprison-love-will-cut-off-the-spring-that-feeds/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Teachers who are not actively involved in the learning process themselves, force their students to drink from stagnant water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-de-la-salle/teachers-who-are-not-actively-involved-in-the-learning-process/) [Jean-Baptiste de La Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-de-la-salle/) > [Just as iron rusts from disuse, and stagnant water putrefies, or when cold turns to ice, so our intellect wastes unless it is kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/just-as-iron-rusts-from-disuse-and-stagnant-water-putrefies-or-when/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [BAAL, n. An old deity formerly much worshiped under various names. As Baal he was popular with the Phoenicians; as Belus or Bel he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/baal-n-an-old-deity-formerly-much-worshiped-under-various-names-as/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Some days I like to wander to old and warn our places, forests ripped apart by man and streams that carry stagnant water where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/some-days-i-like-to-wander-to-old-and-warn-our-places-forests-ripped/) [Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/) > [“The night lifted, leaving behind it a grayish light the color of stagnant water. 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Years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravindra-shukla/look-at-this-site-it-is-beautiful-and-deep-when-we-come-here-we-get/) [Ravindra Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravindra-shukla/) ## More by Guy de Maupassant > [“Because it is useless, and I tell them so at once. If you had confessed your fears to me sooner, I would have reassured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/because-it-is-useless-and-i-tell-them-so-at-once-if-you-had-confessed/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [A legal kiss is never as good as stolen one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/a-legal-kiss-is-never-as-good-as-stolen-one/) [Guy De Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“Killing is decreed by law but nature loves eternal youth. Whatever she does, however unconscious and unfeeling the act, she seems to cry out:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/killing-is-decreed-by-law-but-nature-loves-eternal-youth-whatever-she/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [There are some delightful places in this world which have a sensual charm for the eyes. One loves them with a physical love. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/there-are-some-delightful-places-in-this-world-which-have-a-sensual/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [A lawful kiss is never worth as much as a stolen one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/a-lawful-kiss-is-never-worth-as-much-as-a-stolen-one/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“There were some children round him playing in the dust on the paths. They had long fair hair, and with very earnest faces and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/there-were-some-children-round-him-playing-in-the-dust-on-the-paths/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“When we are young, our mornings are triumphant!” Then”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/when-we-are-young-our-mornings-are-triumphant-then/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“She was simple, not being able to adorn herself, but she was unhappy, as one out of her class; for women belong to no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/she-was-simple-not-being-able-to-adorn-herself-but-she-was-unhappy-as/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [Whatever you want to say, there is only one word to express it, only one verb to give it movement, only one adjective to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-you-want-to-say-there-is-only-one-word-to-express-it-only/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [The great artists are those who impose their personal vision upon humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/the-great-artists-are-those-who-impose-their-personal-vision-upon/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“How fathomless the mystery of the Unseen is! We cannot plumb its depths with our feeble senses - with eyes which cannot see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/how-fathomless-the-mystery-of-the-unseen-is-we-cannot-plumb-its/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“‟Whatever we may do or attempt, despite the embrace and transports of love, the hunger of the lips, we are always alone. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-we-may-do-or-attempt-despite-the-embrace-and-transports-of/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [She was the temptress who had ensnared the first man, and who still continued her work at damnation; she was the being who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/she-was-the-temptress-who-had-ensnared-the-first-man-and-who-still/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [Since governments take the right of death over their people, it is not astonishing if the people should sometimes take the right of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/since-governments-take-the-right-of-death-over-their-people-it-is-not/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“For some years he had felt weighing on him the burden of loneliness which sometimes overwhelms old bachelors. He had been strong, active and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/for-some-years-he-had-felt-weighing-on-him-the-burden-of-loneliness/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) [Explore all 189 Guy de Maupassant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) ## More Beats quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. 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We have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-donovan/i-don-t-know-about-the-rest-of-the-world-but-i-know-in-our-region/) [Landon Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-donovan/) > [Grand business plans are all very well, but nothing beats dipping your toe in the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-bilimoria-karan-bilimoria/grand-business-plans-are-all-very-well-but-nothing-beats-dipping-your/) [Baron Bilimoria Karan Bilimoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-bilimoria-karan-bilimoria/) > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Imagine if you were a drummer, and you accidentally picked up two magic wands instead of sticks. There you are, keeping the beat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/imagine-if-you-were-a-drummer-and-you-accidentally-picked-up-two/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I don't like small birds. They hop around so merrily outside my window, looking so innocent. but I know that secretly, they're watching my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-small-birds-they-hop-around-so-merrily-outside-my-window/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,311 Beats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beats/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I go to bed, and I wait for sleep as a man might wait for the executioner. 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