---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a moment I was clutched by several…"
description: "\"“In a moment I was clutched by several hands, and there was no mistaking that they were trying to haul me back. I struck another light, and waved it in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/h-g-wells-2-1299_grey-eyes_in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-ha_2934703.jpg"
---

#  In a moment I was clutched by several hands, and there was…

![“In a moment I was clutched by several hands, and there was no mistaking that they were trying to haul me back. I struck another light, and waved it in their dazzled faces. You can scarce imagine how nauseatingly inhuman they looked—those pale, chinless faces and great, lidless, pinkish-grey…” quote by H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/h-g-wells-2-1299_grey-eyes_in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-ha_2934703.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/h-g-wells-2-1299_grey-eyes_in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-ha_2934703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/h-g-wells-2-1299_grey-eyes_in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-ha_2934703.jpg)

> ““In a moment I was clutched by several hands, and there was no mistaking that they were trying to haul me back. I struck another light, and waved it in their dazzled faces. You can scarce imagine how nauseatingly inhuman they looked—those pale, chinless faces and great, lidless, pinkish-grey eyes!—as they stared in their blindness and bewilderment.””

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

## About This Quote

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

The passage describes a terrifying encounter with alien beings, emphasizing their alienness and the narrator’s desperate attempt to resist.

**In simple terms:** Aliens appear terrifying and inhuman, prompting a desperate response.

Key Takeaway

Stay aware and resilient when facing unknown threats.

Themes

fear alienation survival

Mood

anxious dramatic

Type

narrative descriptive

When to use this quote

- science fiction
- psychological horror
- first contact scenarios

Key Concepts

existential dread otherness

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this fear reveal about human perception of the unknown?
- How can we balance caution and curiosity?

A Different Perspective

The description may dramatize fear, potentially overlooking rational analysis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grey eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grey-eyes/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“Then he sent us on our way. After we had walked a few steps, my mother and I looked back and saw that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeonmi-park/then-he-sent-us-on-our-way-after-we-had-walked-a-few-steps-my-mother/)

[Yeonmi Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yeonmi-park/)

> [“The Goddess of Fate clutched me in her hands and often threatened to smash me; but the will grew stronger as the obstacles increased,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-goddess-of-fate-clutched-me-in-her-hands-and-often-threatened-to/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [“I find this morning that what I most vividly and longingly recall is the sight of my grandson and his little sunburnt sister returning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/i-find-this-morning-that-what-i-most-vividly-and-longingly-recall-is/)

[E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/)

> [“Don’t worry, there are many safeguards in place. Unless you want me to have Logan explain—” “No! I trust you.” He clutched his hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/don-t-worry-there-are-many-safeguards-in-place-unless-you-want-me-to/)

[Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/)

> [“The Time Traveller (for so it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us. His grey eyes shone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/the-time-traveller-for-so-it-will-be-convenient-to-speak-of-him-was-2/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“His grey eyes shone and twinkled, and his usually pale face was flushed and animated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/his-grey-eyes-shone-and-twinkled-and-his-usually-pale-face-was/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/from-the-depths-of-the-mirror-a-corpse-gazed-back-at-me-the-look-in/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise. He had a pickup truck, and the devil's eyes. He stared at me and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/he-shook-a-me-up-he-took-me-by-surprise-he-had-a-pickup-truck-and-the/)

[Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/)

> [“Those eyes that stared at us for one and a half hours – they were forgiving eyes, understanding eyes. We Kashmiris do not need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/those-eyes-that-stared-at-us-for-one-and-a-half-hours-they-were/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“When we opened our eyes and he stared down at me, smoothing my hair back and tucking a piece behind my ear, his eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-sheridan/when-we-opened-our-eyes-and-he-stared-down-at-me-smoothing-my-hair/)

[Mia Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-sheridan/)

> [“Then the best thing I can do is—" He froze. The brown eyes that had been narrowed with aggravation suddenly went wide with...what? Amazement?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/then-the-best-thing-i-can-do-is-he-froze-the-brown-eyes-that-had-been/)

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

> [“He looked into her eyes, stared in awe at the woman who'd been so shy but somehow had become braver than him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-s-willis/he-looked-into-her-eyes-stared-in-awe-at-the-woman-who-d-been-so-shy/)

[M.S. Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-s-willis/)

> [“Those blue eyes stared straight through her. They demanded she think and feel and remember. She hesitated. “Yes.” He shook his head and looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-linde/those-blue-eyes-stared-straight-through-her-they-demanded-she-think/)

[K.A. Linde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-linde/)

> [“Warm, aquamarine eyes stared into him—providing a lifeline to shore. And he wondered if she was really the one who needed saving . . .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rose-black/warm-aquamarine-eyes-stared-into-him-providing-a-lifeline-to-shore/)

[J. Rose Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-rose-black/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

## More by H.G. Wells

> [“I was grotesque to the theatrical pitch, a stage miser, but I was certainly not a physical impossibility”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/i-was-grotesque-to-the-theatrical-pitch-a-stage-miser-but-i-was/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“Eight-and-twenty years,' said I, 'I have lived, and never a ghost have I seen as yet.' The old woman sat staring hard into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/eight-and-twenty-years-said-i-i-have-lived-and-never-a-ghost-have-i/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“That is the germ of my great discovery. But you are wrong to say that we cannot move about in Time. For instance, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/that-is-the-germ-of-my-great-discovery-but-you-are-wrong-to-say-that/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“What was needed now was not bravery, but circumspection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/what-was-needed-now-was-not-bravery-but-circumspection/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [ “The thing \[Henry James'\] novel is about is always there. It is like a church lit but without a congregation to distract you, with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/the-thing-henry-james-novel-is-about-is-always-there-it-is-like-a/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“Don't follow you,' said Filby.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/don-t-follow-you-said-filby/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as vanished bison and the dodo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/we-must-remember-what-ruthless-and-utter-destruction-our-own-species/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“I grieved to think how brief the dream of the human intellect had been. It had committed suicide. It had set itself steadfastly towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/i-grieved-to-think-how-brief-the-dream-of-the-human-intellect-had/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“Because this island is full of inimical phenomena.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/because-this-island-is-full-of-inimical-phenomena/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“What right have they to hope? They work ill and they want the reward of those who work well. The hope of mankind -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/what-right-have-they-to-hope-they-work-ill-and-they-want-the-reward/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“So long as you are alive you are just the moment, perhaps, but when you are dead then you are all your life from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/so-long-as-you-are-alive-you-are-just-the-moment-perhaps-but-when-you/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“An unpleasant odour would not be objected to, it is not objected to now in many continental hotels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/an-unpleasant-odour-would-not-be-objected-to-it-is-not-objected-to/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“In the early evening time Dr. Kemp was sitting in his study in the belvedere on the hill overlooking Burdock. It was a pleasant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/in-the-early-evening-time-dr-kemp-was-sitting-in-his-study-in-the/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“The whole world will be intelligent, educated, and co-operating; things will move faster and faster towards the subjugation of Nature. In the end, wisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/the-whole-world-will-be-intelligent-educated-and-co-operating-things/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“For three centuries the life of the Hebrews was like the life of a man who insists upon living in the middle of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/for-three-centuries-the-life-of-the-hebrews-was-like-the-life-of-a/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

[Explore all 246 H.G. Wells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

## More Grey eyes quotes

> [“Why did you stay?" He stilled; again, Patience felt the net draw tight, felt paralysis set in as his predator's senses focused on her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-laurens/why-did-you-stay-he-stilled-again-patience-felt-the-net-draw-tight/)

[Stephanie Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-laurens/)

> [Had I known but yesterday what I know today, I’d have taken out your two grey eyes and put in eyes of clay. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/had-i-known-but-yesterday-what-i-know-today-i-d-have-taken-out-your/)

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

> [“... he said it felt like walking into another century, being there, looking up at the mullion windows, all darkened now, and the castellated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-picardie/he-said-it-felt-like-walking-into-another-century-being-there-looking/)

[Justine Picardie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-picardie/)

> [“Everyone has always said I look like Bailey, but I don't. I have grey eyes to her green, an oval face to her heart-shaped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/everyone-has-always-said-i-look-like-bailey-but-i-don-t-i-have-grey/)

[Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/)

> [“She pushed and elbowed and knocked and strained to catch him, and finally, she did, reaching out for his hand--adoring the fact that neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-maclean/she-pushed-and-elbowed-and-knocked-and-strained-to-catch-him-and/)

[Sarah MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-maclean/)

> [“Besides, Watson,” he added, with a glint of humour in his grey eyes, “you, after all, are a man of the world. We must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndsay-faye/besides-watson-he-added-with-a-glint-of-humour-in-his-grey-eyes-you/)

[Lyndsay Faye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndsay-faye/)

> [You must be Warden Ramirez." This is the part where I got nervous. Ramirez loved women. Ramirez never shut up about women. Well, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/you-must-be-warden-ramirez-this-is-the-part-where-i-got-nervous/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [“It’s no one’s fault really,” he continued. “A big city cannot afford to have its attention distracted from the important job of being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/it-s-no-one-s-fault-really-he-continued-a-big-city-cannot-afford-to/)

[E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/)

> [“His was cancer of the left lung; she had lost two breasts. Her grey eyes narrowed but did not tear when she said brightly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-h-roth/his-was-cancer-of-the-left-lung-she-had-lost-two-breasts-her-grey/)

[Henry H. Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-h-roth/)

> [Samuel Spade's jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting v under the more flexible v of his mouth. His nostrils curved back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/samuel-spade-s-jaw-was-long-and-bony-his-chin-a-jutting-v-under-the/)

[Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/)

> [She tied her blond hair back with a strip of denim torn from her pants leg, and in the fiery light of the river,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/she-tied-her-blond-hair-back-with-a-strip-of-denim-torn-from-her/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [“Her violet-rimmed-grey eyes began to plead when she realized she had my full attention. "I want to see some lights, food, men! Let's get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-l-foster/her-violet-rimmed-grey-eyes-began-to-plead-when-she-realized-she-had/)

C.L. Foster

> [“I asked her if Patrick of the sweet grey eyes was at home—and she went crimson.’ Paddy’s lost for words. If he’s not careful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-volkofsky/i-asked-her-if-patrick-of-the-sweet-grey-eyes-was-at-home-and-she/)

Peter Volkofsky

> [“We shall not sip from the same glass, No water for us, or sweet wine; We’ll not embrace at morning, Not gaze from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-ahkmatova/we-shall-not-sip-from-the-same-glass-no-water-for-us-or-sweet-wine-we/)

Anna Ahkmatova

> [If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said, I am, in height, six feet, four inches, nearly; lean in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-any-personal-description-of-me-is-thought-desirable-it-may-be-said/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

[Browse all 68 Grey eyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grey-eyes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In a moment I was clutched by several hands, and there was no mistaking that they were trying to haul me back. I struck another light, and waved it in their dazzled faces. You can scarce imagine how nauseatingly inhuman they looked—those pale, chinless faces and great, lidless, pinkish-grey eyes!—as they stared in their blindness and bewilderment.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "H.G. Wells"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-hands-and-there-was-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grey eyes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-hands-and-there-was-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/h-g-wells-2-1299_grey-eyes_in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-ha_2934703.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/h-g-wells-2-1299_grey-eyes_in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-ha_2934703.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/h-g-wells-2-1299_grey-eyes_in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-ha_2934703.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In a moment I was clutched by several hands, and there was no mistaking that they were trying to haul me…” — H.G. Wells",
                "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": "H.G. Wells",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In a moment I was clutched...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-hands-and-there-was-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/in-a-moment-i-was-clutched-by-several-hands-and-there-was-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
