---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was something scary and…"
description: "\"“There was something scary and anxiety-inducing about being in a space where nothing seemed to be forbidden to him, where everything was offered to him..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/hanya-yanagihara-4245_family_there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-in_162825.jpg"
---

#  There was something scary and anxiety-inducing about being…

![“There was something scary and anxiety-inducing about being in a space where nothing seemed to be forbidden to him, where everything was offered to him and nothing was asked in return” quote by Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/hanya-yanagihara-4245_family_there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-in_162825.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/hanya-yanagihara-4245_family_there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-in_162825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/hanya-yanagihara-4245_family_there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-in_162825.jpg)

> ““There was something scary and anxiety-inducing about being in a space where nothing seemed to be forbidden to him, where everything was offered to him and nothing was asked in return””

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

## About This Quote

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

Unlimited freedom can be both exhilarating and terrifying, exposing hidden anxieties when nothing is restricted.

**In simple terms:** Total freedom brings excitement and fear.

Key Takeaway

Balance freedom with boundaries.

Themes

freedom anxiety psychology existential risk personal growth

Mood

reflective uneasy curious

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- creative work
- personal relationships
- new experiences
- decision making
- risk taking

Key Concepts

self‑actualization risk perception boundary setting

Questions to Reflect On

- What limits help you thrive?
- How does fear shape your choices?

A Different Perspective

Too much freedom can lead to overwhelm or lack of direction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anxiety Inducing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety-inducing-1781586/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Forbidden Offered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forbidden-offered-1781589/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary/) [Scary Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary-anxiety-1781587/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Forbidden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-forbidden-1781588/)

## Related quotes

> [Like most millennials, I have the bad, anxiety-inducing habit of grabbing my phone in the morning and scrolling through social media for 15, 20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-knox/like-most-millennials-i-have-the-bad-anxiety-inducing-habit-of/)

[Amanda Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-knox/)

> [Confronting the worst-case scenario saps it of much of its anxiety-inducing power. Happiness reached via positive thinking can be fleeting and brittle, negative visualization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burkeman/confronting-the-worst-case-scenario-saps-it-of-much-of-its-anxiety/)

[Oliver Burkeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burkeman/)

> [One of the most anxiety-inducing side effects of the information era is the feeling that you have to know it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/one-of-the-most-anxiety-inducing-side-effects-of-the-information-era/)

[Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/)

> [“If we can see anxiety-inducing situations as opportunities to improve, grow, and become better at challenges, we are less likely to avoid or distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-lewis/if-we-can-see-anxiety-inducing-situations-as-opportunities-to-improve/)

[Matt Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-lewis/)

> [Marriage is scary to me, man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/marriage-is-scary-to-me-man/)

[The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/)

> [You are going to kill me, and that will protect society from me. But out there are many, many more people who are addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-bundy/you-are-going-to-kill-me-and-that-will-protect-society-from-me-but/)

[Ted Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-bundy/)

> [I've always been fascinated by physics and cosmology. It gets more and more scary the older you get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-physics-and-cosmology-it-gets-more-and/)

[John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/)

> [So scared about leaving high school.. what I'm going to do after that, growing up and depending on myself, moving out paying bills so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-scared-about-leaving-high-school-what-i-m-going-to-do-after-that/)

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

> [I was a serious competitive figure skater and still ice-skate as much as I can. Anyway, I once brought a date to the rink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-serratos/i-was-a-serious-competitive-figure-skater-and-still-ice-skate-as-much/)

[Christian Serratos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-serratos/)

> [There's nothing harder than making a mellow, clean record. It's really scary. I can see why people would never want to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/there-s-nothing-harder-than-making-a-mellow-clean-record-it-s-really/)

[Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/)

> [Note to self: If you do not know how to spell a big scary spiders name, DO NOT look it up on the internet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-eisele/note-to-self-if-you-do-not-know-how-to-spell-a-big-scary-spiders-name/)

[Becky Eisele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-eisele/)

> [With all the technology we're inventing and what they're coming up with scientifically, people are having longer lifetimes. It's scary, but in the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-murphy/with-all-the-technology-we-re-inventing-and-what-they-re-coming-up/)

[Brittany Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-murphy/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

## More by Hanya Yanagihara

> [“People who don’t love math always accuse mathematicians of trying to make math complicated,” Dr. Li had said. “But anyone who does love math…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/people-who-don-t-love-math-always-accuse-mathematicians-of-trying-to/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“At night, as beneath him his parents completed their routines, the banging of the old pipes as they washed their faces and the sudden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/at-night-as-beneath-him-his-parents-completed-their-routines-the/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [To be a scientist you have to be willing to live with uncertainty for a long time. Research scientists begin with a question and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/to-be-a-scientist-you-have-to-be-willing-to-live-with-uncertainty-for/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“Why wasn’t friendship as good as a relationship? Why wasn’t it even better?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/why-wasn-t-friendship-as-good-as-a-relationship-why-wasn-t-it-even/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“But fairness is not the only, or even the most important, consideration in law: the law is not always fair. Contracts are not fair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/but-fairness-is-not-the-only-or-even-the-most-important-consideration/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“I would hold him in my arms and wait to cross the street and would think how absurd it was that my child, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-would-hold-him-in-my-arms-and-wait-to-cross-the-street-and-would/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“The easiest explanations are often the right ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/the-easiest-explanations-are-often-the-right-ones/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“my father said the whole world seemed made of sound and nothing else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/my-father-said-the-whole-world-seemed-made-of-sound-and-nothing-else/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“He cleaned so he wouldn't cut himself, because he was cutting himself so much that even he knew how crazy, how destructive he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/he-cleaned-so-he-wouldn-t-cut-himself-because-he-was-cutting-himself/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [The big characters who occupy science, especially modern science, are all "off" in fundamental ways. I don't think that genius goes hand in hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/the-big-characters-who-occupy-science-especially-modern-science-are/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“Sometimes I would have to take my glasses off simply so the world would smudge and recede for a moment and cease to seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/sometimes-i-would-have-to-take-my-glasses-off-simply-so-the-world/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [I credit my parents for many things that had never seemed remarkable when I was growing up, and one of those things is how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-credit-my-parents-for-many-things-that-had-never-seemed-remarkable/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [I have one friend to whom I've told more than I've ever told anyone, and yet there are significant territories I have and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/i-have-one-friend-to-whom-i-ve-told-more-than-i-ve-ever-told-anyone/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“If you keep trying to find everything, you’ll wind up with nothing. AMY:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/if-you-keep-trying-to-find-everything-you-ll-wind-up-with-nothing-amy/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [My father collected turtles when he was young. My parent's wedding album, there's two pictures of them getting married and the rest are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/my-father-collected-turtles-when-he-was-young-my-parent-s-wedding/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

[Explore all 94 Hanya Yanagihara quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

## More Family quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/)

[Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/)

> [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/)

[Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/)

> [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/)

[Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/)

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/)

[Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/)

> [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/)

[Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/)

> [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/)

[Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

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

[Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There was something scary and anxiety-inducing about being in a space where nothing seemed to be forbidden to him, where everything was offered to him and nothing was asked in return”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hanya Yanagihara"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-inducing-about-being-in-a-space/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Family"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-inducing-about-being-in-a-space/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/hanya-yanagihara-4245_family_there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-in_162825.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/hanya-yanagihara-4245_family_there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-in_162825.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/hanya-yanagihara-4245_family_there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-in_162825.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There was something scary and anxiety-inducing about being in a space where nothing seemed to be forbidden…” — Hanya Yanagihara",
                "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": "Hanya Yanagihara",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There was something scary and anxiety-inducing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-inducing-about-being-in-a-space/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/there-was-something-scary-and-anxiety-inducing-about-being-in-a-space/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
