--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My biggest fear, I think falling from a…" description: "\"My biggest fear, I think falling from a great height. If I want to keep myself awake at night I imagine I'm on the top of the North or South Tower in 9..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/ian-mcewan-494_awake_my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-g_893355.png" --- # My biggest fear, I think falling from a great height. If I… ![“My biggest fear, I think falling from a great height. If I want to keep myself awake at night I imagine I'm on the top of the North or South Tower in 9/11, wondering whether I'm going to be burnt to death or I'm going to jump. And I think I would burn to death. And yet I'm impressed by the fact…” quote by Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/ian-mcewan-494_awake_my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-g_893355.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/ian-mcewan-494_awake_my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-g_893355.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/ian-mcewan-494_awake_my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-g_893355.png) > “My biggest fear, I think falling from a great height. If I want to keep myself awake at night I imagine I'm on the top of the North or South Tower in 9/11, wondering whether I'm going to be burnt to death or I'm going to jump. And I think I would burn to death. And yet I'm impressed by the fact that hundreds didn't.” [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote explores a terrifying fear of death and the mental rehearsal of catastrophic scenarios as a way to stay awake and confront mortality. **In simple terms:** Fear of death is imagined in extreme scenarios to stay alert. Key Takeaway Acknowledge fear, seek healthier coping. Themes fear mortality anxiety imagery Mood uneasy intense reflective Type personal psychological When to use this quote - nighttime anxiety - stress management - mental rehearsal - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology existential dread coping mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - How does visualizing worst‑case scenarios affect your sleep? - Can you find calmer ways to confront fear? A Different Perspective Imagining extreme outcomes may increase distress rather than soothe. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biggest fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-fear/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Great heights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-heights/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [The biggest fear that everybody has is dying. Not to get too meta on you, but I think every fear that people are trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/the-biggest-fear-that-everybody-has-is-dying-not-to-get-too-meta-on/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“Sometimes I dream I'm falling, and it's not so much frightening as it is tedious, just falling and falling until I'm sick of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/sometimes-i-dream-i-m-falling-and-it-s-not-so-much-frightening-as-it/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“Good. I think I’m falling for you too. Let’s not pull this chute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-park/good-i-think-i-m-falling-for-you-too-let-s-not-pull-this-chute/) [Jessica Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-park/) > [I think I'm falling for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-misses-you/i-think-i-m-falling-for-you/) Krystal Misses You > [Please come now I think I'm falling I'm holding on to all I think is safe It seems I found the road to nowhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/creed/please-come-now-i-think-i-m-falling-i-m-holding-on-to-all-i-think-is/) Creed > [I wish you would catch me and stand me back up, because I think I'm falling for you..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hope/i-wish-you-would-catch-me-and-stand-me-back-up-because-i-think-i-m/) [Amber Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hope/) > [“I think I’m falling for a red herring here,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/i-think-i-m-falling-for-a-red-herring-here/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [I think I'm falling deeply into like with you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-i-m-falling-deeply-into-like-with-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [After falling in love and feeling so much hurt Even sometimes being treated like dirt I Never thought that I would actually think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/after-falling-in-love-and-feeling-so-much-hurt-even-sometimes-being/) [Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/) > [“There's a difference, I think, between falling in love and knowing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/there-s-a-difference-i-think-between-falling-in-love-and-knowing-it/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [“You may think I am falling, ... I’ m stronger than I have ever been”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-toole/you-may-think-i-am-falling-i-m-stronger-than-i-have-ever-been/) [Virginia Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-toole/) > [I said it, just like that. No stupid jokes, no changing the subject. For once, I wasn't embarrassed, because it was the truth. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/i-said-it-just-like-that-no-stupid-jokes-no-changing-the-subject-for/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [“I think I'm falling for you, too, and it terrifies me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/i-think-i-m-falling-for-you-too-and-it-terrifies-me/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [“She leaned into my shoulder. "Maybe you don't have to be a Caster to have power." I pushed her hair behind her ear. "Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia-margaret-stohl/she-leaned-into-my-shoulder-maybe-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-caster-to/) [Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia-margaret-stohl/) > [“The minute I stand up, I've jumped off the cliff. The world goes by in a haze of color and light; my weight accelerates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-minute-i-stand-up-i-ve-jumped-off-the-cliff-the-world-goes-by-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Ian Mcewan > [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/on-chesil-beach-he-could-have-called-out-to-florence-he-could-have/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [It was always the view of my parents...that hot weather encouraged loose morals among young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-always-the-view-of-my-parents-that-hot-weather-encouraged/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian Mcewan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## 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": "My biggest fear, I think falling from a great height. If I want to keep myself awake at night I imagine I'm on the top of the North or South Tower in 9/11, wondering whether I'm going to be burnt to death or I'm going to jump. And I think I would burn to death. And yet I'm impressed by the fact that hundreds didn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian Mcewan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-great-height-if-i-want-to-keep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awake" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-great-height-if-i-want-to-keep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/ian-mcewan-494_awake_my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-g_893355.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/ian-mcewan-494_awake_my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-g_893355.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fc/ian-mcewan-494_awake_my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-g_893355.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My biggest fear, I think falling from a great height. If I want to keep myself awake at night I imagine I'm…” — Ian Mcewan", "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": "Ian Mcewan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My biggest fear, I think falling...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-great-height-if-i-want-to-keep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/my-biggest-fear-i-think-falling-from-a-great-height-if-i-want-to-keep/#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 } } ] } ```