--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just wanting Nora- wanting something that…" description: "\"“Just wanting Nora- wanting something that wasn't a drug- was such a novelty, such a world-changingly unlikely circumstance, I was afraid to breathe fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/jerry-stahl-4491_fear_just-wanting-nora-wanting-something-that_1674062.png" --- # Just wanting Nora- wanting something that wasn't a drug… ![“Just wanting Nora- wanting something that wasn't a drug- was such a novelty, such a world-changingly unlikely circumstance, I was afraid to breathe for fear it would all turn out to be some near-death hallucination.” quote by Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/jerry-stahl-4491_fear_just-wanting-nora-wanting-something-that_1674062.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/jerry-stahl-4491_fear_just-wanting-nora-wanting-something-that_1674062.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/863/jerry-stahl-4491_fear_just-wanting-nora-wanting-something-that_1674062.png) > ““Just wanting Nora- wanting something that wasn't a drug- was such a novelty, such a world-changingly unlikely circumstance, I was afraid to breathe for fear it would all turn out to be some near-death hallucination.”” [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) ## 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 feels an intense, almost hallucinatory novelty in wanting something non‑drug, fearing it might be a fleeting illusion. **In simple terms:** A rare desire feels unreal and frightening. Key Takeaway Cherish rare, genuine desires. Themes desire illusion novelty Mood introspective anxious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - addiction recovery - creative inspiration - mental health counseling Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does this novelty represent? - How to differentiate real desire from illusion? A Different Perspective Desire may be fleeting or illusory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Hallucination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hallucination/) ## Related quotes > [“That’s what you wanted me for,” he all but growled. 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But once the blanket was ripped off, it took a layer of skin with it, leaving nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/heroin-spread-that-soft-blanket-over-everything-but-once-the-blanket/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“In some odd gush of patriotism, my mother had once vomited on the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, and a bust of Benjamin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/in-some-odd-gush-of-patriotism-my-mother-had-once-vomited-on-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“Being a junkie, when you broke it down, was nothing more than a crazed day job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/being-a-junkie-when-you-broke-it-down-was-nothing-more-than-a-crazed/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) [Explore all 110 Jerry Stahl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. 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