--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I awoke at three, feeling terribly…" description: "\"“But I awoke at three, feeling terribly sad, and feeling rebelliously that I didn't want to study sadness, madness, melancholy, and despair. I wanted t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/john-cheever-3301_love_but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sa_2048022.jpg" --- # But I awoke at three, feeling terribly sad, and feeling… ![“But I awoke at three, feeling terribly sad, and feeling rebelliously that I didn't want to study sadness, madness, melancholy, and despair. I wanted to study triumphs, the rediscoveries of love, all that I know in the world to be decent, radiant, and clear. Then the word "love", the impulse to…” quote by John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/john-cheever-3301_love_but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sa_2048022.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/john-cheever-3301_love_but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sa_2048022.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/john-cheever-3301_love_but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sa_2048022.jpg) > ““But I awoke at three, feeling terribly sad, and feeling rebelliously that I didn't want to study sadness, madness, melancholy, and despair. I wanted to study triumphs, the rediscoveries of love, all that I know in the world to be decent, radiant, and clear. Then the word "love", the impulse to love, welled up in me somewhere above my middle. Love seemed to flow from me in all directions, abundant as water--love for Cora, love for Flora, love for all my friends and neighbors, love for Penumbra. This tremendous flow of vitality could not be contained within its spelling, and I seemed to seize a laundry marker and write "luve" on the wall. I wrote "luve" on the staircase, "luve" on the pantry, "luve" on the oven, the washing machine, and the coffeepot, and when Cora came down in the morning (I would be nowhere around) everywhere she looked she would read "luve", "luve", "luve." Then I saw a green meadow and a sparkling stream. On the ridge there were thatched-roof cottages and a square church tower, so I knew it must be England. I climbed up from the meadow to the streets of the village, looking for the cottage where Cora and Flora would be waiting for me. There seemed to have been some mistake. No one knew their names. I asked at the post office, but the answer here was the same. Then it occurred to me that they would be at the manor house. How stupid I had been! I left the village and walked up a sloping lawn to a Georgian house, where a butler let me in. The squire was entertaining. There were twenty-five or thirty people in the hall, drinking sherry. I took a glass from a tray and looked through the gathering for Flora and my wife, but they were not there. Then I thanked my host and walked down the broad lawn, back to the meadow and the sparkling brook, where I lay on the grass and fell into a sweet sleep.”” [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) ## 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 seeks love and meaning, escaping melancholy by immersing in vivid, idealized visions of affection and pastoral peace. **In simple terms:** He tries to replace sadness with love and hopeful daydreams. Key Takeaway Seek love, not escape. Themes love escape idealism longing memory Mood longing hopeful reflective Type literary personal philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - daydreaming - seeking comfort - catharsis Key Concepts Romanticism psychology nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - What does love mean to you beyond symbols? - How do you balance idealism with reality? A Different Perspective The fantasy may ignore real responsibilities and emotional processing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Read Luve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-luve-3845463/) [Sweet sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet-sleep/) [Washing machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washing-machine/) [Word Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-love/) [Write Luve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-luve-3845464/) [Wrote Luve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-luve-3845462/) ## Related quotes > [Before you go to sleep, do not forget to say thanks for everything good that has happened to you in the last 24 hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-orbison/before-you-go-to-sleep-do-not-forget-to-say-thanks-for-everything/) [Roy Orbison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-orbison/) > [My heart Is Broken, Sweet Sleep My Dark Angel, Deliver Us, Change, Open your Eyes To the Light, I Denyed it Oh so Long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-eyes/my-heart-is-broken-sweet-sleep-my-dark-angel-deliver-us-change-open/) [Angel\_eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-eyes/) > [“The lights flickered, the pain went away, and her mother was holding her, singing ‘Sleep sweet sleep’. 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Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee, That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down And steep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-sleep-o-gentle-sleep-nature-s-soft-nurse-how-have-i-frighted-thee/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“As her vision flickered one last time, the man was gone; it was her mother looking into her eyes. Her mother’s eyes were filled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cormack/as-her-vision-flickered-one-last-time-the-man-was-gone-it-was-her/) [Kim Cormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cormack/) > [Sleep Sleep precious Sleep my love Sleep until nothings left Sleep until the world is gone Sleep until its cold Sleep until the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sleep-sleep-precious-sleep-my-love-sleep-until-nothings-left-sleep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I will wonder til the end of time, torn away from you. I pulled away to face the pain I close and drift away,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/i-will-wonder-til-the-end-of-time-torn-away-from-you-i-pulled-away-to/) [She's\_gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/she-s-gone/) > [Your sweet time of today is ending Now, Forget bad incidents, Remembers beautiful Moments, to refresh your mind, wish u a sweet sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/your-sweet-time-of-today-is-ending-now-forget-bad-incidents-remembers/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“Music that gentlier on the spirit lies, Than tir'd eyelids upon tir'd eyes; Music that brings sweet sleep down from the blissful skies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/music-that-gentlier-on-the-spirit-lies-than-tir-d-eyelids-upon-tir-d/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“But to tell even a tenth part of the marvels rich and beautiful that were in the house of Krothering: its cool courts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-eddison/but-to-tell-even-a-tenth-part-of-the-marvels-rich-and-beautiful-that/) [E.R. 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If there is a heaven, Let's keep it a secret Pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/if-the-life-will-leave-my-lungs-my-heart-will-stay-with-you-if-there/) [She's\_gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/she-s-gone/) > [I arise from dreams of thee In the first sweet sleep of night, when the winds are breathing low, and the stars are shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/i-arise-from-dreams-of-thee-in-the-first-sweet-sleep-of-night-when-2/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) ## More by John Cheever > [Only the opium eater truly understands the pain of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/only-the-opium-eater-truly-understands-the-pain-of-death/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [The poet or storyteller who feels that he is competing with a superb double play in the World Series is a lost man. 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The most we can do is exploit our memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/one-would-never-have-guessed-that-the-world-had-such-a-capacity-for/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“His stepmother -wearing a nightgown for comfort and a flowered hat for looks- had spent her days sitting in their parlor window in Baltimore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/his-stepmother-wearing-a-nightgown-for-comfort-and-a-flowered-hat-for/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Fear tastes like a rusty knife and do not let her into your house. Courage tastes of blood. Stand up straight. Admire the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/fear-tastes-like-a-rusty-knife-and-do-not-let-her-into-your-house/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [I dream that my face appears on a postage stamp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-dream-that-my-face-appears-on-a-postage-stamp/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, not the strength to choose between the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/wisdom-is-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil-not-the-strength-to-choose/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“There was some faint coughing, a moan, and then a man spoke. "Are you all right, darling?" he asked. 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. 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Then the word \"love\", the impulse to love, welled up in me somewhere above my middle. Love seemed to flow from me in all directions, abundant as water--love for Cora, love for Flora, love for all my friends and neighbors, love for Penumbra. This tremendous flow of vitality could not be contained within its spelling, and I seemed to seize a laundry marker and write \"luve\" on the wall. I wrote \"luve\" on the staircase, \"luve\" on the pantry, \"luve\" on the oven, the washing machine, and the coffeepot, and when Cora came down in the morning (I would be nowhere around) everywhere she looked she would read \"luve\", \"luve\", \"luve.\" Then I saw a green meadow and a sparkling stream. On the ridge there were thatched-roof cottages and a square church tower, so I knew it must be England. I climbed up from the meadow to the streets of the village, looking for the cottage where Cora and Flora would be waiting for me. There seemed to have been some mistake. No one knew their names. I asked at the post office, but the answer here was the same. Then it occurred to me that they would be at the manor house. How stupid I had been! I left the village and walked up a sloping lawn to a Georgian house, where a butler let me in. The squire was entertaining. There were twenty-five or thirty people in the hall, drinking sherry. I took a glass from a tray and looked through the gathering for Flora and my wife, but they were not there. Then I thanked my host and walked down the broad lawn, back to the meadow and the sparkling brook, where I lay on the grass and fell into a sweet sleep.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cheever" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sad-and-feeling-rebelliously/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Love" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sad-and-feeling-rebelliously/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/john-cheever-3301_love_but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sa_2048022.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/john-cheever-3301_love_but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sa_2048022.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/john-cheever-3301_love_but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sa_2048022.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I awoke at three, feeling terribly sad, and feeling rebelliously that I didn't want to study sadness…” — John Cheever", "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": "John Cheever", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But I awoke at three, feeling...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sad-and-feeling-rebelliously/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/but-i-awoke-at-three-feeling-terribly-sad-and-feeling-rebelliously/#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 } } ] } ```