---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That is the fear: I have lost something…"
description: "\"That is the fear: I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it. It is fear like if someone lost his glasses and went to the gla..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/john-green-12_fear_that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-i_2023700.jpg"
---

#  That is the fear: I have lost something important, and I…

![“That is the fear: I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it. It is fear like if someone lost his glasses and went to the glasses store and they told him that the world had run out of glasses and he would just have to do without.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/john-green-12_fear_that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-i_2023700.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/john-green-12_fear_that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-i_2023700.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/john-green-12_fear_that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-i_2023700.jpg)

> “That is the fear: I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it. It is fear like if someone lost his glasses and went to the glasses store and they told him that the world had run out of glasses and he would just have to do without.”

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker likens losing something vital to an impossible search, illustrating how fear can amplify loss and create a sense of hopelessness.

**In simple terms:** Fear feels like losing something essential and being told it’s gone forever.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge fear but seek alternatives.

Themes

loss fear despair hope

Mood

anxious somber

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- relationship loss
- career setbacks

Key Concepts

psychology existential anxiety acceptance

Questions to Reflect On

- What essential thing feels lost now?
- How might you find a substitute or new path?

A Different Perspective

Fear can be paralyzing if not addressed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-lost-907466/) [Glasses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glasses/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Lost Glasses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-glasses-3679882/) [Lost Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-important-233825/) [Need Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-fear/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Stores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stores/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“That is the fear: I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-important-and-i-cannot-find-it/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“And now she was colder by the hour, more dead with every breath I took. I thought: That is the fear: I have lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-now-she-was-colder-by-the-hour-more-dead-with-every-breath-i-took/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“I thought: That is the fear: I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it. It is fear like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-thought-that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-important-and-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [It has not been a good day. I lost my glasses early this morning and I had to go buy a pair of 79…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-sutter/it-has-not-been-a-good-day-i-lost-my-glasses-early-this-morning-and-i/)

[Darryl Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-sutter/)

> [You can't get back what you've lost, What's important now is "What is it that you still have. —Jimbei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiichiro-oda/you-can-t-get-back-what-you-ve-lost-what-s-important-now-is-what-is/)

[Eiichiro Oda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiichiro-oda/)

> [My goal after 9/11 was to take care of the families of the people we lost, and that was the most important thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-lutnick/my-goal-after-9-11-was-to-take-care-of-the-families-of-the-people-we/)

[Howard Lutnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-lutnick/)

> [“If you have ever lost someone very important to you, then you already know how it feels; and if you haven’t, you cannot possibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/if-you-have-ever-lost-someone-very-important-to-you-then-you-already/)

[Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/)

> [“My life has changed so much over the last month. I lost the most important person in my entire world and when I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/my-life-has-changed-so-much-over-the-last-month-i-lost-the-most/)

[Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/)

> [“In a single week I had lost the two most important men in my life. Yet the word “lost” was misleading. Neither had died…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-holden-rothman/in-a-single-week-i-had-lost-the-two-most-important-men-in-my-life-yet/)

[Claire Holden Rothman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-holden-rothman/)

> [I,you,we pray imortal Lord. I,you,we sell ourselves and soul to the Devil at most,that is why we live under the red fear,to get lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-jobo-lucy-drizzil/i-you-we-pray-imortal-lord-i-you-we-sell-ourselves-and-soul-to-the/)

[Lucy Jobo Lucy Drizzil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-jobo-lucy-drizzil/)

> [You fear that you had lost yourself and that we became us &amp; now I only left with memories and tears of sadness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-fear-that-you-had-lost-yourself-and-that-we-became-us-now-i-only/)

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

> [Vanish. Pass into nothingness: the Keats line that frightened her. Fade as the blue nights fade, go as the brightness goes. Go back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/vanish-pass-into-nothingness-the-keats-line-that-frightened-her-fade/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [I know what the fear is. The fear is not for what is lost. What is lost is already in the wall. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-know-what-the-fear-is-the-fear-is-not-for-what-is-lost-what-is-lost/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“Faith has won it! Fear has lost it! When you get full of faith, the devil gets filled with fear! Keep your faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/faith-has-won-it-fear-has-lost-it-when-you-get-full-of-faith-the/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [Defeat begins with the fear that one has lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/defeat-begins-with-the-fear-that-one-has-lost/)

[Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/)

## More by John Green

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## 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. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/)

[M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/)

> [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/)

[Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/)

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/)

[Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/)

> [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/)

[Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

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

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

[Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That is the fear: I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it. It is fear like if someone lost his glasses and went to the glasses store and they told him that the world had run out of glasses and he would just have to do without.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Green"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-important-and-i-cannot-find-it-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fear"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-important-and-i-cannot-find-it-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/john-green-12_fear_that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-i_2023700.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/john-green-12_fear_that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-i_2023700.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/john-green-12_fear_that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-i_2023700.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That is the fear: I have lost something important, and I cannot find it, and I need it. It is fear like if…” — John Green",
                "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 Green",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That is the fear: I have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-important-and-i-cannot-find-it-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/that-is-the-fear-i-have-lost-something-important-and-i-cannot-find-it-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
