---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was…"
description: "\"“Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way; not for him the slow, gracious wandering from the halls of sleep..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/kingsley-amis-5258_beaten_dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was_1334009.png"
---

#  Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was upon him before…

![“Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way; not for him the slow, gracious wandering from the halls of sleep, but a summary, forcible ejection. He lay sprawled, too wicked to move, spewed up like a broken spider-crab on the tarry shingle of morning. The…” quote by Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/kingsley-amis-5258_beaten_dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was_1334009.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/kingsley-amis-5258_beaten_dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was_1334009.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/kingsley-amis-5258_beaten_dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was_1334009.png)

> ““Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way; not for him the slow, gracious wandering from the halls of sleep, but a summary, forcible ejection. He lay sprawled, too wicked to move, spewed up like a broken spider-crab on the tarry shingle of morning. The light did him harm, but not as much as looking at things did; he resolved, having done it once, never to move his eyeballs again. A dusty thudding in his head made the scene before him beat like a pulse. His mouth had been used as a latrine by some small creature of the night, and then as its mausoleum. During the night, too, he'd somehow been on a cross-country run and then been expertly beaten up by secret police. He felt bad.””

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

## 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 experiences a violent, disorienting awakening, feeling both physical and psychological distress, and resolves to avoid further visual stimulation.

**In simple terms:** He feels overwhelmed and decides to stop looking at things.

Key Takeaway

Recognize when stimuli become harmful and set boundaries.

Themes

psychological distress overwhelm avoidance

Mood

anxious distressed reflective

Type

personal psychological

When to use this quote

- nightmare
- post‑traumatic stress
- overstimulation
- self‑care
- mental health coping

Key Concepts

trauma sensory overload self‑preservation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you identify when a stimulus is harmful?
- What alternative coping mechanisms could help?

A Different Perspective

The description may exaggerate the impact of visual stimuli, ignoring other coping strategies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaten/) [Dixon Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dixon-alive-4486128/) [Felt Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-bad/) [Lay Sprawled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lay-sprawled-2327185/) [Sprawled Wicked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sprawled-wicked-4486129/)

## Related quotes

> [“A blast of whooshing pleasure swept through me and I fell over the other side, into sweet currents of relaxing little judders. The gentleman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-lynch/a-blast-of-whooshing-pleasure-swept-through-me-and-i-fell-over-the/)

[Sarah Michelle Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-lynch/)

> [“She slammed into an invisible wall and flew back once more, landing on her back. She lay sprawled on the ground, trying to shift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-orlowski-peart/she-slammed-into-an-invisible-wall-and-flew-back-once-more-landing-on/)

[Angela Orlowski-Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-orlowski-peart/)

> [“Myron lay sprawled next to a knee-knockingly gorgeous brunette clad only in a Class-B-felony bikini, a tropical drink sans umbrella in one hand, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/myron-lay-sprawled-next-to-a-knee-knockingly-gorgeous-brunette-clad/)

[Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/)

> [“She lay sprawled across the alien’s chest like some plump, slutty blanket, and instead of jumping off like a good little girl, she snuggled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-langlais/she-lay-sprawled-across-the-alien-s-chest-like-some-plump-slutty/)

[Eve Langlais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-langlais/)

> [“A dusty thudding in his head made the scene before him beat like a pulse. His mouth had been used as a latrine by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/a-dusty-thudding-in-his-head-made-the-scene-before-him-beat-like-a/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [“I felt bad, but I did it anyway, because I'm only human. I was ashamed of myself and depressed afterward, though, which is human,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-portman/i-felt-bad-but-i-did-it-anyway-because-i-m-only-human-i-was-ashamed/)

[Frank Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-portman/)

> [“I near felt bad he choose to be so evil. I am a forgiving woman, but my pen... oh my wicked wicked hormonal she-pen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-j-ginger/i-near-felt-bad-he-choose-to-be-so-evil-i-am-a-forgiving-woman-but-my/)

[Coco J. Ginger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-j-ginger/)

> [And I could see this boy doing his homework and thinking about my sister naked. And I could see them holding hands at football…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/and-i-could-see-this-boy-doing-his-homework-and-thinking-about-my/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [When you're Kobe Bryant, you've got every little young guy coming at you every night, and it's you who's still got to carry the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-suggs/when-you-re-kobe-bryant-you-ve-got-every-little-young-guy-coming-at/)

[Terrell Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-suggs/)

> [For a moment he felt good about this. A moment or two later he felt bad about feeling good about it. Then he felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/for-a-moment-he-felt-good-about-this-a-moment-or-two-later-he-felt/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [I have often felt bad that I am not great at any one thing. Like just a super super singer. Or the Gregory Hines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-guy/i-have-often-felt-bad-that-i-am-not-great-at-any-one-thing-like-just/)

[Jasmine Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-guy/)

> [“Professor felt bad about Ms. Bones getting her head knocked off by one of his Pixelmon. When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-zombie/professor-felt-bad-about-ms-bones-getting-her-head-knocked-off-by-one/)

[Zack Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-zombie/)

> [I felt bad about myself because certain people were relentlessly attacking me and my reputation. My mom kept saying 'Let it go, Lauren, It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-conrad/i-felt-bad-about-myself-because-certain-people-were-relentlessly/)

[Lauren Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-conrad/)

> [At first he thought he felt bad because he was afraid of leading an army, but it wasn't true. He knew he'd make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/at-first-he-thought-he-felt-bad-because-he-was-afraid-of-leading-an/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“There's the old saying "I felt bad because I didn't have a pair of shoes until I met a man who didn't have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-the-old-saying-i-felt-bad-because-i-didn-t-have-a-pair-of/)

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

## More by Kingsley Amis

> [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [Never despise a drink because it is easy to make and/or uses commercial mixes. Unquestioning devotion to authenticity is, in any department of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/never-despise-a-drink-because-it-is-easy-to-make-and-or-uses/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [“There was no excuse which didn't consist of inexcusable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/there-was-no-excuse-which-didn-t-consist-of-inexcusable/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [The rewards for being sane may not be very many, but knowing what's funny is one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/the-rewards-for-being-sane-may-not-be-very-many-but-knowing-what-s/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [The human race has not devised any way of dissolving barriers, getting to know the other chap fast, breaking the ice, that is one-tenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/the-human-race-has-not-devised-any-way-of-dissolving-barriers-getting/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [“{Rogers} sexual aim is “to convert a creature who is cool, dry, calm, articulate, independent, purposeful into a creature who is the opposite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/rogers-sexual-aim-is-to-convert-a-creature-who-is-cool-dry-calm/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [If there's one word that sums up everything that's gone wrong since the war, it's Workshop. After Youth, that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/if-there-s-one-word-that-sums-up-everything-that-s-gone-wrong-since/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [Jake was close to tears. In that moment he saw the world in its true light, as a place where nothing had ever been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/jake-was-close-to-tears-in-that-moment-he-saw-the-world-in-its-true/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [It scored right away with me by being the smooth, fine-grained sort, not the coarse flaky, dry-on-the-outside rubbish full of chunds of gut and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-scored-right-away-with-me-by-being-the-smooth-fine-grained-sort/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [It's never pleasant to have one's unquestioning beliefs put in their historical context, as I know from experience, I can assure you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-s-never-pleasant-to-have-one-s-unquestioning-beliefs-put-in-their/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [“Jake did a quick run-through of women in his mind, not of the ones he had known or dealt with in the past few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/jake-did-a-quick-run-through-of-women-in-his-mind-not-of-the-ones-he/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [“I don't allow people of your sort to stand in my way. That's what you're leaving out of account. I'm having Christine because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/i-don-t-allow-people-of-your-sort-to-stand-in-my-way-that-s-what-you/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [If you are using an adverb, you have got the verb wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/if-you-are-using-an-adverb-you-have-got-the-verb-wrong/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [Outside every fat man there is an even fatter man trying to close in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/outside-every-fat-man-there-is-an-even-fatter-man-trying-to-close-in/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [“When the bishop farted we were amused to hear about it. Should the ploughboy find treasure we must be told. But when the ploughboy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/when-the-bishop-farted-we-were-amused-to-hear-about-it-should-the/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

[Explore all 102 Kingsley Amis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

## More Beaten quotes

> [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/)

[Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/)

> [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/)

[Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/)

> [It's always a wake-up call to get beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/it-s-always-a-wake-up-call-to-get-beaten/)

[Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/)

> [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/)

[C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/)

> [Class clowns are never allowed to date anybody decent, but you don't get beaten up, you're invited to parties, and everybody likes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/class-clowns-are-never-allowed-to-date-anybody-decent-but-you-don-t/)

[Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/)

> [I know from my own clinical work that when people are beaten and hurt, they numb out so that they cant feel anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/i-know-from-my-own-clinical-work-that-when-people-are-beaten-and-hurt/)

[John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/)

> [You could be beaten down by anybody and by everybody and it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks it's how you see yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/you-could-be-beaten-down-by-anybody-and-by-everybody-and-it-doesn-t/)

[Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/)

> [Could beauty be beaten out, O youth the cities have sent to strike at each other's strength, it is you who have kept her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/could-beauty-be-beaten-out-o-youth-the-cities-have-sent-to-strike-at/)

[Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/)

> [The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfeld deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-midget-bush-and-that-rumsfeld-deserve-only-to-be-beaten-with/)

[Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/)

> [Like with every form of cancer, early detection is what it is all about. I urge everyone to learn the facts about this condition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/like-with-every-form-of-cancer-early-detection-is-what-it-is-all/)

[Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/)

> [In our culture of constant access and nonstop media, nothing feels more like a curse from God than time in the wilderness. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-martin/in-our-culture-of-constant-access-and-nonstop-media-nothing-feels/)

[Jonathan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-martin/)

> [A man who is determined never to move out of the beaten road cannot lose his way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-man-who-is-determined-never-to-move-out-of-the-beaten-road-cannot/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [I admit that I've been beaten up so many times in films, but we do not fake it - we actually have to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-sik-choi/i-admit-that-i-ve-been-beaten-up-so-many-times-in-films-but-we-do-not/)

[Min-sik Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-sik-choi/)

> [I do not approve of children being beaten. It is always a confession of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-wentworth/i-do-not-approve-of-children-being-beaten-it-is-always-a-confession/)

[Patricia Wentworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-wentworth/)

> [If you can feel that staying human is worth while, even when it can't have any practical result whatsoever, you've beaten them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-you-can-feel-that-staying-human-is-worth-while-even-when-it-can-t/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

[Browse all 665 Beaten quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaten/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way; not for him the slow, gracious wandering from the halls of sleep, but a summary, forcible ejection. He lay sprawled, too wicked to move, spewed up like a broken spider-crab on the tarry shingle of morning. The light did him harm, but not as much as looking at things did; he resolved, having done it once, never to move his eyeballs again. A dusty thudding in his head made the scene before him beat like a pulse. His mouth had been used as a latrine by some small creature of the night, and then as its mausoleum. During the night, too, he'd somehow been on a cross-country run and then been expertly beaten up by secret police. He felt bad.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kingsley Amis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was-upon-him-before-he-could-get/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beaten"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was-upon-him-before-he-could-get/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/kingsley-amis-5258_beaten_dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was_1334009.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/kingsley-amis-5258_beaten_dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was_1334009.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/219/kingsley-amis-5258_beaten_dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was_1334009.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way; not for him the slow…” — Kingsley Amis",
                "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": "Kingsley Amis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Dixon was alive again. Consciousness was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was-upon-him-before-he-could-get/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/dixon-was-alive-again-consciousness-was-upon-him-before-he-could-get/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
