--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of…" description: "\"“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing- reading stories about cabooses with smiley..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1749253.jpg" --- # Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child… ![“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing- reading stories about cabooses with smiley faces at bedtime, feeding glop into slack mouths- all seemed like pictures of someone else. I dreaded confrontation with what could prove a closed…” quote by Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1749253.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1749253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/lionel-shriver-744_children_franklin-i-was-absolutely-terrified-of-h_1749253.jpg) > ““Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. Before I got pregnant, my visions of child rearing- reading stories about cabooses with smiley faces at bedtime, feeding glop into slack mouths- all seemed like pictures of someone else. I dreaded confrontation with what could prove a closed, stony nature, my own selfishness and lack of generosity, the thick tarry powers of my own resentment. However intrigued by a “turn of the page,” I was mortified by the prospect of becoming hopelessly trapped in someone else’s story. And I believe that this terror is precisely what must have snagged me, the way a ledge will tempt one to jump off. The very surmountability of the task, its very unattractiveness , was in the end what attracted me to it. (32)”” [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) ## 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 expresses how fear of responsibility and personal flaws can paradoxically draw someone toward a daunting task, making it compelling. **In simple terms:** Fear can make a daunting task oddly attractive. Key Takeaway Embrace fear as a sign of growth. Themes fear self‑reflection growth parenthood motivation Mood anxious reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career change - parenting - personal development - overcoming anxiety Key Concepts psychology existentialism risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What fears are masking your true desires? - How can you turn dread into motivation? A Different Perspective Fear may blind judgment and cause avoidance of necessary preparation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Motherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherhood/) [Reading stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-stories/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) ## Related quotes > [“Franklin, I was absolutely terrified of having a child. 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You don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-enjoying-myself-writing-because-i-don-t-know-what-s-going-to/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“I consider myself more of a story teller than a writer. My readers constantly say that reading one of my stories is like watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-a-morris/i-consider-myself-more-of-a-story-teller-than-a-writer-my-readers/) P.A. Morris > [in reading ... stories, you can be many different people in many different places, doing things you would never have a chance to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-babbitt/in-reading-stories-you-can-be-many-different-people-in-many-different/) [Natalie Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-babbitt/) > [“...a large contingent of people majoring in English by default. 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The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/when-we-read-a-story-we-inhabit-it-the-covers-of-the-book-are-like-a/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) ## More by Lionel Shriver > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“I’m a journalist, and journalists need news. Deprive them of it, and they go a bit barking. 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I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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I dreaded confrontation with what could prove a closed, stony nature, my own selfishness and lack of generosity, the thick tarry powers of my own resentment. However intrigued by a “turn of the page,” I was mortified by the prospect of becoming hopelessly trapped in someone else’s story. And I believe that this terror is precisely what must have snagged me, the way a ledge will tempt one to jump off. The very surmountability of the task, its very unattractiveness , was in the end what attracted me to it. 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