---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I suddenly remember something I've been…"
description: "\"I suddenly remember something I've been told about fear. That amid a hail of machine gun fire you notice the existence of your skin.\" — Marguerite Duras"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/494/marguerite-duras-2040_computers_i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been_2043037.jpg"
---

#  I suddenly remember something I've been told about fear…

![“I suddenly remember something I've been told about fear. That amid a hail of machine gun fire you notice the existence of your skin.” quote by Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/494/marguerite-duras-2040_computers_i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been_2043037.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/494/marguerite-duras-2040_computers_i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been_2043037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/494/marguerite-duras-2040_computers_i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been_2043037.jpg)

> “I suddenly remember something I've been told about fear. That amid a hail of machine gun fire you notice the existence of your skin.”

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

## About This Quote

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

In extreme danger, one becomes acutely aware of one's own physical presence and mortality.

**In simple terms:** Danger makes you feel your body.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how fear sharpens self‑awareness.

Themes

fear mortality awareness

Mood

tense reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- combat
- extreme sports
- medical emergencies
- public speaking
- high‑stakes negotiations

Key Concepts

existentialism sensory perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How does fear change your perception of self?
- Can heightened awareness improve decision‑making?

A Different Perspective

The insight may be fleeting and can lead to panic rather than clarity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Machine gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machine-gun/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Remember something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-something/)

## Related quotes

> [No matter how many people you kill, using a machine gun in battle is not a war crime because it does not cause unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/no-matter-how-many-people-you-kill-using-a-machine-gun-in-battle-is/)

[Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/)

> [The darkest days in my life after the war, after the war, was when I discovered that the ... most of the members and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-darkest-days-in-my-life-after-the-war-after-the-war-was-when-i/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Ah, these diplomats! What chatterboxes! There's only one way to shut them up - cut them down with machine guns. Bulganin, go and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/ah-these-diplomats-what-chatterboxes-there-s-only-one-way-to-shut/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [How many times did someone have to run in front of a machine gun before it became an act of cowardice?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-herr/how-many-times-did-someone-have-to-run-in-front-of-a-machine-gun/)

[Michael Herr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-herr/)

> [WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR TYPEWRITER YOU LEAVE YOUR MACHINE GUN AND THE RATS COME POURING THROUGH.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/when-you-leave-your-typewriter-you-leave-your-machine-gun-and-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [There was, like, a week straight of shooting, where, like, all I did was shoot a machine gun. And I hate to - every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/there-was-like-a-week-straight-of-shooting-where-like-all-i-did-was/)

[Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/)

> [When the term 'machine gun' enters common parlance, the word 'machine' becomes much more sinister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/when-the-term-machine-gun-enters-common-parlance-the-word-machine/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [I don't believe that in the name of the holiness of the city you have to put barbed wires, machine gun nests, mine pins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yitzhak-rabin/i-don-t-believe-that-in-the-name-of-the-holiness-of-the-city-you-have/)

[Yitzhak Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yitzhak-rabin/)

> [There is ...a huge tacit conspiracy between the U.S. government, its agencies and its multinational corporations, on the one hand, and local business and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-s-herman/there-is-a-huge-tacit-conspiracy-between-the-u-s-government-its/)

[Edward S. Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-s-herman/)

> [I got drafted into the army and by pure chance was pushed into a silk-screen shop at this camp where I was, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-got-drafted-into-the-army-and-by-pure-chance-was-pushed-into-a-silk/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [I noticed the bushes all around where I stood in my fight with the machine guns were all cut down. The bullets went over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-c-york/i-noticed-the-bushes-all-around-where-i-stood-in-my-fight-with-the/)

[Alvin C. York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-c-york/)

> [If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/if-for-instance-you-put-in-a-malay-officer-who-s-very-religious-and/)

[Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/)

> [Visually I've always liked the 20s 30s for film. I do these because I like the music. I like the clothes. I like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/visually-i-ve-always-liked-the-20s-30s-for-film-i-do-these-because-i/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [My mind's a machine gun, my body's the bullets and the audience is the target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gg-allin/my-mind-s-a-machine-gun-my-body-s-the-bullets-and-the-audience-is-the/)

[GG Allin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gg-allin/)

> [There are now 17,000 local American police forces that are armed with rocket launchers, bazookas, heavy machine guns, all kinds of chemical sprays, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/there-are-now-17-000-local-american-police-forces-that-are-armed-with/)

[Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/)

## More by Marguerite Duras

> [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinction of costliness of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-know-it-s-not-clothes-that-make-women-beautiful-or-otherwise-nor/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“And modern houses don't have passages, either, for children to play and run about in, and for dogs, umbrellas, coats and satchels. And don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/and-modern-houses-don-t-have-passages-either-for-children-to-play-and/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [When a woman drinks it's as if an animal were drinking, or a child. Alcoholism is scandalous in a woman, and a female alcoholic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/when-a-woman-drinks-it-s-as-if-an-animal-were-drinking-or-a-child/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [Some people are like that - closed - they can't learn from anyone. Us, for example, we can't learn anything, neither I from you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/some-people-are-like-that-closed-they-can-t-learn-from-anyone-us-for/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [I often think of the image only I can see now, and of which I’ve never spoken. It’s always there, in the same silence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-often-think-of-the-image-only-i-can-see-now-and-of-which-i-ve-never/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [In love there are no vacations. No such thing. Love has to be lived fully with its boredom and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/in-love-there-are-no-vacations-no-such-thing-love-has-to-be-lived/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“Très vite dans ma vie il a été trop tard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/tr-s-vite-dans-ma-vie-il-a-t-trop-tard/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“she can remember everyone admiring a rare kind of evening they spoke of as something they ought to save from oblivion to describe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/she-can-remember-everyone-admiring-a-rare-kind-of-evening-they-spoke/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [All that remains of that minute is time in all its purity, bone-white time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/all-that-remains-of-that-minute-is-time-in-all-its-purity-bone-white/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“Paradoxically, the freedom of Paris is associated with a persistent belief that nothing ever changes. Paris, they say, is the city that changes least.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/paradoxically-the-freedom-of-paris-is-associated-with-a-persistent/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“─ No le conozco a usted. Nadie puede conocerle, ponerse en su lugar, usted no tiene lugar, no sabe dónde encontrar un lugar. Por…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/no-le-conozco-a-usted-nadie-puede-conocerle-ponerse-en-su-lugar-usted/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [She represents the un-vowed aspiration of the male human being, his potential infidelity - and infidelity of a very special kind, which would lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/she-represents-the-un-vowed-aspiration-of-the-male-human-being-his/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“I think it was during this journey that the image became detached, removed from all the rest. It might have existed, a photograph might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-think-it-was-during-this-journey-that-the-image-became-detached/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“Among all the other nights upon nights, the girl had spent that one on the boat….when it happened, the burst of Chopin…. There wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/among-all-the-other-nights-upon-nights-the-girl-had-spent-that-one-on/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

[Explore all 129 Marguerite Duras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

## More Computers quotes

> [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/)

[Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [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/)

> [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/)

[Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/)

> [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

Jen-Hsun Huang

> [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/)

William Henry Pickering

> [“Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test: a computer is intelligent if you can't tell it from a human when you talk with it. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjs-hayward/alan-turing-proposed-the-turing-test-a-computer-is-intelligent-if-you/)

[CJS Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjs-hayward/)

> [Computers can be taught that certain tune or certain chords changes will sound pleasant together, but I don't think it's going to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/computers-can-be-taught-that-certain-tune-or-certain-chords-changes/)

[Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/)

Cruce Stark

> [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

[Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I suddenly remember something I've been told about fear. That amid a hail of machine gun fire you notice the existence of your skin.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marguerite Duras"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been-told-about-fear-that-amid-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Computers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been-told-about-fear-that-amid-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/494/marguerite-duras-2040_computers_i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been_2043037.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/494/marguerite-duras-2040_computers_i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been_2043037.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/494/marguerite-duras-2040_computers_i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been_2043037.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I suddenly remember something I've been told about fear. That amid a hail of machine gun fire you notice the…” — Marguerite Duras",
                "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": "Marguerite Duras",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I suddenly remember something I've been...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been-told-about-fear-that-amid-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-suddenly-remember-something-i-ve-been-told-about-fear-that-amid-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
