--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I strained to remember where I was or…" description: "\"I strained to remember where I was or even what I was wearing, touching my green corduroy jeans and staring at the exposed-brick wall. As my paranoia d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/maureen-dowd-6927_brick-wall_i-strained-to-remember-where-i-was-or-ev_1312370.jpg" --- # I strained to remember where I was or even what I was… ![“I strained to remember where I was or even what I was wearing, touching my green corduroy jeans and staring at the exposed-brick wall. As my paranoia deepened, I became convinced that I had died and no one was telling me.” quote by Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/maureen-dowd-6927_brick-wall_i-strained-to-remember-where-i-was-or-ev_1312370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/maureen-dowd-6927_brick-wall_i-strained-to-remember-where-i-was-or-ev_1312370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/maureen-dowd-6927_brick-wall_i-strained-to-remember-where-i-was-or-ev_1312370.jpg) > “I strained to remember where I was or even what I was wearing, touching my green corduroy jeans and staring at the exposed-brick wall. As my paranoia deepened, I became convinced that I had died and no one was telling me.” [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) ## 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 feels detached and paranoid, fearing death and questioning reality while focusing on mundane details. **In simple terms:** Paranoia makes ordinary moments feel surreal and unsettling. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions about reality. Themes identity paranoia reality memory existential dread Mood anxious introspective Type narrative reflective When to use this quote - daily routine - mental health crisis - creative writing - self-reflection Key Concepts psychology self-awareness perception Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your sense of unreality? - How can grounding techniques help? A Different Perspective The fear may stem from underlying anxiety rather than actual death. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brick wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brick-wall/) [Bricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bricks/) [Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced/) [Convinced Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced-died-4345762/) [Corduroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corduroy-37938/) [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [Exposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exposed/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Jeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jeans/) [Paranoia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoia/) [Paranoia Deepened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoia-deepened-4345759/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Strained Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strained-remember-4345761/) [Touching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touching/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Wall Paranoia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-paranoia-4345760/) ## Related quotes > [Cordings make the best Covert coats, corduroys, moleskins and all the accoutrements. When I need a covert coat I get it from Cordings rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-powell/cordings-make-the-best-covert-coats-corduroys-moleskins-and-all-the/) [Mark Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-powell/) > [I like the way corduroys feel. I like the sort of jean aspect of corduroys, but also the texture of them. They probably remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-baumbach/i-like-the-way-corduroys-feel-i-like-the-sort-of-jean-aspect-of/) [Noah Baumbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-baumbach/) > [Corduroy hits the sweet spot between jeans and slacks. They're a trouser middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-acaster/corduroy-hits-the-sweet-spot-between-jeans-and-slacks-they-re-a/) [James Acaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-acaster/) > [A small man intoxicated by being allowed to run around with the big, aggressive, powerful boys after so many years as a corduroy-clad peacenik.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/a-small-man-intoxicated-by-being-allowed-to-run-around-with-the-big/) [George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/) > [But ‘art’ is not anything serious or exclusive: it is the smell of oil paint, Henri Murger’s Vie de Boheme, corduroy trousers, the operatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/but-art-is-not-anything-serious-or-exclusive-it-is-the-smell-of-oil/) [Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/) > [“There was something touching about the fact that Murray was dressed almost totally in corduroy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-was-something-touching-about-the-fact-that-murray-was-dressed/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“...at any time of the day, corduroy is a highly stressful fabric. Rent collectors wear it. Tax collectors, too. History teachers add leather elbow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/at-any-time-of-the-day-corduroy-is-a-highly-stressful-fabric-rent/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [It was very romantic. It's all in the song, The Ballad of John and Yoko. If you want to know how it happened, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/it-was-very-romantic-it-s-all-in-the-song-the-ballad-of-john-and-yoko/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [If you don't break a hole through the brick wall, don't just start digging a new hole. Keep going until you break through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/if-you-don-t-break-a-hole-through-the-brick-wall-don-t-just-start/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [I fell down the stairs of the one level mental institute.so they put me in the safe cusion room but they found a bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-mcswain/i-fell-down-the-stairs-of-the-one-level-mental-institute-so-they-put/) [Trinity McSwain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-mcswain/) > [Vladimir Putin is a smart guy. I don't like him, smart guy. He is going to advance the cause of Russia until he hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kinzinger/vladimir-putin-is-a-smart-guy-i-don-t-like-him-smart-guy-he-is-going/) [Adam Kinzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kinzinger/) > [I still have the desire to do the job of acting. It's just a matter of whether I'll be allowed to do the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-coleman/i-still-have-the-desire-to-do-the-job-of-acting-it-s-just-a-matter-of/) [Gary Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-coleman/) > [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/) [Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/) > [“How did you know it was me?” she asked. “My dear Professor, I’ve never seen a cat sit so stiffly.” “You’d be stiff if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/how-did-you-know-it-was-me-she-asked-my-dear-professor-i-ve-never/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [“he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree). But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/he-can-see-through-a-brick-wall-in-time-as-they-say-in-bree-but/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) ## More by Maureen Dowd > [If there's one thing white men have never had a problem with in this clubby, white marble enclave of Washington, it's getting pulled up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/if-there-s-one-thing-white-men-have-never-had-a-problem-with-in-this/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [When you're young, and even at times when you're older, it's hard to fathom this: What needs to be nurtured is the stuff that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/when-you-re-young-and-even-at-times-when-you-re-older-it-s-hard-to/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [“Who knows? If women all end up with the same face and body, men may gravitate toward the quirky. 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Of course hell hath no fury like a woman who Google-bombs her old flames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/romantic-googling-can-be-as-dangerous-as-drunk-text-messaging-of/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Paul Ryan, who teamed up with Akin in the House to sponsor harsh anti-abortion bills, may look young and hip and new generation, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/paul-ryan-who-teamed-up-with-akin-in-the-house-to-sponsor-harsh-anti/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Obama invented himself against all odds and repeated parental abandonment, and he worked hard to regiment his emotions. But now that can come across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/obama-invented-himself-against-all-odds-and-repeated-parental/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Feminism died in 1998 when Hillary allowed henchlings and Democrats to demonize Monica as an unbalanced stalker, and when Gloria Steinem defended Mr. Clinton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/feminism-died-in-1998-when-hillary-allowed-henchlings-and-democrats/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [President Obama thinks he can use emotion to bring pressure on Congress. But that's not how adults with power respond to things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/president-obama-thinks-he-can-use-emotion-to-bring-pressure-on/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [ Now that Hillary \[Clinton\] has won Pennsylvania, it will take a village to help Obama escape from the suffocating embrace of his rival. Certainly… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/now-that-hillary-clinton-has-won-pennsylvania-it-will-take-a-village/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [I don't understand men. I don't even understand what I don't understand about men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/i-don-t-understand-men-i-don-t-even-understand-what-i-don-t/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [Good and evil are not like the Redskins and the Cowboys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/good-and-evil-are-not-like-the-redskins-and-the-cowboys/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [And as far as doing God's work, I think the bankers who took government money and then gave out obscene bonuses are the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-the-bankers-who-took/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [It is men's worst fear, personally and professionally, that women will pin the sin on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/it-is-men-s-worst-fear-personally-and-professionally-that-women-will/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) [Explore all 96 Maureen Dowd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) ## More Brick wall quotes > [“he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree). But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/he-can-see-through-a-brick-wall-in-time-as-they-say-in-bree-but/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“How did you know it was me?” she asked. “My dear Professor, I’ve never seen a cat sit so stiffly.” “You’d be stiff if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/how-did-you-know-it-was-me-she-asked-my-dear-professor-i-ve-never/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/) [Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/) > [I still have the desire to do the job of acting. It's just a matter of whether I'll be allowed to do the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-coleman/i-still-have-the-desire-to-do-the-job-of-acting-it-s-just-a-matter-of/) [Gary Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-coleman/) > [Vladimir Putin is a smart guy. I don't like him, smart guy. He is going to advance the cause of Russia until he hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kinzinger/vladimir-putin-is-a-smart-guy-i-don-t-like-him-smart-guy-he-is-going/) [Adam Kinzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kinzinger/) > [I fell down the stairs of the one level mental institute.so they put me in the safe cusion room but they found a bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-mcswain/i-fell-down-the-stairs-of-the-one-level-mental-institute-so-they-put/) [Trinity McSwain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-mcswain/) > [If you don't break a hole through the brick wall, don't just start digging a new hole. 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I kicked a brick wall.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-strand/i-cursed-s-word-f-word-s-word-d-word-s-word-times-three-f-word-and-a/) [Jeff Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-strand/) > [People who avoid the brick walls - all power to ya, but we all have to hit them sometimes in order to push through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/people-who-avoid-the-brick-walls-all-power-to-ya-but-we-all-have-to/) [Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/) > [“Shortly after this exchange my roommate suggested we start throwing water balloons at the construction workers. Not really at them because, I know, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/shortly-after-this-exchange-my-roommate-suggested-we-start-throwing/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“...when you’re property-hunting and you’re running out of patience it’s easy to make bad decisions. New York in particular has a way of making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-ryder-howe/when-you-re-property-hunting-and-you-re-running-out-of-patience-it-s/) [Ben Ryder Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-ryder-howe/) > [“If ants had a language they would, no doubt, call their anthill an artifact and describe the brick wall in its neighborhood as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-ants-had-a-language-they-would-no-doubt-call-their-anthill-an/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Martha would come over every week and check on Mia and work with her on relaxation and breathing exercises to prepare for the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-carlino/martha-would-come-over-every-week-and-check-on-mia-and-work-with-her/) [Renee Carlino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-carlino/) > [“Grief is nothing but a painful waiting, a horrible patience. Grief cannot be torn down or scaled or overcome or outsmarted. It can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/grief-is-nothing-but-a-painful-waiting-a-horrible-patience-grief/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) [Browse all 253 Brick wall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brick-wall/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I strained to remember where I was or even what I was wearing, touching my green corduroy jeans and staring at the exposed-brick wall. 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