--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was…" description: "\"“Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was like watching an old wolf stalking a fawn too young to know that if it did not run, and run now, it would win..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was_2878004.jpg" --- # Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was like watching an… ![“Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was like watching an old wolf stalking a fawn too young to know that if it did not run, and run now, it would wind up in a distant glade with its bones picked clean by the ravens.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was_2878004.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was_2878004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was_2878004.jpg) > ““Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was like watching an old wolf stalking a fawn too young to know that if it did not run, and run now, it would wind up in a distant glade with its bones picked clean by the ravens.”” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The shadow feels intense discomfort, likening it to a predator stalking vulnerable prey, evoking a sense of imminent danger and vulnerability. **In simple terms:** The shadow is uneasy, like a predator stalking a helpless animal. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and address feelings of vulnerability. Themes fear vulnerability predation Mood eerie intense Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal safety - mental health - creative writing - storytelling Key Concepts psychology mythology Questions to Reflect On - What does the shadow represent for you? - How can you protect yourself from feeling preyed upon? A Different Perspective Some may view the shadow as a metaphor for inner turmoil, not external danger. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Old Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-wolf-1868203/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Shadow Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow-felt-3972461/) [Stalking Fawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stalking-fawn-3972460/) [Wolf Stalking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolf-stalking-3972459/) ## Related quotes > [“Shadow felt like a pea being flicked between three cups, or a card being shuffled through a deck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-like-a-pea-being-flicked-between-three-cups-or-a-card/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-black/there-are-stories-of-the-cold-ones-as-old-as-the-wolf-legends-and/) [Jacob Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-black/) > [“This is our last hunt, old wolf. And as we have always done, we go to it together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/this-is-our-last-hunt-old-wolf-and-as-we-have-always-done-we-go-to-it/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [“But the old wolf’s dead and young one’s gone south to play the game of thrones,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/but-the-old-wolf-s-dead-and-young-one-s-gone-south-to-play-the-game/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“He spoke solemnly. “This is our last hunt, old wolf. And as we always have, we go to it together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/he-spoke-solemnly-this-is-our-last-hunt-old-wolf-and-as-we-always/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [You play your cards so close to your chest," said Shadow, "that I'm not even sure they're really cards at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-play-your-cards-so-close-to-your-chest-said-shadow-that-i-m-not/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I toyed briefly with an image someone once mentioned to me, of a village in the shadow of a twin-peaked mountain. In the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-toyed-briefly-with-an-image-someone-once-mentioned-to-me-of-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [None of this is truly happening," he said to Shadow. He sounded miserable. "It's all in your head. Best not to think of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/none-of-this-is-truly-happening-he-said-to-shadow-he-sounded/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Everything that is,casts a shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/everything-that-is-casts-a-shadow/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [There is no budget for travel for a Shadow Foreign Secretary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/there-is-no-budget-for-travel-for-a-shadow-foreign-secretary/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Shadow quotes > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no budget for travel for a Shadow Foreign Secretary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/there-is-no-budget-for-travel-for-a-shadow-foreign-secretary/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the dark your shadow is like a guide to me! you are my rising sun that brings forth hope just as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika-linus/even-in-the-dark-your-shadow-is-like-a-guide-to-me-you-are-my-rising/) [Nkemjika Linus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika-linus/) > [I am alive. Up here with the song of the engine and the air whispering on my face as the sunlight and shadows play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-coonts/i-am-alive-up-here-with-the-song-of-the-engine-and-the-air-whispering/) [Stephen Coonts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-coonts/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I definitely want to be with somebody who doesn't feel lost or in my shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-definitely-want-to-be-with-somebody-who-doesn-t-feel-lost-or-in-my/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Mankind is a dream of a shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pindar/mankind-is-a-dream-of-a-shadow/) [Pindar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pindar/) > [When I became successful, I put up a caution. I didn't think it was fair to have the shadow of that kind of success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/when-i-became-successful-i-put-up-a-caution-i-didn-t-think-it-was/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) [Browse all 3,665 Shadow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was like watching an old wolf stalking a fawn too young to know that if it did not run, and run now, it would wind up in a distant glade with its bones picked clean by the ravens.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was-like-watching-an-old-wolf/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Shadow" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was-like-watching-an-old-wolf/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was_2878004.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was_2878004.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/neil-gaiman-29_shadow_shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was_2878004.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was like watching an old wolf stalking a fawn too young to know that if…” — Neil Gaiman", "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": "Neil Gaiman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Shadow felt deeply uncomfortable: it was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was-like-watching-an-old-wolf/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-felt-deeply-uncomfortable-it-was-like-watching-an-old-wolf/#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 } } ] } ```