---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The cold was bothering me. You'd think…"
description: "\"“The cold was bothering me. You'd think I'd welcome it. But it's something to do with being dead, I guess. You don't feel it as cold. You feel it as a ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/neil-gaiman-29_cold_the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i_2915458.jpg"
---

#  The cold was bothering me. You'd think I'd welcome it. But…

![“The cold was bothering me. You'd think I'd welcome it. But it's something to do with being dead, I guess. You don't feel it as cold. You feel it as a sort of nothing, and when you're dead I guess the only thing that you're scared of is nothing.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/neil-gaiman-29_cold_the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i_2915458.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/neil-gaiman-29_cold_the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i_2915458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/neil-gaiman-29_cold_the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i_2915458.jpg)

> ““The cold was bothering me. You'd think I'd welcome it. But it's something to do with being dead, I guess. You don't feel it as cold. You feel it as a sort of nothing, and when you're dead I guess the only thing that you're scared of is nothing.””

[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.

Death is described as a numb, empty state where fear is of the unknown rather than physical sensations.

**In simple terms:** Being dead feels like a void, not cold.

Key Takeaway

Recognize fear of emptiness.

Themes

mortality existential fear void perception

Mood

somber contemplative

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- philosophical reflection
- creative writing
- mental health discussions

Key Concepts

nihilism existential dread psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does the idea of “nothing” shape your view of death?
- Can fear of emptiness be transformed into acceptance?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex emotional experiences of loss.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm not going to hurt her. I know she's special and I tried to stay away, but when I'm with I don't feel so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/i-m-not-going-to-hurt-her-i-know-she-s-special-and-i-tried-to-stay/)

[Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/)

> [“She had covered herself in frost, so every part of her grew cold and would not feel, because of that single part that longed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shehanne-moore/she-had-covered-herself-in-frost-so-every-part-of-her-grew-cold-and/)

[Shehanne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shehanne-moore/)

> [“Hey, you feel like driving today?" he asks. "I don't want to walk to the bus stop. It's too cold." "You feel like dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/hey-you-feel-like-driving-today-he-asks-i-don-t-want-to-walk-to-the/)

[Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/)

> [You're so cold, but you feel alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breaking-benjamin/you-re-so-cold-but-you-feel-alive/)

[Breaking Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breaking-benjamin/)

> [“You don't know what cold is until you've experienced the cold you feel when the blood is draining out of your body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/you-don-t-know-what-cold-is-until-you-ve-experienced-the-cold-you/)

[Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/)

> [“Here's the thing. Here's the thing I hate: His concern is like a really warm drink when your body is cold, and you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/here-s-the-thing-here-s-the-thing-i-hate-his-concern-is-like-a-really/)

[Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/)

> [It gets so cold when you feel lonely but there is noone to talk to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninah-nyaulanda/it-gets-so-cold-when-you-feel-lonely-but-there-is-noone-to-talk-to/)

Ninah Nyaulanda

> [Someday, when I'm awfully low, and the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you, and the way you look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bennett/someday-when-i-m-awfully-low-and-the-world-is-cold-i-will-feel-a-glow/)

[Tony Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bennett/)

> [When I speak My lips feel cold - The autumn wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/when-i-speak-my-lips-feel-cold-the-autumn-wind/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [“It’s like a broken bone that never healed quite right. An ache that I feel on cold days when the chill of your memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-newman/it-s-like-a-broken-bone-that-never-healed-quite-right-an-ache-that-i/)

[Liz Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-newman/)

> [“You know," he said, his voice making me feel cold in spite of the heat, "this city can get ahold of you and pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-know-he-said-his-voice-making-me-feel-cold-in-spite-of-the-heat/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [People going from Southern Italy to the North say that they feel cold not only for the different climate, but for the less "warm"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-hofstede/people-going-from-southern-italy-to-the-north-say-that-they-feel-cold/)

[Geert Hofstede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-hofstede/)

> [We feel cold, but we don't mind it, because we will not come to harm. And if we wrapped up against the cold, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-feel-cold-but-we-don-t-mind-it-because-we-will-not-come-to-harm/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“I once had a lover and his arms were so strong that my skull was crushed in his grip. With his bare hands he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wallace/i-once-had-a-lover-and-his-arms-were-so-strong-that-my-skull-was/)

[Naomi Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wallace/)

> [I never knew a heart could feel so cold so empty so broken until now , I don't know what to say I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-knew-a-heart-could-feel-so-cold-so-empty-so-broken-until-now/)

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

## 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 Cold quotes

> [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/)

[Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [Of course Messi could handle a cold Tuesday night in Stoke. He'd be drinking tea and relaxing beforehand. Me? I'd probably be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymar/of-course-messi-could-handle-a-cold-tuesday-night-in-stoke-he-d-be/)

[Neymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymar/)

> [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/)

[George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/)

> [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/)

[Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/)

> [You start playing when it's cold and you want to be playing when it's cold again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimy-williams/you-start-playing-when-it-s-cold-and-you-want-to-be-playing-when-it-s/)

Jimy Williams

> [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [I would have touched it like a child But knew my finger could but have touched Cold stone and water. I grew wild, Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-would-have-touched-it-like-a-child-but-knew-my-finger-could-but/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [What's to become of the morally sound? Left out in the cold, I suppose. We must heal the sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/what-s-to-become-of-the-morally-sound-left-out-in-the-cold-i-suppose/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [When I first started, all the reviews of Cold Chisel would say, 'This singer won't have a voice in six months.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/when-i-first-started-all-the-reviews-of-cold-chisel-would-say-this/)

[Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/)

> [One of the problems trying to play an instrument outside in the cold is your fingers give up on you and you can't wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-macdonald/one-of-the-problems-trying-to-play-an-instrument-outside-in-the-cold/)

[Amy Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-macdonald/)

> [God tempers the cold to the shorn sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-etienne-sainte-claire-deville/god-tempers-the-cold-to-the-shorn-sheep/)

Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville

> [Those nights lying alone are not discontinuous with this cold hectic dawn. It is who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/those-nights-lying-alone-are-not-discontinuous-with-this-cold-hectic/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

[Browse all 5,381 Cold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The cold was bothering me. You'd think I'd welcome it. But it's something to do with being dead, I guess. You don't feel it as cold. You feel it as a sort of nothing, and when you're dead I guess the only thing that you're scared of is nothing.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil Gaiman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i-d-welcome-it-but-it-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cold"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i-d-welcome-it-but-it-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/neil-gaiman-29_cold_the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i_2915458.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/neil-gaiman-29_cold_the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i_2915458.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/neil-gaiman-29_cold_the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i_2915458.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The cold was bothering me. You'd think I'd welcome it. But it's something to do with being dead, I guess…” — 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": "“The cold was bothering me. You'd...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i-d-welcome-it-but-it-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-cold-was-bothering-me-you-d-think-i-d-welcome-it-but-it-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
