--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever I was asked what I wanted my…" description: "\"“Whenever I was asked what I wanted my first impulse was to answer “Nothing.” The thought went through my mind that it didn’t make any difference, that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/osamu-dazai-2813_fear_whenever-i-was-asked-what-i-wanted-my-fi_3029529.jpg" --- # Whenever I was asked what I wanted my first impulse was to… ![“Whenever I was asked what I wanted my first impulse was to answer “Nothing.” The thought went through my mind that it didn’t make any difference, that nothing was going to make me happy. At the same time I was congenitally unable to refuse anything offered to me by another person, no matter how…” quote by Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/osamu-dazai-2813_fear_whenever-i-was-asked-what-i-wanted-my-fi_3029529.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/osamu-dazai-2813_fear_whenever-i-was-asked-what-i-wanted-my-fi_3029529.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/osamu-dazai-2813_fear_whenever-i-was-asked-what-i-wanted-my-fi_3029529.jpg) > ““Whenever I was asked what I wanted my first impulse was to answer “Nothing.” The thought went through my mind that it didn’t make any difference, that nothing was going to make me happy. At the same time I was congenitally unable to refuse anything offered to me by another person, no matter how little it might suit my tastes. When I hated something, I could not pronounce the words, “I don’t like it.” When I liked something I tasted it hesitantly, furtively, as though it were extremely bitter. In either case I was torn by unspeakable fear. In other words, I hadn’t the strength even to choose between two alternatives.”” [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) ## 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 paralyzed by indecision and fear, unable to assert preferences or reject offers, leading to a loss of agency. **In simple terms:** He cannot choose because fear blocks his will. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront fear to regain decision‑making power. Themes indecision fear agency self‑esteem Mood anxious reflective Type psychological personal When to use this quote - therapy sessions - relationship negotiations - career choices - daily decisions Key Concepts existential anxiety personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - What fear underlies your inability to say no? - How can you practice small, safe refusals? A Different Perspective Fear may be rooted in deeper trauma, making simple choices feel overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ## Related quotes > [“When I liked something I tasted it hesitantly, furtively, as though it were extremely bitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/when-i-liked-something-i-tasted-it-hesitantly-furtively-as-though-it/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“The truth is,” she said shakily, “that I am scared to death of being here.” “I know you are,” he said, sobering, “but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/the-truth-is-she-said-shakily-that-i-am-scared-to-death-of-being-here/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“Since there is no one like God, therefore all people should fear Him—in other words, dread His power and be devoted to His person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/since-there-is-no-one-like-god-therefore-all-people-should-fear-him/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [Please learn the pragmatics of expressing fear: sometimes words that seem to express really invoke. This can be tricky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/please-learn-the-pragmatics-of-expressing-fear-sometimes-words-that/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Many people fear the words Lord and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/many-people-fear-the-words-lord-and-god/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [“Or how we feel a surge of love for a partner but we don't say anything because we're frozen with the fear of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/or-how-we-feel-a-surge-of-love-for-a-partner-but-we-don-t-say/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I'm reading a book that actually scares me. 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He spoke a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-araya/growing-up-my-dad-drank-a-lot-of-wine-so-i-got-a-taste-for-and/) [Tom Araya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-araya/) > [My musical tastes - I'm always searching for new things. I know a lot of people say they listen to everything, but I kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/my-musical-tastes-i-m-always-searching-for-new-things-i-know-a-lot-of/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [“While taste conveys the complexity of life, a good chef should keep in mind that food can have a meaning that is often not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-m-kelby/while-taste-conveys-the-complexity-of-life-a-good-chef-should-keep-in/) [N.M. Kelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-m-kelby/) ## More by Osamu Dazai > [I want to spend my time with people who don't look to be respected. But such good people won't want to spend their time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/i-want-to-spend-my-time-with-people-who-don-t-look-to-be-respected/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“Disqualified as a human being. I had now ceased utterly to be a human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/disqualified-as-a-human-being-i-had-now-ceased-utterly-to-be-a-human/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [I was afraid to board a streetcar because of the conductor; I was afraid to enter the Kabuki Theater for fear of the usherettes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/i-was-afraid-to-board-a-streetcar-because-of-the-conductor-i-was/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“Tomorrow will probably be another day like today. Happiness will never come my way. I know that. 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Whatever I do depresses me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/of-late-a-gloomy-rain-has-been-falling-almost-incessantly-whatever-i/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“All I feel are the assaults of apprehension and terror at the thought that I am the only one who is entirely unlike the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/all-i-feel-are-the-assaults-of-apprehension-and-terror-at-the-thought/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [Last year nothing happened The year before nothing happened And the year before that nothing happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/last-year-nothing-happened-the-year-before-nothing-happened-and-the/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“Disqualified as a human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/disqualified-as-a-human-being/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [“Logic, inevitably, is the love of logic. It is not the love for living human beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/logic-inevitably-is-the-love-of-logic-it-is-not-the-love-for-living/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [I like roses best. But they bloom in all four seasons. I wonder if people who like roses best have to die four times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/i-like-roses-best-but-they-bloom-in-all-four-seasons-i-wonder-if/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) > [But happiness is being able to hope, however faintly, for happiness. So, at least, we must believe if we are to live in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/but-happiness-is-being-able-to-hope-however-faintly-for-happiness-so/) [Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) [Explore all 135 Osamu Dazai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/) [Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/) > [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/) [M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/) > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [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/) > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. 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But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) [Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Whenever I was asked what I wanted my first impulse was to answer “Nothing.” The thought went through my mind that it didn’t make any difference, that nothing was going to make me happy. At the same time I was congenitally unable to refuse anything offered to me by another person, no matter how little it might suit my tastes. 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