--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Almost like being in the nightmare, that…" description: "\"“Almost like being in the nightmare, that same feverish blur of the world slipping off its axis, but this time he was the one in control, this time he ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/patrick-ness-449_quote_almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that_857694.jpg" --- # Almost like being in the nightmare, that same feverish… ![“Almost like being in the nightmare, that same feverish blur of the world slipping off its axis, but this time he was the one in control, this time he was the nightmare.” quote by Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/patrick-ness-449_quote_almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that_857694.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/patrick-ness-449_quote_almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that_857694.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/patrick-ness-449_quote_almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that_857694.jpg) > ““Almost like being in the nightmare, that same feverish blur of the world slipping off its axis, but this time he was the one in control, this time he was the nightmare.”” [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## 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 like a nightmare in control, flipping the usual fear dynamic and exploring power over chaos. **In simple terms:** He becomes the nightmare he once feared. Key Takeaway Embrace agency in chaotic moments. Themes power control identity Mood intense reflective null Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal crises - creative writing - mental health - null Key Concepts psychology chaos theory Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt in control of chaos? - What does power mean to you? 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Once there was this and that; and now-and the ship had gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/the-world-that-understandable-and-lawful-world-was-slipping-away-once/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/the-world-that-understandable-and-lawful-world-was-slipping-away/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) ## More by Patrick Ness > [“I rub the ears of my dog, my stupid goddam ruddy great dog that I never wanted but who hung around anyway and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-rub-the-ears-of-my-dog-my-stupid-goddam-ruddy-great-dog-that-i/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“The Prince had fallen in love. She was only a farmer's daughter, but she was was beautiful, and also smart, as the daughters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/the-prince-had-fallen-in-love-she-was-only-a-farmer-s-daughter-but/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Here is the boy, drowning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/here-is-the-boy-drowning/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“This is it. This is goodbye. A goodbye I wasn't even looking for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/this-is-it-this-is-goodbye-a-goodbye-i-wasn-t-even-looking-for/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“ But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? the monster said, bending down so it's face was close to Conor's. 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Two, if you can control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-have-two-maxims-that-i-believe-dear-girl-one-if-you-can-control/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [To live is to fight, to preserve life is to fight everything that man stands for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/to-live-is-to-fight-to-preserve-life-is-to-fight-everything-that-man/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Because he KNEW he was doing wrong. He felt the PAIN of his actions'-- 'But he did not amen them,' shows the Sky. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/because-he-knew-he-was-doing-wrong-he-felt-the-pain-of-his-actions/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“This was a kingdom. (“What?” Conor said, looking around his backyard. “Here?”) (The monster cocked its head at him curiously. You have not heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/this-was-a-kingdom-what-conor-said-looking-around-his-backyard-here/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [If you ever see a war," she says, not looking up from her clipboard, "you'll learn that war only destroys. No one escapes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/if-you-ever-see-a-war-she-says-not-looking-up-from-her-clipboard-you/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) [Explore all 527 Patrick Ness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## More Nightmare quotes > [Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/whenever-you-define-family-as-anything-other-than-a-man-and-a-woman/) [Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. 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Then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-nightmare-scenario-is-that-the-government-saves-citibank-once/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I don't think I suffered with depression, I don't think I'm a depressed type of person - I just think I suffered a depression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-o-sullivan/i-don-t-think-i-suffered-with-depression-i-don-t-think-i-m-a/) [Ronnie O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-o-sullivan/) > [“The worst nightmare is to have no dreams”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-amo/the-worst-nightmare-is-to-have-no-dreams/) [Thomas Amo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-amo/) > [So actually I'll be living out my nightmare. Trapped in the city with only Blair Waldorf to talk to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-humphrey/so-actually-i-ll-be-living-out-my-nightmare-trapped-in-the-city-with/) [Dan Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-humphrey/) > [“There was no waking from this nightmare, no comforting whisper in the dark that he was safe really, that it was all in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/there-was-no-waking-from-this-nightmare-no-comforting-whisper-in-the/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [In storytelling you kind of put your nightmares up there, you put your dreams up there and people can see them better because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-hunter/in-storytelling-you-kind-of-put-your-nightmares-up-there-you-put-your/) [Holly Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-hunter/) > [I'm not a fan of musicals at all, but I do think 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' is a very good. I always thought 'Walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sangster/i-m-not-a-fan-of-musicals-at-all-but-i-do-think-the-nightmare-before/) [Thomas Sangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sangster/) > [he was the monster that stalked nightmare and they both knew it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/he-was-the-monster-that-stalked-nightmare-and-they-both-knew-it/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [Whenever I go back to London, I have this horrible feeling that something bad will happen, and I won't be able to get back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-andrews/whenever-i-go-back-to-london-i-have-this-horrible-feeling-that/) [Naveen Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-andrews/) > [If you lost the love of your life, that's a nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-dupieux/if-you-lost-the-love-of-your-life-that-s-a-nightmare/) [Quentin Dupieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-dupieux/) > [Waking up and hoping that the dream you had was real and the nightmare you ad never happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace/waking-up-and-hoping-that-the-dream-you-had-was-real-and-the/) [Ace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace/) > [Coal is My Worst Nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/coal-is-my-worst-nightmare/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [The world's not a very comfortable place if you have a nightmare to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee-jones/the-world-s-not-a-very-comfortable-place-if-you-have-a-nightmare-to/) [Tommy Lee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee-jones/) [Browse all 1,442 Nightmare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Almost like being in the nightmare, that same feverish blur of the world slipping off its axis, but this time he was the one in control, this time he was the nightmare.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patrick Ness" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that-same-feverish-blur-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nightmare" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that-same-feverish-blur-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/patrick-ness-449_quote_almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that_857694.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/patrick-ness-449_quote_almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that_857694.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/patrick-ness-449_quote_almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that_857694.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Almost like being in the nightmare, that same feverish blur of the world slipping off its axis, but this…” — Patrick Ness", "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": "Patrick Ness", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Almost like being in the nightmare,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that-same-feverish-blur-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/almost-like-being-in-the-nightmare-that-same-feverish-blur-of-the/#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 } } ] } ```