--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For I knew already that something had…" description: "\"“For I knew already that something had taken me from me, and had replaced it with a desperate longing for a time before; a time before fear; a time bef..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/sarah-winman-10153_fear_for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-ta_2009443.png" --- # For I knew already that something had taken me from me… ![“For I knew already that something had taken me from me, and had replaced it with a desperate longing for a time before; a time before fear; a time before shame. And now that knowledge had a voice that rose from the depths of my years and howled into the night sky like a wounded animal longing for…” quote by Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/sarah-winman-10153_fear_for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-ta_2009443.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/sarah-winman-10153_fear_for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-ta_2009443.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/sarah-winman-10153_fear_for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-ta_2009443.png) > ““For I knew already that something had taken me from me, and had replaced it with a desperate longing for a time before; a time before fear; a time before shame. And now that knowledge had a voice that rose from the depths of my years and howled into the night sky like a wounded animal longing for home.”” [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) ## 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 a profound loss of self, replaced by yearning for a simpler, fearless past, and this yearning becomes a painful, animalistic cry for belonging. **In simple terms:** Loss of self replaced by longing for a past without fear or shame. Key Takeaway Embrace the present and heal old wounds. Themes identity longing nostalgia fear shame Mood melancholic reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - personal reflection - therapy sessions Key Concepts existential yearning psychological trauma self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - What does your “time before” represent? - How can you honor that longing without staying stuck? A Different Perspective The longing may romanticize the past, ignoring present possibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Longing for home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing-for-home/) [Night sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-sky/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“And from that moment, I watched her. Watched her with different coloured eyes, until the raging energy that coursed through my body finally revealed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/and-from-that-moment-i-watched-her-watched-her-with-different/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“The word longing comes from the same root as the word long in the sense of length in either time or space and also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-word-longing-comes-from-the-same-root-as-the-word-long-in-the/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [“We look for the sense of being Home in a physical home, in a family, in a lover. But unless we can experience it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-lake/we-look-for-the-sense-of-being-home-in-a-physical-home-in-a-family-in/) [Gina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-lake/) > [The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing — to reach the Mountain, to find the place where all the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-sweetest-thing-in-all-my-life-has-been-the-longing-to-reach-the/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“I mean, by such flightiness, something that feels unsatisfied at the center of my life — that makes me shaky, fickle, inquisitive, and hungry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-mean-by-such-flightiness-something-that-feels-unsatisfied-at-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“Sometimes diaspora art expresses a longing for home, and frequently it tries to construct a collective identity out of its mostly heterogeneous reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sieglinde-lemke/sometimes-diaspora-art-expresses-a-longing-for-home-and-frequently-it/) Sieglinde Lemke > [We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is. We glimpse it sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/we-are-all-strangers-in-a-strange-land-longing-for-home-but-not-quite/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Deep within each of us is a longing for home. We yearn for a place of comfort where we can be ourselves, where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/deep-within-each-of-us-is-a-longing-for-home-we-yearn-for-a-place-of/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [That experience of losing home, longing for home, that yearning for meaning and rootedness and identity in a floating world, it's what often makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/that-experience-of-losing-home-longing-for-home-that-yearning-for/) [Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/) > [All language is a longing for home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/all-language-is-a-longing-for-home/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I've written a number of songs over the years and it's a big part of my life, this sort of tension between a longing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-taylor/i-ve-written-a-number-of-songs-over-the-years-and-it-s-a-big-part-of/) [James Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-taylor/) > [The feeling of longing for home is born into us. That wonderful dream cannot become real without great faith - enough for the Holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/the-feeling-of-longing-for-home-is-born-into-us-that-wonderful-dream/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [She found herself longing for home-not just for the hotel but for New York and all the real novels that she could lose herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-godbersen/she-found-herself-longing-for-home-not-just-for-the-hotel-but-for-new/) [Anna Godbersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-godbersen/) > [“A minute later, the young Turk and Howard parted on frosty terms, not much warmed by Howard’s twenty-pence tip, the only extra change he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/a-minute-later-the-young-turk-and-howard-parted-on-frosty-terms-not/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [And so much of my life has been about returning home and longing for home, wanting my children to know about my roots. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sela-ward/and-so-much-of-my-life-has-been-about-returning-home-and-longing-for/) [Sela Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sela-ward/) ## More by Sarah Winman > [You can hold onto anything to make you carry on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/you-can-hold-onto-anything-to-make-you-carry-on/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“... I wrote about ... my childhood, when dreams were small and attainable for all. When sweets were a penny and god was a rabbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/i-wrote-about-my-childhood-when-dreams-were-small-and-attainable-for/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“Autumn knocks on the window. I pull back the sliding doors and let it in. Lights from the meat market flicker and car lights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/autumn-knocks-on-the-window-i-pull-back-the-sliding-doors-and-let-it/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“The first thing we need to find,' said Mr Golan, 'is a reason to live'. ... 'Without a reason, why bother? Existence needs purpose:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr-golan-is-a-reason-to-live/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“You said I could be anything I wanted when I was older', I said. She smiled and said, 'And you can be. But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/you-said-i-could-be-anything-i-wanted-when-i-was-older-i-said-she/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“He started to do that, started to inform me of everything; the inconsequential, the meaningful; conversations that ended in a cul-de-sac of unanswerable rhetoric.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/he-started-to-do-that-started-to-inform-me-of-everything-the/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [ “\[My mum\] was always like that: grateful for life itself. Her glass was not only half full, it was gold plated with a permanent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/my-mum-was-always-like-that-grateful-for-life-itself-her-glass-was/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“It was the final chapter of his breakdown, the moment when his glass drained of everything, and its emptiness awaited only for choices to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/it-was-the-final-chapter-of-his-breakdown-the-moment-when-his-glass/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“There's something about first love, isn't there? she said. It's untouchable to those who played no part in it. But it's the measure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/there-s-something-about-first-love-isn-t-there-she-said-it-s/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [Memories no matter how small or inconsequential are the pages that define us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/memories-no-matter-how-small-or-inconsequential-are-the-pages-that/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“And I wonder what the sound of a heart breaking might be. And I think it might be quiet, unperceptively so, and not dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/and-i-wonder-what-the-sound-of-a-heart-breaking-might-be-and-i-think/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“I'd been feeling like this for a while, the continual looking back, the stuckness of it all. I blamed it on the coming New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/i-d-been-feeling-like-this-for-a-while-the-continual-looking-back-the/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“Everyone had a story of grief. Everyone else's was worse than yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/everyone-had-a-story-of-grief-everyone-else-s-was-worse-than-yours/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“I thought that probably I was worth more when I was younger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/i-thought-that-probably-i-was-worth-more-when-i-was-younger/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“... shunning all offers of help, all offers of the more practical... This was his task, he said, and it would be carried out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/shunning-all-offers-of-help-all-offers-of-the-more-practical-this-was/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) [Explore all 61 Sarah Winman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) ## 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. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. 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": "“For I knew already that something had taken me from me, and had replaced it with a desperate longing for a time before; a time before fear; a time before shame. And now that knowledge had a voice that rose from the depths of my years and howled into the night sky like a wounded animal longing for home.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Winman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-taken-me-from-me-and-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-taken-me-from-me-and-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/sarah-winman-10153_fear_for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-ta_2009443.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/sarah-winman-10153_fear_for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-ta_2009443.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/sarah-winman-10153_fear_for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-ta_2009443.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For I knew already that something had taken me from me, and had replaced it with a desperate longing for a…” — Sarah Winman", "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": "Sarah Winman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For I knew already that something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-taken-me-from-me-and-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/for-i-knew-already-that-something-had-taken-me-from-me-and-had/#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 } } ] } ```