--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was thinking what it must feel like to…" description: "\"“I was thinking what it must feel like to be a prisoner going to die; you stand there looking at the sun and the sky and the grass and the trees, and b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/shirley-jackson-1526_every-day_i-was-thinking-what-it-must-feel-like-to_2251555.jpg" --- # I was thinking what it must feel like to be a prisoner… ![“I was thinking what it must feel like to be a prisoner going to die; you stand there looking at the sun and the sky and the grass and the trees, and because it's the last time you're going to see them they're wonderful, full of colors you never noticed before, and bright and beautiful and terribly…” quote by Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/shirley-jackson-1526_every-day_i-was-thinking-what-it-must-feel-like-to_2251555.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/shirley-jackson-1526_every-day_i-was-thinking-what-it-must-feel-like-to_2251555.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/shirley-jackson-1526_every-day_i-was-thinking-what-it-must-feel-like-to_2251555.jpg) > ““I was thinking what it must feel like to be a prisoner going to die; you stand there looking at the sun and the sky and the grass and the trees, and because it's the last time you're going to see them they're wonderful, full of colors you never noticed before, and bright and beautiful and terribly hard to leave behind. And then, suppose you're reprieved, and you get up the next morning and you're not dead; could you look again at the sun and the trees and the sky and think they're the same old sun and sky and trees, nothing special at all, just the same told things you've seen every day? Not changed at all, just because you don't have to give them up?”” [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on how impending death sharpens perception, making ordinary beauty seem extraordinary, and how survival can dull that heightened awareness. **In simple terms:** Facing death makes everyday things seem more vivid; surviving can make them feel ordinary. Key Takeaway Appreciate ordinary moments before they become ordinary. Themes mortality perception beauty loss appreciation Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical literary existential When to use this quote - terminal illness - near‑death experience - daily routine - grief counseling Key Concepts existentialism psychology aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of mortality change your daily experience? - Can you cultivate the same appreciation without a crisis? A Different Perspective The intensity of perception may also be influenced by emotional state, not just mortality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Prisoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner/) ## Related quotes > [She's like a prisoner inside stone walls, and every day the walls get a little thicker, the doorways a little narrower." "And?" 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Their words seemed to glimmer in the air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-connelly/their-conversations-were-often-charged-with-an-excitement-out-of/) [Karen Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-connelly/) > [“Happiness was still on the other side of a glass door, but at least she could see it through the glass, like a prisoner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happiness-was-still-on-the-other-side-of-a-glass-door-but-at-least/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I don't want to live like a prisoner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hilson/i-don-t-want-to-live-like-a-prisoner/) [Keri Hilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hilson/) > [“That’s what it’s like to be a prisoner of anything. 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The sun made her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-gratton/she-was-asleep-in-my-car-i-stood-next-to-the-passenger-side-for-a/) [Tessa Gratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-gratton/) > [“It was like looking at the sun and not going blind”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corey-whaley/it-was-like-looking-at-the-sun-and-not-going-blind/) [John Corey Whaley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corey-whaley/) ## More by Shirley Jackson > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-could-not-remember-ever-being-truly-happy-in-her-adult-life-her/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Upstairs Margaret said abruptly, 'I suppose it starts to happen first in the suburbs,' and when Brad said, 'What starts to happen?' she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/upstairs-margaret-said-abruptly-i-suppose-it-starts-to-happen-first/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“The beautiful clarity of all marked outlines occurred to her--there would be a deep satisfaction in strengthening fences, for instance, going along on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/the-beautiful-clarity-of-all-marked-outlines-occurred-to-her-there/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“And we held each other in the dark hall and laughed, with the tears running down our cheeks and echoes of our laughter going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/and-we-held-each-other-in-the-dark-hall-and-laughed-with-the-tears/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Why do people want to talk to each other? 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