--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's not such a bad thing,' he said to…" description: "\"That's not such a bad thing,' he said to me. 'In nightmares we can think the worst. That's what they're for, I guess.\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/stephen-king-13_bad-thing_that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-m_1867553.jpg" --- # That's not such a bad thing,' he said to me. 'In… ![“That's not such a bad thing,' he said to me. 'In nightmares we can think the worst. That's what they're for, I guess.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/stephen-king-13_bad-thing_that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-m_1867553.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/stephen-king-13_bad-thing_that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-m_1867553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/stephen-king-13_bad-thing_that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-m_1867553.jpg) > “That's not such a bad thing,' he said to me. 'In nightmares we can think the worst. That's what they're for, I guess.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nightmares allow us to confront worst fears, serving a purpose in processing anxiety. **In simple terms:** Nightmares help process fear. Key Takeaway Embrace them as mental rehearsal. Themes fear dreams psychology Mood introspective hopeful Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - sleep studies - creative writing - therapy Key Concepts cognitive processing mental health Questions to Reflect On - What insights can you draw from your nightmares? - How can you turn fear into growth? A Different Perspective Nightmares can be distressing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/) [Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares/) [Nightmares Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmares-think-2403221/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Nightmares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-nightmares-2555049/) [Thing Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-said/) [Think Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-worst/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) ## Related quotes > [“When you have one of those waking nightmares, when you think bad things in the dark and can’t go to sleep, you think happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-nicholson/when-you-have-one-of-those-waking-nightmares-when-you-think-bad/) [Scott Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-nicholson/) > [“It’s boring.” “Oh,” I said. I rubbed at my jaw. “You think I should have gone four-color?” Bob stared at me for a second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/it-s-boring-oh-i-said-i-rubbed-at-my-jaw-you-think-i-should-have-gone/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“We poor humans are wired up to always think the worst is gonna happen because it so rarely does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/we-poor-humans-are-wired-up-to-always-think-the-worst-is-gonna-happen/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I went to an arts school as a kid. We had to take dance every other day, along with drama, music and visual arts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-epstein/i-went-to-an-arts-school-as-a-kid-we-had-to-take-dance-every-other/) [Jake Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-epstein/) > [But dreams have ways of turning into nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/but-dreams-have-ways-of-turning-into-nightmares/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“The stuff of nightmare is their plain bread. They butter it with pain. They set their clocks by deathwatch beetles, and thrive the centuries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-stuff-of-nightmare-is-their-plain-bread-they-butter-it-with-pain/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have a lot of nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-brooks/i-have-a-lot-of-nightmares/) [James L. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-brooks/) > [I used to have nightmares about the Antichrist - what would happen, where it would come from, and who it would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-used-to-have-nightmares-about-the-antichrist-what-would-happen/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [I had a checkered early career, for sure, with a lot of very unhappy experiences where pictures got taken away, re-cut, re-titled... all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-had-a-checkered-early-career-for-sure-with-a-lot-of-very-unhappy/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [My dreams are of water. And my nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siouxsie-sioux/my-dreams-are-of-water-and-my-nightmares/) [Siouxsie Sioux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siouxsie-sioux/) > [Horror, for me, has to involve some sort of fantasy. Horror is something that is in your dreams or your nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/horror-for-me-has-to-involve-some-sort-of-fantasy-horror-is-something/) [Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/) > [We all have nightmares, we all wake up, we all have certain ideas of something that could be hiding around the corner and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-wyatt/we-all-have-nightmares-we-all-wake-up-we-all-have-certain-ideas-of/) [Rupert Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-wyatt/) > [“It was becoming a nightmare. Ronan could hear the night horrors coming, in love with his blood and his sadness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-was-becoming-a-nightmare-ronan-could-hear-the-night-horrors-coming/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I wish I was sleeping having a nightmare.But,im not sleeping its the reeal thing.Everything I'm losing.It wont be the same the fear is eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine/i-wish-i-was-sleeping-having-a-nightmare-but-im-not-sleeping-its-the/) [Jasmine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine/) > [“One of the critical factors that make people’s dreams become nightmares is that they don’t know there is a cost to be paid!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/one-of-the-critical-factors-that-make-people-s-dreams-become/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-shayk/in-my-business-you-should-be-very-strong-in-mind-you-have-to-be-sure/) [Irina Shayk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-shayk/) > [“I don’t know why I latched onto the idea of being friends, but it sits right with my gut. I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/) [Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/) [Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/) > [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) [Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That's not such a bad thing,' he said to me. 'In nightmares we can think the worst. That's what they're for, I guess.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-me-in-nightmares-we-can-think/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad thing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-me-in-nightmares-we-can-think/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/stephen-king-13_bad-thing_that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-m_1867553.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/stephen-king-13_bad-thing_that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-m_1867553.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b13/stephen-king-13_bad-thing_that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-m_1867553.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That's not such a bad thing,' he said to me. 'In nightmares we can think the worst. That's what they're for…” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That's not such a bad thing,'...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-me-in-nightmares-we-can-think/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/that-s-not-such-a-bad-thing-he-said-to-me-in-nightmares-we-can-think/#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 } } ] } ```