Quotes about Being Startled

Fright often occurs, caused by the unexpected.

The students are asked to rate their level of surprise on a five-point scale from ‘not surprised at all’ to ‘beyond shock’. Many describe feelings of total shock and numbness: a large majority indicate some level of surprise. He asks them: “Why were you surprised?

When one is gripped by excruciating physical pain, one is always shocked at just how frightful it can be.

What shocked us the most was that we had no idea why we should be so shocked. Like opening a ginger ale and finding Jamesons' inside: nothing wrong with it, but it sort of takes you by surprise.

Laughter is a strange response. I mean, what is it? It's a spasm of some kind! Is that always joy? It's very often discomfort. It's some sort of explosive reaction. It's very complex.

How do you find what's going to make everybody have this strange reaction in their bodies, this response that's sort of chemical and physical all at once—this noise and emotion that changes how you sit? A laugh is a weird sound, and when you get a couple thousand people making it at once, it's really strange. But when I can feel proud of myself for causing it, it's great.

Who is there who has not felt a sudden startled pang at reliving an old experience or feeling an old emotion?

When I saw the plane, I was absolutely astonished! Two emotions crashed over me: surging joy and crazy fear.

The shock of the real.

What happens with you when you begin to feel uneasy, unsettled, queasy? Notice the panic, notice when you instantly grab for something. (51)

I heard, fear-stricken and amazed, My speech tongue-tied, my hair upraised.

A touch of the jitters sharpens the mind, gets the adrenaline flowing and helps you to focus.

That's the eureka moment, when suddenly you know something. Your hands sweat, you get into all kinds of symptoms of tremendous excitement. First of all, it's fear. Is it right? And it's incredible humor. 'How could it be any other way? It had to be that way! How could we have been so stupid, not to see this?'

Dizzy with excitement is no mere phrase.

History, as it comes into our daily lives, is charged with surprise and shock.