Famous quotes

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Fear

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“I beg the grace You would lay by those terrors of your face; Till calmness to your eyes you first restore, I am afraid, and I can beg no more.”
John Dryden (1631–1700) said by 1700 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Your Ben and Fletcher, in their first young flight, Did no Volpone, nor no Arbaces write; But hopp’d about, and short excursions made From bough to bough, as if they were afraid.”
John Dryden (1631–1700) said by 1700 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ah, Woman has no look so sweet As that, when, half afraid to meet The look she loves, blushes betray All the suppressed glance would say.”
Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–1838) first seen 1823 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (15th March 1823) Poetical Catalogue of Pictures. Vandyke consulting his Mistress on a Picture in Cooke's Exhibition.
“Ridicule parts social life like an invisible paling ; and we are all of us afraid of the other. To this may be in great measure attributed the difference that exists between an author's writings and his conversation. The one is often sad and thoughtful, while the other is lively and careless. The fact is, that the real character is shown in the first instance, and the assumed in the second.”
Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–1838) said by 1838 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Coraline shivered. She preferred her other mother to have a location: if she were nowhere, then she could be anywhere. And, after all, it is always easier to be afraid of something you cannot see.”
Neil Gaiman (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The great Big Black Things that have loomed against the horizon of my life, threatening to devour me, simply loomed and nothing more. The things that have really made me miss my train have always been sweet, soft, pretty, pleasant things of which I was not in the least afraid.”
Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) said by 1915 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Some terror in the swishing tall grass seemed added to that of the diabolically pounding sea, and I started up crying aloud and disjointedly, "Tiger? Tiger? Is it Tiger? Beast? Beast? Is it a Beast that I am afraid of?”
H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) said by 1937 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Children will always be afraid of the dark, and men with minds sensitive to hereditary impulse will always tremble at the thought of the hidden and fathomless worlds of strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars, or press hideously upon our own globe in unholy dimensions which only the dead and the moonstruck can glimpse.”
H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) first seen 1927 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Supernatural Horror in Literature" (1927)
“That man is not truly brave who is afraid either to seem or to be, when it suits him, a coward.”
Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) said by 1849 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think that if you use the so-called "strong words" you'll get your point across faster and you can save a lot of beating around the bush. Why are people afraid of words? Sometimes the dumbest thing that gets said makes the point for you.”
Frank Zappa (1940–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I imagine what happens to human consciousness when we die is much like turning off a computer. I don’t believe in a heaven for computers. I think the after-life is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”
Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Answering a question by Pik Botha about the fate of human consciousness at death, 50/50 (7 July 2008)
“God is sitting here, looking into my very soul to see if I think right thoughts. Yet I am not afraid, for I try to be right and good; and He knows every one of my struggles.”
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) first seen 1850 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Abiah Root (29 January 1850); Mabel Loomis Todd (ed.) Letters of Emily Dickinson, vol. 1 (Boston: Roberts Bros, 1894) p. 39 [http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/abiah_root
“She had said she was afraid of Perry, and she was, but was it simply Perry she feared, or was it a configuration of which he was part [...]? The eldest, the brother she loved, had shot himself; Fern had fallen out of a window, or jumped; and Perry was committed to violence, a criminal.”
Truman Capote (1924–1984) said by 1984 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This country will not always be an uncomfortable place for a country gentleman to live in, and it is most important that we should keep in this country a certain leisured class. I am afraid that Labour disagrees with me in that. On this matter I am a crusted Tory. I am of the opinion of the ancient Jewish book which says "there is no wisdom without leisure.”
William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) first seen 1923 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech, (28 March 1923), Seanad Éireann (Irish Free Senate), on the Damage to Property (Compensation) Bill
“I'm just afraid that I may not have the strength to do this job. After you leave me tonight, Jimmy, I am going to pray. I am going to pray that God will help me, that he will give me the strength and the guidance to do this job and to do it right. I hope that you will pray for me, too, Jimmy.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) first seen 1932 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Talking to his son James on the night of his landslide victory over Herbert Hoover (8 November 1932), as quoted in Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (2008) by …
“Let us not be afraid to help each other — let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and Senators and Congressmen and Government officials but the voters of this country.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) first seen 1938 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address at Marietta, Ohio (8 July 1938)
“It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which those who love generously know. We all know people who are so much afraid of pain that they shut themselves up like clams in a shell and, giving out nothing, receive nothing and therefore shrink until life is a mere living death. (1 April 1939)”
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) said by 1962 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I want reparations from Italy,… and then the Normans came over in 1066 … they were horrible people from France, and they came and colonized us for 30 years — we need reparations there too, I’m afraid.”
John Cleese (born 1939) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: John Cleese Had Thoughts on Slavery at SXSW and It Was Super Cringey”, The Hollywood Reporter, James Hibberd (12 March 2022)
“I am afraid I am not in the flight for “aerial navigation”. I was greatly interested in your work with kites; but I have not the smallest molecule of faith in aerial navigation other than ballooning or of expectation of good results from any of the trials we hear of. So you will understand that I would not care to be a member of the aëronautical Society.”
William Thomson (1825–1907) first seen 1896 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As a response to Major B. F. S. Baden Powell's request to join the Aeronautical Society, December 8, 1896.
“When a third wave of poverty overwhelmed me, I knew with even greater certitude than when I lived in Clerkenwell that the only complete solution to my problems was suicide. I never brought it off. I was afraid... Hopelessness was thinly spread like a drizzle over my whole outlook. But, in an emergency, I could not find a puddle of despondency deep enough to drown in.”
Quentin Crisp (1908–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To read a novel or see a play was to drink life through a straw — to smoke it through a filter-tip. If we were not afraid of blackening our teeth or riddling our lungs with cancer — if we were a dauntless race of men with strong digestions — we would be able to devour life without the aid of these over-civilized devices.”
Quentin Crisp (1908–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our trouble is that we have ignored and thus feel insecure in the enormous spectrum of love which lies between rather formal friendship and genital sexuality, and thus are always afraid that once we overstep the bounds of formal friendship we must slide inevitably to the extreme of sexual promiscuity.”
Alan Watts (1915–1973) said by 1973 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What do I care about danger? I've sent soldiers and airmen to death against the enemy — why should I be afraid?”
Hermann Göring (1893–1946) first seen 1946 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: To Leon Goldensohn (15 March 1946)
“A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That's why they don't get what they want.”
Madonna (entertainer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We're the most captive nation of slaves that ever came along. The moral timidity of the average American is quite noticeable. Everybody's afraid to be thought in any way different from everyone else.”
Gore Vidal (1925–2012) said by 2012 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He who possesses most must be most afraid of loss.”
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) said by 1519 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are at present 300,000 bourgeois in the Crimea. These are a source of future profiteering, espionage and every kind of aid to the capitalists. However, we are not afraid of them. We say that we shall take and distribute them, make them submit, and assimilate them.”
Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) said by 1924 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Lovely weather so far; I don't know how long it will last, but I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship.”
Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) said by 1888 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(On being censored): “It amazes me how afraid they are of 1 person….basically a joke blower!”
Bill Hicks (1961–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm afraid of losing my obscurity. Genuineness only thrives in the dark. Like celery.”
Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) first seen 1925 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Those Barren Leaves (1925)
“Only those are fit to live who are not afraid of dying.”
Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) first seen 1951 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Richards Topical Encyclopedia (1951)
“Come on back and we'll see if you remember the simplest thing of all – how it is to be children, secure in belief and thus afraid of the dark.”
Stephen King (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Many so called primitives are afraid of cameras. They think it can capture their soul and take it away. There is in fact something obscene and sinister about photography, a desire to imprison, to incorporate, sexual intensity, a sexual intensity of pursuit.”
William S. Burroughs (1914–1997) said by 1997 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“'Don't just do something, stand there.' Gary Cooper wasn't afraid to do nothing.”
Clint Eastwood (born 1930) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“How wonderful is Cold Mountain Climbers are all afraid The moon shines on clear water twinkle twinkle Wind rustles the tall grass Plum trees flower in the snow Bare twisted trees have clouds for foliage A touch of rain brings it all alive Unless you see clearly do not approach”
Hanshan (born 800) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick," said the Witch, "so you cannot miss it. When you get to Oz do not be afraid of him, but tell your story and ask him to help you".”
L. Frank Baum (1856–1919) said by 1919 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You have not that power you ought to have over him, till he comes to be more afraid of offending so good a friend than of losing some part of his future expectation.”
John Locke (1632–1704) said by 1704 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The only thing we are naturally afraid of is pain, or loss of pleasure. And because these are not annexed to any shape, colour, or size of visible objects, we are frighted of none of them, till either we have felt pain from them, or have notions put into us that they will do us harm.”
John Locke (1632–1704) said by 1704 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Here's my throat. I carry no weapon. You could have killed me at any time, even when I knew you were my enemy. Why did you need to deceive me into trusting you first? Were you afraid that death wouldn't bother me enough, unless I felt betrayed?”
Orson Scott Card (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What difference does it make, whether we keep our silence because [they] force us or because we're afraid they might force us?”
Orson Scott Card (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Knowing something may be a terrible burden to bear, but it holds no danger to them as aren't afraid of truth.”
Orson Scott Card (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The more rational statement is that we feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike, afraid because we tremble, and not that we cry, strike, or tremble, because we are sorry, angry, or fearful, as the case may be. Without the bodily states following on the perception, the latter would be purely cognitive in form, pale, colorless, destitute of emotional warmth.”
William James (1842–1910) said by 1910 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.”
William James (1842–1910) first seen 1897 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: William James, "Is Life Worth Living?," The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy (1897)
Also quoted by: Henry James (misattributed)
“Not only must people know, they must see with their own eyes. Because they must be made to be afraid; but also because they must be the witnesses, the guarantors, of the punishment, and because they must to a certain extent take part in it.”
Michel Foucault (1926–1984) said by 1984 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He will never have true friends who is afraid of making enemies.”
William Hazlitt (1778–1830) said by 1830 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Bite on the bullet, old man, and don't let them think you're afraid.”
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) first seen 1890 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Light That Failed, ch. 11 (1890-1891).
“It is always delightful to have one's feelings expressed by some one else in language of enthusiasm one might oneself be afraid to employ.”
Alfred Austin (1835–1913) said by 1913 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you are afraid of wolves, keep out of the woods.”
Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the Draft Constitution of the U.S.S.R., 25 November 1936.
“When dealing with such a race as Slavic - inferior and barbarian - we must not pursue the carrot, but the stick policy [...] We should not be afraid of new victims [...] The Italian border should run across the Brenner Pass, Monte Nevoso and the Dinaric Alps: I would say we can easily sacrifice 500,000 barbaric Slavs for 50,000 Italians.”
Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) first seen 1920 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech held in Pula, 20 September 1920
“The fact is all lives matter. That includes black, and it includes white, and it includes everybody else. And we have... Democrats that are afraid to even say that.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source