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Fear

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“Most transactions have an upside and a downside, but when something is FREE! we forget the downside. FREE! gives us such an emotional charge that we perceive what is being offered as immensely more valuable than it really is. Why? I think it's because humans are intrinsically afraid of loss”
Dan Ariely (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have spoken in the past about how youth is not an embodiment of age, but of attitude - a willingness to risk for what is right, among others. We also shouldn’t be afraid to acknowledge the dearth of young elected officials + those implications.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born 1989) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Twitter post, (23 December 2018)
“In this distancing, are aspects of our own reality as persons deeply concealed, and the concealment concealed? Are many professors of philosophy today afraid to reflect? I think so.”
Bruce Wilshire (1932–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And guess what: you don't need much technique to do that… You don't! You just have to live the idea. But some of you're afraid, you get it? And so you think and you pose. And honey there is nothing more boring. That's a whole other world, that's the world of phoniness, glamour magazines that devised us, right? And so in dance we want to see the truth, let's ride of that.”
Alonzo King (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So when you have to ask yourself: "Why am I holding back, why am I doing pictures?" And it's usually: that's because you're afraid. Bottom line. And for great art you have to be brave. So that the whole world is going to laugh at you but you don't care, do you get me? And when they say: "Ah that's stupid!" You don't care. You follow that song. I'm sorry, it's true.”
Alonzo King (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am never afraid of what I know.”
Anna Sewell (1820–1878) said by 1878 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I want to tell all my fans at Nico Nico to live their life without any judgments, and be adventurous. When opportunity comes, put work into your faith, and don't be afraid to go out and live life. Whatever your sexuality is - gay, straight, boy, girl - go have fun. That's what life is all about. And live a life of yugamineena.”
Billy Herrington (1969–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A freshman congresswoman Ilhan Omar has let the proverbial cat out of the bag by alluding to American-Jewish money buying uncritical support for a foreign country which is Israel without any regard to broader U.S. interests, something that everyone in Washington knows is true and has been the case for decades but is afraid to discuss due to inevitable punishment by the Israel Lobby...”
Philip Giraldi (born 1946) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: No, Dual Loyalty Isn't Okay, Many in congress and the media won’t discuss loyalty to Israel" The Unz Review (March 12, 2019)
“Englishmen look on death in quite a different light to what other nations do, and are not afraid of it. As I have mentioned elsewhere, most criminals may be seen going with wonderful courage and fortitude to the gallows. I have also remarked that the passions of this nation are extremely strong and violent; they cannot bear failure, and customs and example are, I think, a great incitement to them.”
César-François de Saussure (1705–1783) first seen 1727 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter VIII, Islington, near London, 29 May 1727, p. 198
“Why are they afraid of the young people who have discovered their country and their flag and the outstretched arm salute? This is not nostalgia but regrets for bygone days that have taught much about ideals and honesty and even about morality.”
Alessandra Mussolini (born 1962) first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: William D. Montalbano, "A Rightful Heir of Mussolini?: Meet his granddaughter. She's a former starlet who's following in his fascist footsteps – right into Italy's Parliament amid a disturbing rebirth of nationalist sen…
“First off, what’s wrong with Iran acquiring nuclear devices. Truthfully, look at it. We’ve got ‘em. China’s got ‘em. India’s got ‘em. Anybody’s who’s afraid of us has got them." -- On Iran’s Nuclear Program. Interview.”
Mike Gravel (1930–2021) said by 2021 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Grab love of life every day. Because we're all gonna die. It's difficult to live that way. Most people are afraid to. Or can't. I find it very difficult.”
Jeremy Renner (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I went to the [Rio de Janeiro] carnival three years in a row. ... I found a married life, politics and Latin dancing are not compatible so I'm afraid I've left my dancing years behind me.”
Jeremy Hunt (born 1966) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From an interview, as cited in "Jeremy Hunt: The next election will be the fight of my life – but I’m up for the battle", The Telegraph (17 November 2023)
“Our government is not afraid of criticism, in fact we welcome criticism. We believe that the Revolution has gained over the months some positive and constructive criticisms which have been made from time to time.”
Maurice Bishop (1944–1983) first seen 1979 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Free Press and the Role of the Media", (10-12 November 1979)
“I am ready to confess that I am keyed up to a pretty high tension, and the only thing I am afraid of is that I will say just what I think, which would be unwise, no doubt.”
J. Golden Kimball (1853–1938) first seen 1904 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Conference Report, April 1904
“I guess there is a reporter here isn't there? I am always afraid of those "blooming reporters;" they always get things down as I say it, but it don't sound well. It sounds all right when I deliver it, but it doesn't read well in print.”
J. Golden Kimball (1853–1938) first seen 1922 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Conference Report, October 1922
“We aren’t afraid, just stupidly full of prefabricated ideas we cannot break free from.”
Alfredo M. Bonanno (1937–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are all responsible for our dream of storming the heavens. We cannot turn ourselves into dwarves now, after having dreamed, elbow to elbow, each feeling the others' heartbeats, of attacking and overthrowing the gods. This is the dream that makes power afraid.”
Alfredo M. Bonanno (1937–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All I'm trying to say is that I'm afraid I got a kind of who-cares feeling out of this. Very strong writing, fine writing; still, the material kept making me think, Yeah, yeah, I get it, but who cares?”
Richard Yates (1926–1992) said by 1992 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And he was afraid she might be taking this much too seriously, so he reached out to stroke or tousle her hair, but that didn't work because she'd just been to the hairdresser and didn't want to get it messed up.”
Richard Yates (1926–1992) said by 1992 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But it’s one of my worries, I can’t get over it in my mind. I mean, I can’t even reconcile myself to the fact that death is real. Plus I’m an atheist, so I have no belief in the afterlife and no creed to help me out. I see the whole thing as unnatural, I know that sounds odd.” He snorts. “So yes, I’m definitely afraid of dying.”
Pedro Almodóvar (born 1949) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On his views on death in “Pedro Almodóvar: ‘I can no longer hide’” in The Guardian (2019 Aug 11)
“What I try to share with younger artists, not just writers, is you have to not be afraid. You have to try it. It’s our job. And do your homework while you’re at it. But don’t squash your imagination. I mean, my imagination is all I have. I mean, it’s unique to me, unique to you, unique to my students. They have their own, and they have to learn to trust it. (2019)”
Jessica Hagedorn (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When she asked Mia how she knew which images to put together, Mia shook her head. "I don't," she said. "This-this is how I figure out what I think...I don't have a plan, I'm afraid," she said..."But then, no one really does, no matter what they say." (Chapter 8, p91)”
Celeste Ng (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The criticism of SF has tapped rich new vines for researchers, and I can think of writers who seem to be trying harder to impress the critics than to please their readers. I’m afraid the critical tail has begun to wag the creative dog.”
Jack Williamson (1908–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I wonder—?” whispered April Bell, her long eyes narrowed and dark. “I wonder what they really found?” “Whatever it is,” breathed Barbee, “the find doesn’t seem to have made them very happy. A fundamentalist might think they had stumbled into hell.” “No,” the girl said, “men aren’t that much afraid of hell.”
Jack Williamson (1908–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Some of us got this feeling stuck inside, all the time, like we’ve done something wrong. Like we ourselves are something wrong … We drink alcohol because it helps us feel like we can be ourselves and not be afraid. But we punish ourselves with it.”
Tommy Orange (born 1982) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The thing is that underneath we are all humans…Everyone has people they love and people they want to protect, everyone has things they are afraid of or that cause them pain.”
Tomi Adeyemi (born 1993) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On aiming to write multifaceted characters in “Meet Tomi Adeyemi: the politically-charged author you need to know about in 2019” in Harper’s Bazaar (2019 Mar 26)
“I have to say though it’s made it easier for white people to seek me out because I am half-white to ask me what they would be afraid to ask a mono-racial Asian American. I generally have intriguing, sometimes difficult, conversations with people about race…”
Dmae Roberts first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On how being of mixed race ancestry makes her approachable in certain ways in in [https://hapamama.com/q-dmae-roberts-author-letting-go-trilogies/ “Q & A With Dmae Roberts, Author of Letting Go Trilogies” in HapaMama (2…
“A lot of us are afraid that we’ll get found out as normal. The reason why bodyguards and velvet ropes really exist is mainly because a lot of celebrities don’t want you to know how normal and regular they are…”
Questlove (born 1971) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On imposter syndrome in “The Last Word: Questlove on Why He Doesn’t Drink, Idolizing Dave Chappelle” in Rolling Stone (2018 Apr 19)
“Their take on me was, 'Look, you're not afraid you will be gassed, you're not drinking out of the coloured water fountain; you've got it really good,' so they didn't really understand that being biracial and the child of divorce would affect me in the way it did.”
Rebecca Walker (born 1969) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On her childhood and perceived lack of empathy on the part of her parents in “'Can I survive having a baby? Will I lose myself ... ?'” in The Guardian (2007 May 26)
“I know it’s a good play if I’m afraid to show it to my grandmother.”
Monet Hurst-Mendoza first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On what she considered a good play in “An Interview | Monet Hurst-Mendoza” in The Brooklyn Review (2017 Dec 8)
“We are sneered at for not being the social and intellectual equals, after sixty years of Western civilization, of people with thousands of years of this same civilization; yet when we set out to try to lessen the distance between us we are treated as if the attempt were a crime. Why not give us the chance to try? Are some white people really afraid that we might succeed?”
Augusta Savage (1892–1962) first seen 1923 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: letter to the New York World newspaper (20 May 1923), included in Letters of Note: Art edited by Shaun Usher (2020)
“(Do you have any advice for young people?) To dream big, to not hold back these dreams. Imagine yourself in places you never have been, to have a bigger idea, to not be afraid to make mistakes. If you make mistakes, make passionate mistakes. Move through narrow visions of who you will be. Have a dream bigger than your families.”
Judy Baca (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Women are afraid to sing salsa…I don't know why; maybe they think it's for men. I am not a composer, or a soneo, a singer and a poet, which is very difficult. But I think everybody can sing everything.”
Celia Cruz (1925–2003) first seen 1985 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the gender stereotypes surrounding salsa singers in “CELIA CRUZ: AT THE TOP OF SALSA” in New York Times (1985 Nov 19).
“She is afraid of crumbling and disappearing, of being taken and being left behind at the same time: a body tumbling between hands while dying inside.”
Maaza Mengiste (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It felt like a kidnap…and it rendered me mute for about nine months. I couldn't speak the language, and if I spoke English I was abused for it. It was quite a culture shock: brutal. I was so traumatised and afraid that I stopped speaking and my [birth] parents thought there was something wrong with me, thought I was possessed…”
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (born 1967) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On being taken back to Nigeria after living abroad for years in England in “Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje: 'I didn't want to be black. So I joined the skinheads…'” in The Guardian (13 May 2012)
“With a strong work ethic, he always stood up for the underprivileged, and was never afraid to speak plainly.”
Timothy Quill (1901–1960) said by 1960 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lee Valley Outlook (2022)
“I am a solo flyer. I go by dramatist or playwright. My brand is original plays that take on aspects of our shared American history that have shaped our culture. I write serious plays, but I use as much humor as possible. I also use a lot of music (original and found), and I’m not afraid to examine my characters’ sexuality…”
Oliver Mayer first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On his writings in “Meet Oliver Mayer” in VoyageLA (2019 Jan 8)
“Solar geoengineering, I’m afraid I think it’s a fool’s paradise, and I’ve been saying the same thing for many years.”
Joanna Haigh (born 1954) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On negative emissions and solar geoengineering "The Carbon Brief Interview: Prof Joanna Haigh" (April 29, 2019)
“I would never say "I'm straight, I'm bisexual, I'm gay". I feel like I will fall in love with a human being for who they are. I'm not afraid to say I've been attracted to a woman before and I've kissed girls before and been in love with them before. I've never really had a girlfriend or anything and I would never say I'm anything, really. I don't have an identity in that way.”
Kate Nash (born 1987) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At present (26 January 2020), the rate of development of the (COVID-19) epidemic is accelerating. I am afraid that it will continue for some time, and the number of cases may increase.”
Ma Xiaowei (born 1959) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ma Xiaowei (2020) cited in "Wuhan Coronavirus Can Be Infectious Before People Show Symptoms, Official Claims" on Science Alert, 26 January 2020.
“I am not as afraid of anything as myself.”
Abel Azcona (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They are very much afraid we might be stupid enough to start using atomic weapons again and that would be very bad for us and them as well... We are polluting our waters and our air, and we are playing around with these exotic weapons… and they don't like that. They'd like to work with us to teach us better ways, but only, I think, with our consent.”
Paul Hellyer (1923–2021) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Paul Hellyer, Canada's Ex-Defense Minister Says Aliens Would Give Earth Tech If We Were Less Warlike, Popular Science, Douglas Main, January 6, 2014
“I am afraid that I have seen enough of both the governance of science, and the political operations at the European Union. In these three long months, I have indeed met many excellent and committed individuals, at different levels of the organization of the ERC and the EC. However, I have lost faith in the system itself.”
Mauro Ferrari (born 1959) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Announcing his resignation as the head of the . As quoted in Top EU science adviser resigns: 'I have lost faith in the system itself by Rebecca Klar, 8 April 2020, The Hill
“I'm afraid I'm not very good at understanding things like that." "You say that, but what you really mean is: 'I don't want to understand things like that.' " "It's true," she admitted.”
John Wyndham (1903–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would just say hold out for what you believe in, and don't be afraid to express yourself. Don't let people try to change you, because in the long run, if you keep trying to do what everyone else thinks is right, it's not. You've got to do what you believe. Shakespeare was so right: 'This above all, to thine own self be true.’”
Kim Novak (born 1933) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On her acting and her role in Vertigo, and her advice as quoted in "Kim Novak Opens Up: 'I Think I'm Appreciated More Now'" by Gabe Meline, 10 February 2016, KQED
“Bette Davis was great. I kept blowing my lines in one scene with her because they were so awful to try to say. I finally told the director that and Bette immediately came to my rescue. "She's right," Bette shouted. "This girl is absolutely right." Later she told me, "Ruthie, never forget what you did today. . . never be afraid to fight for what you know is right." And I never did forget.”
Ruth Roman (1922–1999) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Obituary: Ruth Roman" (1999)
“A NRA Debate Tips. Afraid of big government taking away your guns? Here are six arguments you can use to defend yourself.”
Tom Tomorrow (born 1961) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Nation, (January 22, 2013)
“In 8 hours I’ll put on a mask, leave my home, head to the airport, fly for 6 hours, quarantine for 14 days, and hopefully by mid-July I’ll be able to see my mom. I would not be going if there were not urgent family issues, but I won’t lie: I am afraid.”
Katherine Maher (born 1983) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Twitter, (6 July 2020)
“Of the lukewarm unpleasantness of the sensation of a man at such a moment a disastrous crime is born. A heart afraid of crime is the forerunner of a heart that gives birth to a crime.”
Sakutarō Hagiwara (1886–1942) said by 1942 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source