Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Fear
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“You are afraid of life, Little Man, deadly afraid. You will murder it in the belief of doing it for the sake of "socialism," or "the state," or "national honor," or "the glory of God.”
Wilhelm Reich (1897–1957) said by 1957 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Do not be afraid of obstacles in your path, it does not matter how great the forces are that stand in your way.... Do not think that anything is impossible when miracles are being worked on every side. If you are true to yourself there is nothing to be afraid of. There is nothing unattainable by truth, love and faith. This is your whole gospel which will work out miracles.”
Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950) first seen 1908 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: April 12, 1908
“Do not doubt him who tells you he is afraid, but be afraid of him who tells you he has no doubts.”
Erich Fried (1921–1988) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: from "100 Gedichte ohne Vaterland", pub. 1978.
“I was honestly very nervous of Constance Wheatcroft. And I wasn't the only one. Her entire family was afraid of her. Dogs were afraid of her. Bindweed in the hedge would wither as she passed; birds would forget their nesting instincts and fly back to north Africa at the sound of her hideous cries.”
“I'll take this opportunity to answer one of the most repeated questions: why didn't I choose to depict Mohammed having sex? The answer is simple. I don't want to get blown up with explosives. I'm afraid of angering Muslims, but not afraid of angering Jews and Christians. So I chose to depict the Judeo-Christian God instead. It seems extremely obvious to me, but so many people asked.”
Sarah Silverman (born 1970) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee (2010). Referring to a sketch on The Sarah Silverman Program in which her character slept with God.
“Anyone afraid of what he thinks television does to the world is probably just afraid of the world.”
Clive James (1939–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’m understanding that there are cases of transgender, but I’m afraid that it’s also a fad, and I’m afraid there’s a lot of people claiming to be this just because they want to be that,” he said. “I find it wrong when you’ve got a six-year-old kid who has no idea. He just wants to play, and you’re confusing him telling him, ‘Yeah, you’re a boy, but you could be a girl if you want to be.’”
Alice Cooper (born 1948) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 23 August 2023 interview with Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone
“I'm afraid to win, and afraid to lose; I hate a draw and can't stop competing; otherwise I'm fine.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose, Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose. Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night; You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light.”
Sarah McLachlan (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“...but you were never really white in the first place. Nobody is. Nobody has, even, ever wanted to be white, unless they are afraid of being black. But being black is nothing to be afraid of. I knew that before I met you, and I have learned it again, through you. Perhaps being white is not a conceivable condition, but a terrifying fantasy, a moral choice.”
James Baldwin (1924–1987) said by 1987 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Maybe anything's right, he mumbled. Yes, if the world as men had made it was right, then anything else was right, any act a man took to satisfy himself, murder, theft, torture.He straightened with a start. What was happening to him? ... He was going to do something, but what? Yes, he was afraid of himself, afraid of doing some nameless thing.”
Richard Wright (1908–1960) said by 1960 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Don't be afraid of anything, just take it easy, easy. Let the women and children go first. Thirty buses are coming, we're send you off toward Kladanj. Don't be afraid of anything, nobody is going to do anything to you. Thank you, thank you. Thanks, be safe. Nobody knows anything. Everything is done on my order.”
Ratko Mladić (1943–2026) said by 2026 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm not afraid of life and I'm not afraid of death: Dying's the bore.”
Katherine Anne Porter (1890–1980) first seen 1970 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement at age 80 in The New York Times (3 April 1970)
“A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, he said, for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't. But we do be afraid of the sea, and we do only be drownded now and again.”
John Millington Synge (1871–1909) said by 1909 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Progress comes from finding better ways to do things. Don’t be afraid of innovation. Don’t be afraid of ideas that are not your own.”
Douglas Crockford (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It wasn't easy tolerating him talking this way to her, to bear his scorn, his ridicule, his insults, his walking past her like she was nothing but a house cat. But after four years of marriage, Mariam saw clearly how much a woman could tolerate when she was afraid. And Mariam was afraid.”
Khaled Hosseini (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Did it ever occur to you that everybody is more or less afraid of nearly everything, and that courage isn't a damn thing but a habit of not dodging things because you're afraid of them?”
Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961) said by 1961 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Cure" (unpublished story, first printed in The Hunter and Other Stories in 2013)
“'Don't be afraid, Queen … don't be afraid, Queen, the blood has long since gone into the earth. And where it was spilled, grapevines are already growing.'”
Mikhail Bulgakov (1891–1940) said by 1940 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They [Americans] have something worth defending...they need to defend it properly from the foe that most people are afraid even to name. How can you possibly fight an enemy when you're afraid to identify him?”
Robert Spencer (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You always avoid direct eye contact, you know that? Are you afraid of something? Are you afraid that I might see the real you? Huh? Answer me. Come on, answer me.”
Spike Lee (born 1957) first seen 1990 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mo' Better Blues (1990), character of Indigo Downes.
“I used to be afraid that I was going out of my mind. Now I am afraid that I am not going out of my mind.”
Robert Sheckley (1928–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It’s a terrible thing, being afraid. It’s like an illness; like wanting to fall down, and not being able to faint. You see you never get used to it. You live with it and live with it and every day it’s worse; and one day it’s the worst of all. I thought, when it...happened, I wouldn’t be afraid. But I was wrong....”
Keith Roberts (1935–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When jumping with a parachute, everyone is afraid. Do not believe those who say that they were not afraid. It is not true, and it would be unnatural”
Stanisław Sosabowski (1892–1967) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Stanisław Sosabowski (1957) Najkrótszą drogą (Through the shortest way) London : Committee of Polish Parachutists.
“I'd very rarely quote George Galloway as an authority, but when he describes Rochdale as "tinder dry, waiting for a spark" I am afraid – very much afraid – he isn't wrong.”
Andrew Marr (born 1959) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: How indecision turned toxic for Labour in Rochdale", The New Statesman (14 February 2024).
“My dad was a Presbyterian minister. Yes, I am one of those dreaded P.K.s — Preacher's Kids. Be afraid. Be very afraid…”
Libba Bray (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“His lantern guttered and finally went out. “Shit,” he said, shaking it. “Excuse me.” “You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?” she asked, chiding. “No, ma’am. I’m afraid of what’s in it.”
Karl Schroeder (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Boy dressed as the devil: Everybody's afraid of the devil! Girl: Not me! Boy dressed as a ghost: How come? Girl: Because Jesus loves me and the devil is afraid of Jesus.”
Jack T. Chick (1924–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If I tried to make [Anus] something for everybody, than I feel like I would alienate the people that it's actually for…It's for the people who get it. It's for people who aren't afraid of swear words and who aren't afraid of poop and dicks. Because these are a part of who we are, you know?”
Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You’re falling all over me I’m losing myself in your mystery I’m afraid of loving you, I’m afraid of losing me I’m over my head and I’m seeing red But I’m waiting right here for you in my bed”
Michelle Lambert (born 1985) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I'm Just a Girl" (2015)
“When I was a small child, for some reason—and I don’t know if this was from cartoons or movies or what—I was very frightened of skeletons. I also was very afraid of the dark. I used to have incredibly terrible nightmares. I was afraid of everything as a child. Now look what I’m doing.”
Rich Koz (born 1952) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Rich Koz (October 27, 2017)
“If you were afraid of God as much as you were afraid of the United States, the country would not be like this.”
Muharrem İnce (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She helped me feel like I could take risks with the music, which you’re often told not to do. When you watch her, you see that it makes a difference. From now on, I am not going to be afraid to individualize my performances to the max. I won’t be afraid of liberties, if the score permits them. I know I can do it.”
Megan Marie Hart (born 1983) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: on Marilyn Horne's influence; 2005, as quoted by Zachary Lewis and edited into the Oberlin Review article The Marilyn Horne Experience [http://www2.oberlin.edu/con/connews/2006/of_note.html#3
“I score so many goals, this means a lot. I know I will always be a little bit behind and I have to maybe work harder than those players for my country if we want to achieve something. It’s not an easy job for me, but I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid. It’s a big chance.”
Robert Lewandowski (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I used to be very afraid of graveyards and death and such things, but not anymore. There is just no sense of being afraid when you live so near the graves; it would be like the tongue fearing the teeth.”
NoViolet Bulawayo (born 1981) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was afraid to say anything – and I have never been afraid of a boss before. I was an object. And the person doing this to me was another woman”
Sipho Moyo (born 1981) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If they want to engage in activism or whatever, it’s up to them. If they aren’t afraid of the laws, it’s up to them, and if someone finds a gun and shoot them, or throws grenades at them, well, they have to live with that. If they aren’t afraid, it’s up to them.”
Prayut Chan-o-cha (born 1954) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Prayuth Can't Guarantee Safety of Academics Who Criticize Him" (25 November 2015)
“I imagine a reader who, like me, is a bit exasperated with the accumulation of the follies of our times, someone ready for a new way of looking, thinking and being; someone who combines youth and experience, idealism and realism. Someone who isn’t afraid to dream but also is not afraid to roll up their sleeves and participate in the tough magic of life.”
“It's big, it's the biggest country, but Russia, especially the Russian government, they are afraid of this change that has happened in Ukraine. They think this change is coming to Russia, (so) they are afraid of this situation and they have that aggression now...we need to pray and we need this peace for Ukraine and for Russia too.”
Venedykt Aleksiychuk (born 1968) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ukranian bishop meets with Pope Francis as country's crisis rages on (20 February 2015)
“I am not afraid of you, my friend, I am afraid of your ghost. After death you may stalk my books, my epitaphs, my biographies.”
Tapan Kumar Pradhan (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I soon discovered that, if we were not afraid, I must work in a field where numbers of men and women were afraid, believed in the all-seeing eye and the all-powerful reach of the ruler of the oil industry. They believed that anybody going ahead openly with a project in any way objectionable to the Standard Oil Company would meet with direct or indirect attack.”
Ida Tarbell (1857–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And Fannie Lou Hamer, when she testified — and, you know, Martin Luther King testified, but President Johnson wasn’t afraid of him. He was afraid of this sharecropper from Louisville, Mississippi. And when she went on to testify, the president said, “We have an announcement to make.” And he took over the TV, right?”
Bob Moses (activist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Don’t be afraid to think big, and, most importantly, don’t be afraid to fail along the way, because no one learns when they only experience success,”
Claudette Irere first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: , Several youth innovative projects won cash and other prizes during the closure of an initiative dubbed ‘Pitch Night’ in Kigali on Wednesday. ( 18 May 2018)
“A lot of people in Ghana are afraid to speak the truth because they are afraid they will be called arrogant. When you speak the truth, they say you are arrogant, they say you are insulting”
Kennedy Agyapong (born 1960) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: He revealed during an interview on Face to Face on Citi TV on August 15, 2023
“No, you're only brave in the face of something you're afraid of, and I'm not afraid of stories, of emotion, of people. So I don't feel it's risky. I feel it's an exploration of something human.”
Julianne Moore (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[D]on't be afraid to challenge yourself. Don't shy off doing something just because you think that it's hard. It's when we're doing something hard that we really make a difference. So dig deep and don't be afraid to dream.”
Suzie Sheehy (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Whoever is afraid of the void will not reach the top | I'm also afraid of the void that exists between one step and another. (from Odio Volare, n. 1)”
Dargen D'Amico (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’m not afraid of growing old and I’m not afraid of death because I try to make every second in my life count by doing everything that pleases God. In the next five years, I will like to be somewhere peaceful with my twin babies…by His grace. I love kids and pets to a fault and admire people who are verbally captivating.”
Precious Dede (born 1980) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Nneka Ikem, Dede so Precious in India, finds true love in Goa, Vanguard, June 27, 2020.
“Mind your feet, don’t stumble, and don’t be afraid. Because there never was a better time not to be afraid.”
Manly Wade Wellman (1903–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was afraid for the safety of the youth demonstrating so courageously, creatively, and with so much passion. I was afraid for the millions left in the clutches of a government that deliberately instigated instability for the first four days of demonstrations.”
Azza Karam (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am afraid of Mr. Powell. I am more afraid of him than I have ever been of shadows or the thunder or when you look through the little bubble in the glass of the window in the upstairs hall and all of the out-of-doors stretches and twists its neck.”
Davis Grubb (1919–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source