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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“Then you are not that afraid because if you are afraid that you won’t be good enough, that is not the question. The question is “What does the work ask of me”
Sandra Prinsloo (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I love how brave she is in her skin, how she’s not ashamed & afraid of her voice & thoughts. She knows what she wants and she goes for it. She’s not afraid of saying; No and doesn’t give a hoot of what people think of her. She lives her life according to her rules”
Nombulelo Mhlongo (born 1992) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are no brave men and cowardly men in the world, my son. There are only brave men. To be born, to live, to die—that takes courage enough in itself, and more than enough. We are all brave men and we are all afraid, and what the world calls a brave man, he, too, is brave and afraid like all the rest of us. Only he is brave for five minutes longer.”
Alistair MacLean (1922–1987) said by 1987 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Domestic Violence issues – I honestly feel that the reason why men do it, can be attributed to how men are afraid of opening up. They are afraid to cry and opening up about their problems and challenges which they face , and sometimes they have the incorrect idea of what it means to be “manly/masculine” and then they resort to using their power incorrectly towards women.”
Wiseman Mncube (born 1990) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Many women are afraid to take on challenges that comes their way and this will book will tell them, you can do it guys, you can do it gals. In other words, don't be afraid of taking on challenges. We can do many things that men can't do.”
Loida Nicolas Lewis (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Don't be afraid of doing something. Be afraid of not doing it at all.”
Jim Carroll (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A country where the opposition is imprisoned is not a democratic country. I am not afraid to say it, just as the Venezuelan students who are demonstrating are not afraid.”
Antonio Tajani (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The problem, I think, with our critics at the moment is that they are all afraid. They are afraid of putting their foot in the wrong place”
I. N. C. Aniebo (born 1939) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’m not afraid of getting arrested. Perhaps they might want to kill me. I’ve gone past that mentally. I’m not afraid of getting killed anymore because I know that I would have died for a good thing.”
Hopewell Chin'ono (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I get afraid, very afraid, when somebody, anybody, prescribes to me which books to read and not to read. When somebody gives me a template of what African literature ought to look like”
Shadreck Chikoti (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
Plato (misattributed) first seen 50 BC wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: This quotation, often attributed on the Internet to Plato, cannot be found in any of Plato's writings, nor can it be found in any published work anywhere until recent years. If it really were a quotation by Plato, then …
“When people fear surveillance, whether it exists or not, they grow afraid to speak their minds and hearts freely to their government or to anyone else.”
Sam Ervin (1896–1985) said by 1985 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Rick Perlstein, Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America (2008), p. 549
“[...] your own are burning and your memories and you don't want to leave them. Everything will burn to the end, you suffer, but nobody is punishing you, they are just setting your soul free. Don't be afraid because while you fear death they will rend your soul like demons. Only calm down and you will see the angels who are setting you free and then you will be free.”
Dimitris Lyacos (born 1966) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From: Poena Damni Z213: Exit, p. 88, Shoestring Press, 2010.
“I went out with frustration, it was the beginning of my career and it was a great opportunity. It was a marking point because I showed to myself that I wasn't afraid of the risks. I sent a message to myself for not having fear of the future and for not losing my identity.”
José Mourinho (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I often ask myself if I am afraid of being detained again. I love freedom as much as anybody else, maybe more than most. But it is a tragedy to live your life in fear. It is worse than actually losing your freedom.”
“Don’t be afraid, my Lord. My father always says that fear is the devil’s hairbrush, although no one knows quite what he means by it.”
Arthur M. Jolly (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I asked you to conquer your fear, but all you did was give in to it. If you were in love with her, that would be one thing. Love is something to be afraid of, but this, this is embarrassing. So she talks too much, so she's too enthused about every little thing, so what? Get in, get your question answered, and get out. Stand up to her, for cryin' out loud!”
Wendelin Van Draanen (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To how much lying, extravagance, hypocrisy and servilism does not the fear of ridicule lead? Human respect makes us cowards and slaves. It may deter from evil, but much oftener it drives to baseness. “We are too much afraid,” said Cato, “of death, exile and poverty.”
John Lancaster Spalding (1840–1916) said by 1916 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They are in bad faith — they are afraid — and fear, bad faith have an aroma that the gods find delicious. Yes, the gods like that, the pitiful souls.”
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I sit in one of the dives On Fifty-second Street Uncertain and afraid As the clever hopes expire Of a low dishonest decade: Waves of anger and fear Circulate over the bright And darkened lands of the earth, Obsessing our private lives; The unmentionable odour of death Offends the September night.”
W. H. Auden (1907–1973) first seen 1939 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: September 1, 1939", ll. 1–11
“For some men, the stronger their desire, the more difficult it is for them to act. They are hampered by mistrust of themselves, daunted by the fear of giving offence; besides, deep feelings of affection are like respectable women; they are afraid of being found out and they go through life with downcast eyes.”
Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) said by 1880 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I said "Lily, Oh Lily I'm so afraid I fear I am walking in the Veil of Darkness" And she said "Child, take what I say With a pinch of salt And protect yourself with fire”
“William Pitt the Younger: Never fear, Mr. Burke: depend on it we shall go on as we are, until the day of judgment. Edmund Burke: Very likely, Sir. It is the day of no judgment that I am afraid of.”
Edmund Burke (1729–1797) first seen 1791 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Conversation at a dinner in 10 Downing Street (24 September 1791), quoted in George Pellew, The Life and Correspondence of the Right Hon. Henry Addington, First Viscount Sidmouth, Volume I (1847), p. 72
“... innocence is innocent not because it rejects but because it accepts; is innocent not because it is impervious and invulnerable to everything, but because it is capable of accepting anything and still remaining innocent; innocent because it foreknows all and therefore doesn't have to fear or be afraid.”
William Faulkner (1897–1962) said by 1962 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All is in a man's hands and he lets it all slip from cowardice, that's an axiom. It would be interesting to know what it is men are most afraid of. Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what they fear most.”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881) said by 1881 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She could kill him easily. But the lash-tube wavered. Cris Johnson stood without fear; he wasn't at all afraid. Why not? Didn't he understand what it was? What the small metal tube could do to him? "Of course," she said suddenly, in a choked whisper. "You can see ahead. You know I'm not going to kill you. Or you wouldn't have come here.”
Philip K. Dick (1928–1982) said by 1982 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The next thing is by gentle degrees to accustom children to those things they are too much afraid of. But here great caution is to be used, that you do not make too much haste, nor attempt this cure too early, for fear lest you increase the mischief instead of remedying it.”
John Locke (1632–1704) said by 1704 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The idea of painless, non-threatening coercion is an illusion. Fear is the inseparable companion of coercion, and its inescapable consequence. If you think it your duty to make children do what you want, whether they will or not, then it follows inexorably that you must make them afraid of what will happen to them if they don’t do what you want.”
John Holt (1923–1985) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: How Children Fail (1964).
“I’m not afraid. When you live as long as I’ve lived, you lose that, too. I never liked lobster in my life, and mainly because I’d never tried it. On my eightieth birthday I tried it. I can’t say I’m greatly excited over lobster still, but I have no doubt as to its taste now, and I don’t fear it. I dare say death will be a lobster, too, and I can come to terms with it.”
Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) said by 2012 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What the media are telling you to be afraid of are the wrong things... Fear is a necessary ingredient of our survival instincts.”
Michael Moore (born 1954) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with filmmaker Michael Moore, Rolling Stone (January 2003)
“But there is merit even in the mentally retarded legislator. He asks the questions that everyone is afraid to ask for fear of seeming simple.”
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The only thing I am afraid of is fear.”
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852) first seen 1831 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Referring to a cholera outbreak in London, 1831
“I'm either a mutant or a cripple, and I refuse to be a cripple. People pity cripples, but they're afraid of mutants […] Fear implies respect.”
Dean Koontz (born 1945) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I too have sworn heedlessly and all the time, I have had this most repulsive and death-dealing habit. I’m telling your graces; from the moment I began to serve God, and saw what evil there is in forswearing oneself, I grew very afraid indeed, and out of fear I applied the brakes to this old, old, habit.”
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) said by 430 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!”
Yuri Gagarin (1934–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Recalling his meeting with workers in a field, upon his landing, as quoted in "Life on Mars?" by Jesse Skinner in Toro magazine (14 October 2008)
“We are contrary creatures, us humans, but that isn't something we need be afraid of, or even much troubled by. And if you make a list of those people who worship consistency, you'll find they're one and all tyrants or would-be tyrants. Ruling over thousands, or over a husband or a wife, or some cowering child. Never fear contradiction, Cutter, it is the very heart of diversity.”
Steven Erikson (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Unethical conduct is actually the conduct of destruction and fear; lies are told because one is afraid of the consequences should one tell the truth; thus, the liar is inevitably a coward, the coward is inevitably a liar.”
L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Men are afraid of virgins, but they have a cure for their own fear and the virgin's virginity: fucking.”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Well is it your fear of being buried that makes you so afraid to speak?”
Conor Oberst (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“William Pitt: Never fear, Mr. Burke: depend on it we shall go on as we are, until the day of judgment. Edmund Burke: Very likely, Sir. It is the day of no judgment that I am afraid of.”
William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806) first seen 1791 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Conversation at a dinner in 10 Downing Street (24 September 1791), quoted in George Pellew, The Life and Correspondence of the Right Hon. Henry Addington, First Viscount Sidmouth, Volume I (1847), p. 72.
“We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.”
Paulo Coelho (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Look what happened in Tower Hamlets, in the heart of our capital city. We had political corruption on an epic scale: with voters intimidated and a court adjudicating on accusations of ‘undue spiritual influence’ for the first time since the 19th century. As the judge said: those in authority were too afraid to ‘confront wrongdoing for fear of allegations of racism’. Well this has got to stop.”
David Cameron (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By the time we are women, fear is as familiar to us as air. It is our element. We live in it, we inhale it, we exhale it, and most of the time we do not even notice it. Instead of "I am afraid", we say, "I don't want to", or "I don't know how", or "I can't.”
Andrea Dworkin (1946–2005) first seen 1975 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at Queens College, City University of New York (March 12, 1975). "The Sexual Politics of Fear and Courage", ch. 5, Our Blood (1976)
“She was afraid of men, with good reason, but she need not fear all of them. Cai loved her and somehow always would. But above all, she could trust him, because dishonesty wasn’t in him. Not always a good trait but a part of his nature. He kept faith without thinking about it at all. He couldn’t imagine not doing so”
Alice Borchardt (1939–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But Hildy was no longer afraid. She had reached the point where fear can no longer help, and anger offers the only hope of survival.”
“I guess that is my biggest fear, sort of worrying about the fact that I keep getting more insecure as time goes on rather than feeling more grand with each turn. I feel more and more afraid. When I get my picture taken, I'm convinced it's because I must look terrible and they're going to put it in US Weekly as a joke.”
Natasha Lyonne (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Aristotle's pupil already realized that we have no power at all over our passions as long as we do not know their true causes. Many men have refuted fear, and with sound arguments. But a man who is afraid does not listen to arguments; he listens to the beating of his heart and the pulsating of his blood.”
Émile Chartier (1868–1951) said by 1951 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Fact is, I'm tired of being told what's OK for me. I'm fucking tired of multiple safewords, and sometimes I'm tired of safewords altogether. I don't want to negotiate everything to death, I want to be surprised, or surprise someone. I want to be afraid — I want to cause genuine fear.”
Laura Antoniou (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“From my experiments with sexiness, seems like a lot of people are afraid at first, and fear usually equals violence. But eventually I'll win their hearts and instead of fighting they'll want to make love to me.”
Chris Pontius (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The fear was all he had left, but even that was something—he was afraid, so he must be alive! There was darkness, but there was Simon, too! There were not one and the same. Not yet. Not quite...”
Tad Williams (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source