Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,161,747 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatinaNederlands
Fear
LoveFriendshipHappinessHopeFearCourageDeathLifeTimeWarPeaceFreedomTruthWisdomKnowledgeScienceArtMusicNatureMoneyWorkPowerGodBeautyLaughterFamilySuccess and failureChangeDreamsBooks and reading
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.”
Paulo Coelho (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
Paulo Coelho (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You feel that nothing you have learned has put down roots, that while you’re capable of entering the magical universe, you cannot remain submerged in it. You feel that all of this may be nothing but a fantasy dreamed up by people to fend off their fear of death.”
Paulo Coelho (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What continues to trouble him is not what happens, but a fear that he won’t know how to deal with it. Once he has decided to follow his path and has no alternative, he discovers that he has great will power and that events bend to his decisions.”
Paulo Coelho (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It should be our aim not only to remove want and fear of all types, but secure liberty, fraternity and equality as enjoined upon us by Islam.”
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876–1948) first seen 1947 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address, Karachi Municipal Corporation, 25 August 1947
“Some people stay far away from the door If there's a chance of it opening up They hear a voice in the hall outside And hope that it just passes by. Some people live with the fear of a touch And the anger of having been a fool. They will not listen to anyone So nobody tells them a lie.”
Billy Joel (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Some things were perfectly clear, seen with the vision of youth. No doubts and nothing to fear, I claimed the corner on truth. These days it's harder to say I know what I'm fighting for. My faith is falling away. I'm not that sure anymore. Shades of grey wherever I go The more I find out the less that I know. Black and white is how it should be But shades of grey are the colors I see.”
Billy Joel (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the middle of the night I go walking in my sleep Through the valley of fear To a river so deep. And I've been searching for something Taken out of my soul Something I would never lose Something somebody stole.”
Billy Joel (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One more night, God I've had to fight To keep my line of sight on what's real One more day I fear I've lost my way I don't know how to say what I feel.”
Tom Petty (1950–2017) said by 2017 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My object in adopting this arrangement is that the truths should be at one time apparent and at another time concealed. Thus we shall not be in opposition to the Divine Will (from which it is wrong to deviate) which has withheld from the multitude the truths required for the knowledge of God, according to the words, "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him." (Psalm 25:14)”
Maimonides (1135–1204) said by 1204 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Not all men and women can devote themselves to those whom they respect. Some are jealous of superiority and are far more interested in revealing the faults than in imitating the virtues of a noble character. Others fear the option of a mind that is too lucid and prefer to be friends with someone less exacting.”
André Maurois (1885–1967) said by 1967 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]he Disarmament Conference met early in 1932. Under the Presidency of good Arthur Henderson, whose Naval Disarmament Conference in London had been such a success for the Japanese, the only fear in the heart of every good Leftist was, of course, that the wicked Tories with their insane love of armaments might sabotage the whole affair.”
Quintin Hogg, Baron Hailsham of St Marylebone (1907–2001) said by 2001 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hunger and fear are excellent casuists.”
Walter Scott (1771–1832) said by 1832 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Desire is the memory of pleasure and fear is the memory of pain. Both make the mind restless. (...)”
Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(…) To the Self the world is but a colourful show, which he enjoys as long as it lasts and forgets when it is over. Whatever happens on the stage makes him shudder in terror or roll with laughter, yet all the time he is aware that it is but a show. Without desire or fear he enjoys it, as it happens.”
Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Discard all traditional standards. Leave them to the hypocrites. Only what liberates you from desire and fear and wrong ideas is good. As long as you worry about sin and virtue you will have no peace. (…)”
Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(…) Is not meanness also a form of madness? And is not madness the misuse of the mind? Humanity’s problem lies in this misuse of the mind only. All the treasures of nature and spirit are open to man who will use his mind rightly. (…) Fear and greed cause the misuse of the mind. The right use of mind is in the service of love, of life, of truth, of beauty.”
Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(…) Spiritual practice is will asserted and re-asserted. Who has not daring will not accept the real even when offered. Unwillingness born out of fear is the only obstacle.”
Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The wicked do not fear God from any unwillingness to offend him, provided they could do so with impunity. ... But believers, as has been said, dread the offense even more than the punishment.”
John Calvin (1509–1564) said by 1564 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To crave wealth and honor, to demand power, to pile up riches, to gather all those vanities which seem to make for pomp and empty display, that is our furious passion and our unbounded desire. On the other hand, we fear and abhor poverty, obscurity, and humility, and we seek to avoid them by all possible means.”
John Calvin (1509–1564) said by 1564 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Loneliness, insomnia, and change: the fear of these is even worse than the reality.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The fear of being laughed at makes cowards of us all.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's the most unhappy people who most fear change.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Age is a slowing down of everything except fear.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is one tradition in America I am proud to inherit. It is our first freedom and the truest expression of our Americanism: the ability to dissent without fear. It is our right to utter the words, "I disagree." We must feel at liberty to speak those words to our neighbors, our clergy, our educators, our news media, our lawmakers and, above all, to the one among us we elect President.”
Natalie Merchant (born 1963) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Nation (15 July 1991)
“His greatest fear, or nightmare, is not to be thought hip or cool, and if to avoid that terrible fate it means that he has to glamorize evil--well, so be it.”
Anthony Daniels (psychiatrist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She had no fear of the shadows; her sole idea seemed to be to shun mankind — or rather that cold accretion called the world, which, so terrible in the mass, is so unformidable, even pitiable, in its units.”
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) said by 1928 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let him to whose ears the low-voiced Best seems stilled by the clash of the First, Who holds that if way to the Better there be, it exacts a full look at the Worst, Who feels that delight is a delicate growth cramped by crookedness, custom, and fear, Get him up and be gone as one shaped awry; he disturbs the order here.”
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) said by 1928 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My basic idea - the plan - was to use such tactics to cause disruption, fear, and discontent, in order to provoke a revolutionary situation that our NS (National- Socialism), our racist, our fascist, or anti- immigrant groups in general, might be able to take advantage of politically and otherwise [...]”
David Myatt (born 1950) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Myatt, David. Myngath: Some Recollections of a Wyrdful and Extremist Life, 2013, p. 91
“Fear makes us run away from each other or cling to each other but does not create true intimacy.”
Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lifesigns: Intimacy, Fecundity, and Ecstasy in Christian Perspective (1986), p. 30
“I am of opinion that in the position in which I am placed it is of far greater service to me to confer benefits on mankind than to inspire them with fear.”
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“An exemplary Christian life, charitable love of our neighbour, and our weak or suffering brethren, the fear of God, loyalty to king and love of country—these are virtues to be practised, and these are the arms to which God will give the victory.”
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One should receive pleasures that bring contentment to the Creator. This means that the creature will want to bestow upon the Creator, and will have fear of the Creator, of receiving for oneself, since reception of pleasure - when one receives for one's own benefit - removes him from cleaving to the Creator.”
Baruch Ashlag (1907–1991) said by 1991 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And suddenly all fear and repulsion went from him, to be replaced by a great pity. What this monster was, Conan could not know, but the evidences of its sufferings were so terrible and pathetic that a strange aching sadness came over the Cimmerian, he knew not why. He only felt that he was looking upon a cosmic tragedy, and he shrank with shame, as if the guilt of a whole race were laid upon him.”
Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Slowly the pale-faced noblemen and frightened women knelt, bowing in fear and reverence to the bloodstained giant who towered above them with his eyes ablaze. "I am king!”
Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have no fear of the Hereafter. An orthodox hell could hardly be more torture than my life has been.”
Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) first seen 1925 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From a letter to Tevis Clyde Smith (July 1925)
“Fear. It's unacknowledged; shared by friend and foe if nothing else is.”
Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Fear Eats the Soul" (2003)
“Perhaps it is the positive knowledge that humans now possess the means to destroy their whole planet, the fear that they have in this way themselves become the gods, dreadfully charged with their own continued existence, that has made comic-book and movie myth escapist.”
Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release From little things: Knows not the livid loneliness of fear, Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear The sound of wings.”
Amelia Earhart (1897–1939) first seen 1928 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Poetry written around the time of the breaking of her "tenuous engagement" to Samuel Chapman (c. 1928), published in Amelia, My Courageous Sister : Biography of Amelia Earhart (1987) by Muriel Earhart Morrissey and Caro…
“People have got to be careful coming to Fiji and say Fijian people or taukei be careful of what you are doing you are trespassing, you are committing domestic terrorism. I would like to warn Mr Hughes to be careful. To do his own work properly and not to tread where angels fear to tread.”
Apisai Tora (1934–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Somewhere between fear and sex passion is. The way there is sudden. The way out is worse.”
Jeanette Winterson (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Religion is somewhere between fear and sex. And God? Truly? In his own right, without our voices speaking for him? Obsessed I think, but not passionate. (p.74)”
Jeanette Winterson (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the end one cannot avoid the conclusion that AIDS unites certain human themes — homosexuality, sexual disease, and death — about which society actively resists enlightenment. These are things that we are unwilling to address or even think about. We don't want to understand them. We would rather fear them.”
Martin Amis (1949–2023) first seen 1985 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Making Sense of AIDS" (1985)
“I'd like to be remembered as someone who kept the comic novel going for another generation or so. I fear the comic novel is in retreat. A joke is by definition politically incorrect — it assumes a butt, and a certain superiority in the teller. The culture won't put up with that for much longer.”
Martin Amis (1949–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He who has the truth at his heart need never fear the want of persuasion on his tongue.”
John Ruskin (1819–1900) said by 1900 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Not from fear but from a sense of duty refrain from your sins.”
Democritus (461–361 BC) said by 361 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Well may the boldest fear and the wisest tremble when incurring responsibilities on which may depend our country's peace and prosperity, and in some degree the hopes and happiness of the whole human family.”
James K. Polk (1795–1849) first seen 1845 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Inaugural Address (4 March 1845).
“The world has nothing to fear from military ambition in our Government.”
James K. Polk (1795–1849) first seen 1845 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Inaugural Address (4 March 1845).
“Disunion and civil war are at hand; and yet I fear disunion and war less than compromise. We can recover from them. The free States alone, if we must go on alone, will make a glorious nation.”
Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893) first seen 1861 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Diary (4 January 1861)
“The fear of some divine and supreme powers keeps men in obedience.”
Robert Burton (1577–1640) said by 1640 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source