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
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Fear
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“The fortifications here are so strong, and the garrison will be so numerous, that I think we have but little to fear, either from a surprise or storm; and therefore we have only to guard against an investiture or siege.”
Nathanael Greene (1742–1786) said by 1786 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Why must intelligent people suffer from worry, fear, and anxiety while idiots sleep well at night?”
John Hoover (consultant) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“These are hard times. The world hurts. We live in fear and forget to walk with hope. But hope has not forgotten you. So ask it to dinner. It's probably hungry and would appreciate the invitation.”
Libba Bray (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I knew that if I didn't find a way to deal with my anger and hate, they would overwhelm me and I would be swallowed up in the fear, sadness, and frustration. I knew that to hate and strike out was to be a part of the same violence I was trying to stop. And so I prayed.”
Julia Butterfly Hill (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What happened in 1828 is also a very curious fact. 1828 was a crucial moment in the history of the tariff, because the national debt was just being paid off, and so the income from the tariff would produce a surplus in the treasury. And at that time, there was a great fear that a surplus in the federal treasury might be used to buy the freedom of slaves.”
Harry V. Jaffa (1918–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Anxiety grew, the fear that always comes when an established pattern falters.”
Tanith Lee (1947–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He showed no fear. It seemed that, at the commencement, his race had known gods and no other. Gods had bound and ill treated and slaughtered and played with them. Gods were a fact, as were the sun and the shaking of the earth. Just another terrible reality.”
Tanith Lee (1947–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What have you seen since last you looked on me?” He said, “Misery and want, and fear, and death. I saw a beggar begging for help from a muddy stream. He told me it was as much use to do that as to beg help of heaven.”
Tanith Lee (1947–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was not fear that kept them from misusing what they had. It was self-respect.”
Vonda N. McIntyre (1948–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The concept of a velvet revolution in Iran should not be considered as groundless fear.”
Mohammad Javad Zarif (born 1960) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 18 November 2008, According to
“There was never a conspiracy, never a tremendous fear. This is a society which is now in its third generation of severe political repression, so that children in North Korea have several hours of political education a day. Their parents did, and their grandparents did.”
Ash Carter (1954–2022) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: pbs.org interview, 3 March 2003
“I do not fear a threat of war from Pakistan. We (India) are ten times bigger. If Pakistan were to attack us, we will smash them.”
Subramanian Swamy (born 1939) first seen 1980 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "India Today Magazine Issue - Dated Nov 30, 1980", India Today (November 1980)
“A national church takes in the whole nation, and no more; whereas, the Gospel Church, takes in no nation, but those who fear God, and work righteousness in every nation. The notion of a Christian commonwealth, should be exploded forever. (p. 107)”
John Leland (Baptist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating.”
Alan Paton (1903–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men . . . desiring only the good of their country, come together to work for it. . . . I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating.”
Alan Paton (1903–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring only the good for their country, come together to work for it. I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating.”
Alan Paton (1903–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I say we shall always have native crime to fear until the native people of this country have worthy goals to work for. For it is only because they see neither purpose nor goal that they turn to drink and crime and prostitution.”
Alan Paton (1903–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Wittgenstein expressed more than once the fear that his writings would be destroyed by fire. He related with horror how the great historian, Mommsen, had lost a manuscript volume of his History of Rome in that way.”
Norman Malcolm (1911–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This fear of serving anti-Soviet interests was not new. But by the early fifties it was a major calculation in European intellectual debates, above all in France.”
Tony Judt (1948–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In cultural matters, the Communists did not even need to take the initiative. Fear of American domination, of the loss of national autonomy and initiative, brought into the ‘progressive’ camp men and women of all political stripes and none.”
Tony Judt (1948–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Fear is the reason for making art. It is a means to freedom.”
Ilya Kabakov (1933–2023) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in: Kelly Rae Roberts (2008). Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings. p. 35
“Joy, sadness, confidence, anxiety, love, hatred, fear — all of these feelings and thousands more that make up the human “heart” are as useless to the living dead as the organ of the same name. Who knows if this is humanity’s greatest weakness or strength? The debate continues, and probably will forever.”
Max Brooks (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The intention of the criminals is to instill fear in their victims and kill them. What should we do but kill them also? My policy is that if you are a kidnapper and a drug pusher, you put yourself and your life on the line. [...] You must realize, you criminals, that you don't have a monopoly on evil in this country.”
Rodrigo Duterte (born 1945) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer; speech during an anti-crime summit at the Manila Hotel, (July 9, 2002)
“The only thing driving us on was greed. Fucking greed. The only thing in the universe stronger than fear.”
Alastair Reynolds (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Imagine a permanent, shivering gloom, and never a moment without hunger, thirst and exhaustion. Imagine the constant fear of suffering illness or injury.” “You’ve just described nine-tenths of human history.”
Alastair Reynolds (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The reality is that racial lynchings were a frequent and normal feature of life in the South. This unique method of murder was a devastating form of terrorism that imposed a constant threat to all black people. The white authority structure did not only tolerate or encourage these killings but used the fear of lynchings to control and oppress black people.”
Guy P. Harrison (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Work honestly, meditate every day, meet people without fear, and play.”
Baba Hari Dass (1923–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Q: At the time of death when the elements are changing rapidly and there is confusion and fear, what is the method to fix the mind in positivity? A: It depends on regular practice. It can't be done without prior practice of concentration. At the time of death, people lose control over the mind. Only a few keep awareness of God at that moment.”
Baba Hari Dass (1923–2018) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: June 17, 2016
“Fear, that unknowable and all-powerful enemy, has invaded us all, like a secret army of shadows.”
Nick Drake (poet) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Fear is a powerful enemy, but a useful friend.”
Nick Drake (poet) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[While] there are worldly singularities, there are Christian and salutary ones, too; and this singularity by which one is differentiated from the crowd who tread the broad path is what constitutes the straight and narrow path of the Gospels. ... Holy things will never be established or reestablished so long as we have this fear of appearing singular.”
Pasquier Quesnel (1634–1719) said by 1719 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pensées, p. 90, as translated by Mary Ilford in The Bourgeois: Catholicism vs. Capitalism in Eighteenth-Century France (1968), p. 163
“You get used to terrorist attacks. France will hold on. The French will hold on, without even needing a “sursaut national,” a national pushback reflex. They’ll hold on because there’s no other way, and because you get used to everything. No human force, not even fear, is stronger than habit.”
Michel Houellebecq (born 1956) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The New York Times - The Opinion Pages", commentary about the November 2015 Paris attacks (21 November 2015)
“O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell”
Rabia of Basra (710–801) said by 801 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I want to put out the fires of Hell, and burn down the rewards of Paradise. They block the way to Allah. I do not want to worship from fear of punishment or for the promise of reward, but simply for the love of Allah.”
Rabia of Basra (710–801) said by 801 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: as quoted in Farid al-Din Attar, Memorial of the Friends of God (c. 1230, 2009 Translation edited by Losensky).
“O my Lord! If I worship Thee on account of the fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship Thee with the hope of Paradise, exclude me from it, but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, then withhold not from me Thine Eternal Beauty.”
Rabia of Basra (710–801) said by 801 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Not only is the sentence meted out to the young boys from impoverished background too harsh, but our fear is that it will set a bad precedent and serve to dilute the "rarest of rare" premise upon which a verdict of death penalty must hinge as per our criminal jurisprudence. While most countries are moving towards abolition of death penalty, this is a move in the reverse direction.”
Flavia Agnes (born 1947) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the verdict in the 2013 Mumbai gang rape, as quoted in "Opinion: Why I oppose death for rapists" Mumbai Mirror (5 April 2014)
“God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Fear not, the child will not die.”
Grigori Rasputin (1869–1916) said by 1916 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The constant fear of slave rebellion made life in the South a nightmare, especially in regions where conspiracies were of frequent occurrence. The extermination of white civilization in Santo Domingo was followed in the nineteenth century by several other bloody outbursts in the West Indies, which never failed to cause ominous forebodings in America.”
W. Cleon Skousen (1913–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We will begin the long process of rebuilding the world's greatest military, we will level the playing field in international trade and revitalize American industry, we will give our friends reason to trust us again. Our enemies will have reason to fear us again, and our citizens will have reason to believe again. No, you don't know America, and you don't want to find out the hard way.”
Charlie Daniels (1936–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I see the maths face quite a lot. It’s the blind panic that they have to do maths in front of people. It’s just fear and dread. There’s definitely a maths face – try it on someone.”
Rachel Riley (born 1986) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Nigerian woman is smart, beautiful, fashionable, driven, purposeful and has the capacity to take on the world without fear, that is not a tool you leave at home when you are building leadership”
Ibukun Awosika (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We need only look at the much lower level of anti-Americanism in Vietnam to realize that suffering incurred in wars does not necessarily dictate decades of animosity and fear between peoples. It’s what propaganda does with history — for contemporary political ends — that counts.”
Brian Reynolds Myers (born 1963) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the Recent Spate of 'Why North Korea Hates America' Articles" (27 May 2017), Sthele Press
“The U.S. was never stronger, North Korea never weaker than in 1994, yet even then the fear of an artillery attack on Seoul prevented an air-strike on Yongbyeon. You can put it another way and say that the very success of the nuclear program, the fact that it has gone this far, proves that it was never necessary for North Korea's security in the first place.”
Brian Reynolds Myers (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I call on my children, especially the anti-balaka, to put down their arms and stop all the fighting. The same goes for the ex-Seleka - they should not have fear. I don't want to hear any more talk of murders and killings. Starting today, I am the president of all Central Africans, without exclusion.”
Catherine Samba-Panza (born 1954) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted on BBC News, "Central African Republic MPs elect Catherine Samba-Panza", January 20, 2014.
“This kind of scheme to nullify the Constitution of the United States is one that all Americans, whatever their politics or party, should fear. If it prevails, it may become a model for action, in other areas, by other states and with respect to other constitutional rights and judicial precedents”
Merrick Garland (born 1952) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Justice Department is suing Texas over new abortion ban" (September 9,2021)
“War is chaos. It always has been. But technology makes it worse. It changes the fear. At the Institute, I feared men. I feared what Titus and the Jackal could do to me. You see death coming there and can at least struggle against it. Here, you don't have such luxury. Modern war is fearing the air, the shadows, fearing the silence. Death will come and I won't even see it.”
Pierce Brown (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“From a distance, death seems the end of a story. But when you are near, when you can smell the burning skin, see the entrails, you see death for what it is. A traumatic cauterization of a life thread. No purpose. No conclusion. Just snip. I knew war was dreadful, but I did not expect to fear it. How can anyone not, when death is just a blind giant with scissors?”
Pierce Brown (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Fear, guilt, despair, and moon-struck frenzy rush On voluntary death: the wise and brave, When the fierce storms of fortune round 'em roar, Combat the billows with redoubled force: Then, if they perish ere the port is gained, They sink with decent pride; and from the deep Honour retrieves them, bright as rising stars.”
Elijah Fenton (1683–1730) said by 1730 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By day give thanks By night beware Half the world in sweetness The other in fear”
Suzanne Vega (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Each person has his religion and sect impressed upon him as a child, merely as a prejudice, through memorized formulas that are not understood and a drilled-in fear of damnation.”
Hermann Samuel Reimarus (1694–1768) said by 1768 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Fragments (from Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's Werke), as quoted and translated by Christine Lehleiter in Fact and Fiction: Literary and Scientific Cultures in Germany and Britain (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016…