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Fear

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• “They began by controlling books of cartoons and then detective books and, of course, films, one way or another, one group or another, political bias, religious prejudice, union pressures; there was always a minority afraid of something, and a great majority afraid of the dark, afraid of the future, afraid of the past, afraid of the present, afraid of themselves and shadows of themselves.”

  Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) first seen 1950 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Usher II (1950)

• “Yes, we are living in a world of fear. The life of man today is corroded and made bitter by fear. Fear of the future, fear of the hydrogen bomb, fear of ideologies. Perhaps this fear is a greater danger than the danger itself, because it is fear which drives men to act foolishly, to act thoughtlessly, to act dangerously. . . .”

  Sukarno (1901–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Fears to look bad in front of other people, to say something wrong, to be laughed at - all those fears deprive us of half of our abilities. This is one of the main school problems. That teacher understands it, who can teach students to study without fear of the teacher, without fear of classmates, and, the most important, without fear of a subject.”

  Simon Soloveychik (1930–1996) said by 1996 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Ch.20 (In Russian, Последняя книга,1999,

• “We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear — fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, fear of getting down-sized or fired because of the plunging economy, fear of getting evicted for bad debts, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer.”

  Hunter S. Thompson (1937–2005) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Extreme Behavior in Aspen" (3 February 2003)

• “Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is unrighteousness, fear is wrong life. All the negative thoughts and ideas that are in the world have proceeded from this evil spirit of fear.”

  Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) said by 1902 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Every artist must have two fears -- the fear of God and the fear of man -- fear of God that his creation will ultimately be found unworthy and the fear of man that he will be misunderstood by his fellows.”

  Robert Frost (1874–1963) first seen 1963 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Before an audience of young writers gathered under Bread Loaf Mountains at Middlebury, Vermont. As quoted in the following source: Associated Press (30 January 1963). "Robert Frost Dies at 88; Kennedy Leads in Tribute".…

• “He who fears death either fears to lose all sensation or fears new sensations. In reality, you will either feel nothing at all, and therefore nothing evil, or else, if you can feel any sensations, you will be a new creature, and so will not have ceased to have life.”

  Marcus Aurelius (121–180) said by 180 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “The sun, that brave man, Comes through boughs that lie in wait, That brave man.Green and gloomy eyes In dark forms of the grass Run away.The good stars, Pale helms and spiky spurs, Run away.Fears of my bed, Fears of life and fears of death, Run away.That brave man comes up From below and walks without meditation, That brave man.”

  Wallace Stevens (1879–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I’m afraid of power…” Gregor’s voice went low, contemplative. “You aren’t afraid of power, you’re afraid of hurting people. If you wield that power,” Miles deduced suddenly. “Huh. Close guess.” “Not dead-on?” “I’m afraid I might enjoy it. The hurting.”

  Lois McMaster Bujold (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “God is an American. I'm afraid of Americans. I'm afraid of the world. I'm afraid I can't help it. I'm afraid I can't”

  David Bowie (1947–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I shall not be afraid any more, Either by night or day; What would it profit me to be afraid With you away? * * * For there is only sorrow in my heart; There is no room for fear. But how I wish I were afraid again, My dear, my dear!”

  Aline Murray Kilmer (1888–1941) first seen 1919 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: I Shall Not Be Afraid", sts. 1, 3. Candles that Burn (1919), p. 34

• “Every creature has fear,” Jared said. “Even the non-conscious ones.” “No,” Boutin said. “Every creature has a survival instinct. It looks like fear but it’s not the same thing. Fear isn’t the desire to avoid death or pain. Fear is rooted in the knowledge that what you recognize as yourself can cease to exist. Fear is existential.”

  John Scalzi (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Be constant in fear of Allah and his worship. Do not fear anyone else nor expect anything from any one. Save yourself - Fear Allah, fear Allah and fear Allah.”

  Abdul Qadir Gilani (1078–1166) said by 1166 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “To think with fear of the end of one's life is pretty general with human beings. It is one of the means nature uses to conserve the life of the species. Approached rationally that fear is the most unjustified of all fears, for there is no risk of any accidents to one who is dead or not yet born. In short, the fear is stupid but it cannot be helped.”

  Albert Einstein (1879–1955) first seen 1953 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Letter to Eileen Danniheisser (1953), quoted in Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel by Banesh Hoffman (1973), p. 261. The exact date, or the name of his correspondent, is not given in the snippet of the book available on…

• “George W. Bush revels in being a war president. His campaign is shamelessly exploiting the fears generated by 9/11. Vice President Cheney is conjuring mushroom clouds into our cities. But fear is a bad counselor; we must resist it wherever it comes from. President Roosevelt had the right idea when he said, "We have nothing to fear but Fear itself.”

  George Soros (born 1930) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Wages have increased, the cost of living has decreased. The job of every man and woman has been made more secure. We have in this short period decreased the fear of poverty, the fear of unemployment, the fear of old age; and these fears that are the greatest calamities of human kind.”

  Herbert Hoover (1874–1964) said by 1964 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “...do not courageous men endure death because they are afraid of yet greater evils? ...Then all but philosophers are courageous only from fear, and because they are afraid; and yet that a man should be courageous from fear, and because he is a coward, is surely a strange thing.”

  Socrates (470–399 BC) said by 399 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “We should not replace pity with fear in our relationship with the working class. It is a source of shame that Labour did not and does not represent the hopes and fears of the working class, by becoming a party that disapproves of their fears and is nervous of their hopes.”

  Maurice Glasman, Baron Glasman (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “True faith, by a mighty effort of the will, fixes its gaze on our Divine Helper, and there finds it possible and wise to lose its fears. It is madness to say, "I will not be afraid; "it is wisdom and peace to say, "I will trust and not be afraid.”

  Alexander Maclaren (1826–1910) said by 1910 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “This movie is about the fact that personal repression gives rise to larger political oppression.… That when we're afraid of certain things in ourselves or we're afraid of change, we project those fears on to other things, and a lot of very ugly social situations can develop.”

  Gary Ross (born 1956) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: On his film Pleasantville (1998), as quoted in Review of Pleasantville by Edward Johnson-Ott

• “I think present-day reason is an analogue of the flat earth of the medieval period. If you go too far beyond it you're presumed to fall off, into insanity. And people are very much afraid of that. I think this fear of insanity is comparable to the fear people once had of falling off the edge of the world. Or the fear of heretics. There's a very close analogue there.”

  Robert M. Pirsig (1928–2017) said by 2017 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Today, fear of the truth is not a fear of the unknown, but a fear of something we know very well. People are afraid of themselves because they know who they are. p. 302”

  Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Afsan stood tall. “I am not afraid.” “Fear is important, young one. Fear is the counselor. Those who don’t know when to fear wind up dead.”

  Robert J. Sawyer (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Beware: Ignorance Protects itself Ignorance Promotes suspicion. Suspicion Engenders fear. Fear quails, Irrational and blind, Or fear looms, Defiant and closed. Blind, closed, Suspicious, afraid, Ignorance Protects itself, And protected, Ignorance grows.”

  Octavia Butler (1947–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I would like to grow less afraid of dying. I am infinitely less afraid today than I was 15 or 25 years ago. I was most afraid of dying when I was 33, because I come from a Catholic family.”

  Sidney Poitier (1927–2022) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Oprah Talks to Sidney Poitier", O Magazine (October 2000)

• “There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first, ranging from grizzly bears to 'mean' horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid.”

  Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) said by 1919 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I like thinking big. I always have. To me it's very simple: if you're going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big. Most people think small, because most people are afraid of success, afraid of making decisions, afraid of winning. And that gives people like me a great advantage.”

  Donald Trump (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “He [God] owes me an apology too- at the very least. I'm not saying I shouldn't have been punished for those sins I committed. I'm saying that the punishments he chose were inhuman. I wonder what favor I'd want. I think I may be afraid to ask for it. I'm afraid He won't grant it. I'm more afraid that He will. Wouldn't it be tragic to find out that He really has been here all this time?”

  Joseph Heller (1923–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “The great malady of public life is cowardice. Most men are not untrue, but they are afraid. Most of the errors of public life, if my observation is to be trusted, come not because men are morally bad, but because they are afraid of somebody. God knows why they should be: it is generally shadows they are afraid of.”

  Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) said by 1924 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: As quoted in American Chronicle (1945) by Ray Stannard Baker, quoted on unnumbered page opposite p. 1

• “The gnani is afraid of nothing. But he pities the man who is afraid. After all, to be born, to live and to die is natural. To be afraid is not. (…).”

  Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “People are afraid to die, because they do not know what is death. The gnani has died before his death, he saw that there was nothing to be afraid of. The moment you know your real being, you are afraid of nothing. Death gives freedom and power. (…) The happiness of being absolutely free is beyond description. (…).”

  Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “All children are afraid of the night; when they grow up, they are still afraid, but more afraid of admitting it. ("Night Thoughts," May 8, 1939)”

  Whittaker Chambers (1901–1961) said by 1961 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Why would a dragon hoard gold? Because a dragon represents everything that you're afraid of. What's embedded in everything that you're afraid of? Absolutely everything that you need to find. Run from what you're afraid of? Run from exactly what you need to find.”

  Jordan Peterson (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I had watched them carefully over the years. Sometimes they argued. But less and less as time went by. Aisha learnt to be careful. To avoid certain subjects. To avoid enthusiasms, excesses, tears. To avoid - me. It was not that she was afraid of him. I believe she was afraid for him; afraid of me. And she wanted to go on loving him. (beginning of "The Nativity")”

  Ahdaf Soueif (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Our leaders are afraid; it is as simple as that. They are afraid of a thinking, innovative, and collaborative working Nigeria. They are afraid of every young Nigerian who, against all odds, has made it for themselves.”

  DJ Switch wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Don’t be afraid to be who you want to be, express yourself. I don’t attach too much to myself; I’m never afraid to ask for help. I’m never afraid to say how I feel to my loved ones. If there is a problem, I call my loved ones. Express yourself. On earth, you didn’t come alone, that is why there are other people here.”

  Beverly Osu (born 1992) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Beverly advice young girls in 2020.

• “Oftentimes, we get scared because we’re too afraid to lose something, We’re too afraid to lose the mortgage payment...too afraid to lose our stuff, so we’ll just go along to get along. Be unafraid, even if [you have to] stand alone. That’s what has to happen. Because when you look in the mirror, you’ve got to be OK with the one looking back at you.”

  Mo'Nique (born 1967) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Mo'Nique advice black female comedians in 2020.

• “Don’t be afraid of getting engaged. Don’t be afraid of having a family. Don’t be afraid of having kids and saying yes to life,”

  Katalin Novák (born 1977) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Hungarian president warns of coming ‘demographic ice age’ in BYU speech Deseret News (September 27,2023)

• “Paraphrase: Many people, because they have not successfully resolved the Oedipal stage, remain emotionally children; they are afraid to grow up, afraid to risk independence, afraid to risk real love.”

  M. Scott Peck (1936–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “To want to be better, one must know what it feels like to FAIL. For failure is temporary but so is a success. So in anything just like what my Papa made sure I knew before he had passed on, -NEVER be afraid to be uncomfortable, EMBRACE the uncertainty, never be afraid to FAIL, never be afraid to TRY, and TRY HARDER.”

  Dimples Romana (born 1984) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Dimples Romana: ‘Mas mabuti ang mahirap na may pangarap kaysa may kaya na walang pangarap’, Drew Acierto 30 October 2022.

• “I am still afraid of getting too tired, of giving up. I am still afraid of staying in the job, and afraid of leaving it.”

  Marilyn Waring (born 1952) first seen 1985 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: As stated in Waring, Marilyn (1985). Women, Politics & Power. Allen & Unwin New Zealand Limited. ISBN 0-86861-562-5.

• “I know not what fear is, nor I know not what it is that I fear now; I fear not the hastening of my death, and yet I do fear the increase of the disease... my weakness is from nature, who hath but her measure, my strength is from God, who possesses and distributes infinitely.”

  John Donne (1572–1631) said by 1631 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I think the big mistake in schools is trying to teach children anything, and by using fear as the basic motivation. Fear of getting failing grades, fear of not staying with your class, etc. Interest can produce learning on a scale compared to fear as a nuclear explosion to a firecracker.”

  Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Quoted in Stanley Kubrick at Look Magazine (2013) by Phillipe Mather, p. 46

• “I think we [comedians] deal with fear more viscerally than almost anyone! I mean, you feel the audience's fear, your own fear. The whole show is about quelling fear!”

  Jerry Seinfeld (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “So how do you communicate to a whole group of people? You stand up and take the worst fear symbol [swastika] and say "There, now I've got your fear. Now I've got your fear." And your fear is your power and your power is your control. I'm your king of this whole planet. I'm gonna rule this whole world.”

  Charles Manson (1934–2017) first seen 1989 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Interview by Penny Daniels (1989)

• “She faces us with our greatest fear and by showing us the treasure hidden away within it, she takes us to a place where love is born. Love is the true antithesis of fear. It expands where fear constricts. It embraces where fear repels.”

  Marion Woodman (1928–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “In boxing, I had a lot of fear. Fear was good. But, for the first time, in the bout with Muhammad Ali, I didn't have any fear. I thought, "This is easy. This is what I've been waiting for." No fear at all. No nervousness. And I lost.”

  George Foreman (1949–2025) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: As quoted in Imperfect Heroes : Teaching in Challenging Times to Motivate Student Achievement (2022) by Andrew Barkley, p. 8

• “The masters in all ages have put men like Debs in jail because it is the truth-teller that the masters fear most. They fear the Truth; they fear the Light; they fear Justice; and the man who turns on the Light and speaks the Truth and cries out for Justice—is their greatest enemy. So they have always tried this process of putting ideas into jail.”

  Scott Nearing (1883–1983) first seen 1919 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: The Debs Decision (1919)

• “Death isn't empty like you say it is. Emptiness is life without freedom, Darrow. Emptiness is living chained by fear, fear of loss, fear of death.I say we break those chains.Break the chains of fear and you break the chains that bind us to the Golds, to the Society. Could you imagine it?”

  Pierce Brown (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I have no fear. True, I fear God, but I do not fear what people will say. My success has been driven by my confidence and lack of fear. I believe that I can do what others can.”

  Muthoni Likimani (born 1926) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

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