Quotes about fear
page 49

Sufyan al-Thawri photo

“If one tear falls on account of fear of God, it is better then fasting throughout life.”

Sufyan al-Thawri (716–778) Muslim Scholar and founder of Thawri Madhhab

Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2004), p. 28

“Fear of God is king that dwells only in the heart of a pious one.”

Bishr the Barefoot (769–841) Muslim saint

Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2002), p. 37

Thomas Müntzer photo

“The fear of God at the beginning of faith is an unbearable thing to human nature.”

Thomas Müntzer (1489–1525) early Reformation-era German pastor who was a rebel leader during the German Peasants' War

"Exposure of False Faith" (1524), in Revelation and Revolution: Basic Writings of Thomas Müntzer (1993), p. 117
Exposure of False Faith (1524)
Original: (de) Es ist der Natur ein unleidlichs Werk, die Furcht Gottes zum Anfang des Glaubens zu machen.

Paulo Coelho photo
Paulo Coelho photo
Paulo Coelho photo
Paulo Coelho photo

“Fear gradually ebbs away, because it wasn’t given what it felt was its due importance.”

Manuscript Found in Accra (2012), Afraid to Change

Seneca the Younger photo

“Besides, he who is feared, fears also; no one has been able to arouse terror and live in peace of mind.”

Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter CV: On Facing the World With Confidence

Seneca the Younger photo

“There is no sorrow in the world, when we have escaped from the fear of death.”

Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter LXXVIII: On the Healing Power of the Mind

Seneca the Younger photo

“You will thus understand that what you fear is either insignificant or short-lived.”

Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter XXIV: On despising death

Seneca the Younger photo
Nithyananda photo
Prevale photo

“An intense sentimental disappointment causes a character change, in which fear takes on a fundamental role.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Un'intensa delusione sentimentale provoca un cambiamento caratteriale, dove la paura assume un ruolo fondamentale.
Source: prevale.net

Park Geun-hye photo

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

Marcus Aurelius, p. 225
They Both Die at the End (2017)

Bowinn Ma photo

“Young women deserve a province that encourages them to take on leadership roles without fear of sexism. If we want more young women, and more people of colour to enter politics, we must commit to creating environments that respect that.”

Bowinn Ma (1985) Canadian politician

City News 1130 https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/10/12/bowinn-ma-questions-bc-liberal-party-leadership-after-sexist-comments-in-video/, City News 1130: Bowinn Ma questions BC Liberal Party leadership after sexist comments in video, October 11, 2020

Mary Elizabeth Winstead photo

“I really didn't have any fear about the humiliation factor. That was something I was excited to get the opportunity to explore. My fears were about pulling it off.”

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (1984) American actress and singer

"Mary Elizabeth Winstead: from scream queen to alcoholic in Smashed" in The Guardian (29 November 2012) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/29/mary-elizabeth-winstead-scream-queen-alcoholic-smashed

Benjamin Creme photo
Bronisław Komorowski photo

“The wish for freedom is contagious, that's why all tyrants fear it. Freedom seen from close up inspires human strivings. Its triumphant march began in Poland.”

Bronisław Komorowski (1952) Polish politician, president of Poland

"President: National tradition source of our strength" https://www.prezydent.pl/en/president-komorowski/news/art,640,president-national-tradition-source-of-our-strength.html (4 June 2014)

“I came through the fire, and I am so blessed to be with you today. My dream is that one day, all people will live without fear, in real peace, with no fighting and no hostility.”

Phan Thi Kim Phuc (1963) Child depicted in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken during the Vietnam War on June 8, 1972

"In Napa, “napalm girl” Kim Phuc shares story of suffering and forgiveness in Vietnam and beyond" in Napa Valley Register https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/in-napa-napalm-girl-kim-phuc-shares-story-of-suffering-and-forgiveness-in-vietnam-and/article_4f9225b8-0938-5509-b69b-abe13479fd4d.html (24 February 2019)

Soong Mei-ling photo
Menotti Lerro photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Joaquin Phoenix photo

“There will never be a scenario in which the infliction of fear and pain on a vulnerable individual creates a benefit to humankind.”

Joaquin Phoenix (1974) American actor, music video director, producer, musician, and social activist

"The War on Animals" (foreword), Hidden: Animals in the Anthropocene (2020), p. 27 ISBN 978-1590566381

“The more inwardly pure a man is, the higher his rank and the nobler his station, so much he assiduously labors with sincere performance and a great fear.”

Abu Bakr al-Kalabadhi Sufi Maturidi scholar and Hanafi jurist

of God
Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2004), p. 83

Glacier Kwong photo

“I really love the city and would always love to go home. I do fear coming home and do not feel safe coming back. It’s just not the same place that I grew up in.”

Glacier Kwong (1996) Hong Kong human rights activist

‘I fear coming home,’ says Hong Kong activist Glacier Kwong after pro-democracy lobbying effort in Germany https://hongkongfp.com/2020/10/09/i-fear-coming-home-says-hong-kong-activist-glacier-kwong-after-pro-democracy-lobbying-effort-in-germany/ (9 October 2020)

Frithjof Schuon photo

“Without fear of God as a basis, nothing is possible spiritually, for the absence of fear is a lack of self-knowledge.”

Frithjof Schuon (1907–1998) Swiss philosopher

[2012, Echoes of Perennial Wisdom, World Wisdom, 30, 978-1-93659700-0]
God, Reverential fear and love

Frithjof Schuon photo

“One cannot love God without fearing him, any more than one can love one's neighbor without respecting him; not to fear God is to prevent Him showing mercy.”

Frithjof Schuon (1907–1998) Swiss philosopher

[2005, Stations of Wisdom, World Wisdom, 102, 978-0-94153218-1]
God, Reverential fear and love

Constance Wu photo

“I don't fear being outspoken. The only thing I fear is losing my sense of integrity or losing sight of the values on which I guide my life. So I don't think it's particularly brave or unusual for me to speak out.”

Constance Wu (1982) American actress

As quoted in "Constance Wu Opens Up About Activism and Speaking Up For What’s Right" in Teen Vogue (27 February 2017) https://www.teenvogue.com/story/constance-wu-activism-speaking-up-whats-right-big-hundred-mirys-list

Franklin D. Roosevelt photo

“The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;”

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) 32nd President of the United States

1940s, State of the Union Address — Second Bill of Rights (1944)

Park So-dam photo

“There’s a side of me that seeks a stable life, but I tend to not fear change. And as time passes, rather than settle for one thing, I’m growing more inclined to challenge myself and try new things.”

Park So-dam (1991) South Korean actress

As quoted in "Parasite Star Park So-dam on Life Since the Oscars and New Korean Drama Record of Youth" in Time Magazine (16 September 2020) https://time.com/5889002/park-sodam-parasite-record-of-youth-interview/

Iain Banks photo

“Fear lasted a week, anger a year and resentment a lifetime.”

Source: Culture series, Matter (2008), Chapter 17 “Departures” (p. 305)
Context: On this purely practical issue he judged massacre wasteful and even contrary as a method of control.

“Solace, haven, fear, all of these are words which have created moods that one has learned to accept without ever questioning their value.”

Source: The Wheel of Time: Shamans of Ancient Mexico, Their Thoughts About Life, Death and the Universe], (1998), Quotations from "Tales of Power" (Chapter 10)

“A warrior never worries about his fear. Instead, he thinks about the wonders of "seeing" the flow of energy! The rest is frills, unimportant frills.”

Source: The Wheel of Time: Shamans of Ancient Mexico, Their Thoughts About Life, Death and the Universe], (1998), Quotations from A Separate Reality (Chapter 6)

“A man has four natural enemies: fear, clarity, power, and old age. Fear, clarity and power can be overcome, but not old age. Its effect can be postponed, but it can never be overcome.”

Source: The Wheel of Time: Shamans of Ancient Mexico, Their Thoughts About Life, Death and the Universe], (1998), Quotations from The Teachings of Don Juan (Chapter 4)

Bill Maher photo

“Words have meaning, but not anymore. And when I hear 'transphobic,' 'phobic' has a meaning: Fear. I'm not transphobic if I merely disagree with you. It's not hate.”

Bill Maher (1956) American stand-up comedian

New Rule: Andrew Yang & John McWhorter on Dave Chappelle and 'Transphobia' (2021)

Émile Banning photo

“The King is no longer the same; the change of character and spirit observed in him for two or three years is accentuated and makes fear of a catastrophe, at a time when he had only to let it go to be a remarkable King, perhaps to become a large figure.”

Émile Banning (1836–1898) academic, civil servant

Source: All the King's Men' A search for the colonial ideas of some advisers and "accomplices" of Leopold II (1853-1892). (Hannes Vanhauwaert), Emile Banning (1836-1898): The Don Quichotte of the ‘liberal civilization’ in Congo, A romantic associate of Leopold II. http://www.ethesis.net/leopold_II/leopold_II.htm#_ftn194 WILLEQUET, J. Le baron Lambermont, 103.

Baba Hari Dass photo

“Attachment to the body causes fear of death. It is the strongest attachment. Even a newborn infant has this attachment. To overcome the fear of death it is necessary to accept that we all have to die.”

Baba Hari Dass (1923–2018) master yogi, author, builder, commentator of Indian spiritual tradition

Source: Silence Speaks, from the chalkboard of Baba Hari Dass (1977), p.39
Context: Q: What can I do to overcome my fear of death?

HoYeon Jung photo

“There is definitely no fear. When I first went abroad as a model, I felt like I was heading to the ground, but now I think I can make a clearer plan and approach it flexibly.”

HoYeon Jung (1994) South Korean model, actress

Source: "다시 만난 세계 [정호연" https://www.wkorea.com/2021/09/23/%eb%8b%a4%ec%8b%9c-%eb%a7%8c%eb%82%9c-%ec%84%b8%ea%b3%84-%ec%a0%95%ed%98%b8%ec%97%b0/ (23 September 2021)

“Eat that money without compromising with them. If they come to bribe you, accept the money but don’t vote for them because you will be alone while voting. Do not fear because you will have committed no sin and God cannot be angry with you.”

Matthias Ssekamaanya (1936) Ugandan Roman Catholic bishop

Source: ‘Eat’ the money, but vote development, says bishop https://observer.ug/news-headlines/36415-eat-the-money-but-vote-development-says-bishop (February 18, 2015)

Al-Tabari photo
Carl von Clausewitz photo

“As a first-generation immigrant, I want to make the soil richer. My kid will grow up in a free world without fear and will be thinking like an ordinary American. I envy him very much.”

Rebel Pepper (1973) Chinese political cartoonist

"Chinese political cartoonist Rebel Pepper finds more artistic freedom in the US" in The World https://theworld.org/stories/2018-07-02/chinese-political-cartoonist-rebel-pepper-finds-more-artistic-freedom-us (2 July 2018)

“This fear of the power of the totalitarian state is something normal people cannot understand.”

Rebel Pepper (1973) Chinese political cartoonist

"Rebel with a cause: An interview with China’s most famous political cartoonist" in SAGE Journals https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0306422016657031a (29 June 2016)

“People who live in totalitarian countries experience educational brainwashing and real fear of the government. They are not brave enough to stand out and express different opinions.”

Rebel Pepper (1973) Chinese political cartoonist

"Rebel with a cause: An interview with China’s most famous political cartoonist" in SAGE Journals https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0306422016657031a (29 June 2016)

Vera Stanley Alder photo
Vera Stanley Alder photo

“At present nations are held back by fear for the loss of their individuality, and they are quite right, because individual expression is essential.”

Vera Stanley Alder (1898–1984) British artist

Source: Humanity Comes of Age, A study of Individual and World Fulfillment (1950), Introduction p. I - XII

Benjamin Creme photo
Robert Silverberg photo
Richard Pyle photo

“Life is a sexually transmitted disease with 100 percent mortality. So you can't live your life in fear.”

Richard Pyle (1967) American ichthyologist

Source: A dive into the reef's Twilight Zone https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_pyle_a_dive_into_the_reef_s_twilight_zone (February 2004)

“I just happen to be someone who happens to like the fear to be created in my mind. That’s why I like the more minimalistic approach. It’s just a taste thing. I’m not as into the blood and guts.”

John Pogue American film director, producer and screenwriter

Source: WAMG Talks To Director JOHN POGUE : THE QUIET ONES http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2014/04/wamg-talks-to-john-pogue/ (April 23, 2014)

“Fear and superstition always follow the unseen, the unknown, the whispered of.”

Sheri S. Tepper (1929–2016) American fiction writer

Source: The Margarets (2007), Chapter 34, “I Am M’urgi/On B’Yurngrad” (p. 312)

Marcus Aurelius photo
Marcus Aurelius photo
Prevale photo

“One of the real strengths is facing and overcoming your most hidden fears.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Uno dei veri punti di forza è affrontare e superare le tue paure più nascoste.
Source: prevale.net

Jussie Smollett photo

“The fact that we have these fear mongrels. These people that are trying to separate us, and it's just not okay. It's just not okay.”

Jussie Smollett (1982) American actor, singer, director and photographer

14 February 2019 spoken immediately after the preceding sentence which received mass-coverage, this sentence was largely ignored by the media except for a Bean and Biscuits upload https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV36aUwOktQ used by The Unz Report https://www.unz.com/isteve/jussie-speaks-out-against-the-fear-mongrels-trying-to-separate-us/
this was likely because Jussie said "mongrels" when he probably intended to say "mongerers"

Kiki Mordi photo

“Freedom is exercising your rights, getting an education without the fear of sexual harassment.”

Kiki Mordi (1991) Nkiru "Kiki" Mordi is a Nigerian investigative journalist, media personality, filmmaker,writer and entrepreneur.

Source: https://quotes.ng/mobile/author.php?title=kiki-mordi&id=1159 Kiki Mordi speaking on equality.

“God knows best who we are and why we were created and therefore, we should concern ourselves only with the fear of God, love of God and obedience to God's commands.”

Bu Ali Shah Qalandar (1209–1324) Indian Sufi saint

Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2004), p. 270

Bob Inglis photo

“Can you imagine the emptiness of knowing that you stood for nothing, that you risked nothing, that all you did was follow fearful people to where they were already going rather than trying to lead them to a better place.”

Bob Inglis (1959) Former U.S. congressman

Source: "Bob Inglis: How I changed my mind about climate change" https://www.npr.org/2021/12/03/1061214253/bob-inglis-how-i-changed-my-mind-about-climate-change, NPR (December 3, 2021)

Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki photo

“Fear is a whip of God for the undisciplined devotee. When the fear of God enters into the heart, it turns the flask of the heart into pieces.”

Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (1173–1235) Indian Sufi

Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2004), p. 263

James Robinson Risner photo

“Fear is a luxury one can’t afford.”

James Robinson Risner (1925–2013) Recipient of the Purple Heart medal

Source: "Robinson Risner, Air Force ace and POW, dies at 88" in The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/robinson-risner-air-force-ace-and-pow-dies-at-88/2013/10/29/ec759f3e-40ae-11e3-a624-41d661b0bb78_story.html (29 October 2013)

Alfred Clifton Hughes photo
Henry Ford photo

“Failure is only the opportunity more intelligently to begin again. There is no disgrace in honest failure; there is disgrace in fearing to fail.”

Source: 1920s, My Life and Work (1922), pp. 19–20. Quoted in Samuel Crowther, "Henry Ford's Problem," The Magazine of Business, vol. 52 (1927), p. 182

Julian Assange photo
George Bernard Shaw photo
Harry Emerson Fosdick photo
Alice A. Bailey photo
Jay Samit photo
Jay Samit photo

“Instead of fearing what could go wrong. Fear what happens if you never try.”

Jay Samit (1961) American businessman

Future Proofing You (2021)

Jay Samit photo

“The third of the twelve truths in this book is that you must accept that fear is good.”

Jay Samit (1961) American businessman

Future Proofing You (2021)

Jay Samit photo

“Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.”

Jay Samit (1961) American businessman

Future Proofing You (2021)

Judge Smith photo
Alfred Austin photo

“Never fear to weep;
For tears are summer showers to the soul,
To keep it fresh and green.”

Alfred Austin (1835–1913) British writer and poet

Source: Savonarola (1881), Candida to Valori in Act IV, sc. iv; p. 264.

Prevale photo

“Don't turn your thoughts into fears. Turn your dreams into actions and your actions into successes.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Non trasformare i tuoi pensieri in paure. Trasforma i tuoi sogni in azioni e le tue azioni in successi.
Source: prevale.net

John McDonnell photo

“My fear is that if we did have another referendum, we might get the same or similar result and the country will still be divided. Somehow we have got to try and bring the country back together again.”

John McDonnell (1951) British politician (born 1951)

Source: Labour could form minority government without election - McDonnell https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46288429 BBC News (21 November 2018)

Jane Yolen photo

“Madness also makes folks uneasy; they fear contagion.”

Jane Yolen (1939) American speculative fiction and children's writer

Source: Short fiction, Dragonfield and Other Stories (1985), The Tree’s Wife (p. 78)

Vera Stanley Alder photo
Edgar Guest photo
Edgar Guest photo
Edgar Guest photo
John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton photo

“A time came when the Catholics, having long relied on force, were compelled to appeal to opinion. That which had been defiantly acknowledged and defended required to be ingeniously explained away. The same motive which had justified the murder now prompted the lie. Men shrank from the conviction that the rulers and restorers of their Church had been murderers and abetters of murder, and that so much infamy had been coupled with so much zeal. They feared to say that the most monstrous of crimes had been solemnly approved at Rome, lest they should devote the Papacy to the execration of mankind. A swarm of facts were invented to meet the difficulty: The victims were insignificant in number; they were slain for no reason connected with religion; the Pope believed in the existence of the plot; the plot was a reality; the medal is fictitious; the massacre was a feint concerted with the Protestants themselves; the Pope rejoiced only when he heard that it was over. These things were repeated so often that they have been sometimes believed; and men have fallen into this way of speaking whose sincerity was unimpeachable, and who were not shaken in their religion by the errors or the vices of Popes. Möhler was pre-eminently such a man. In his lectures on the history of the Church, which were published only last year, he said that the Catholics, as such, took no part in the massacre; that no cardinal, bishop, or priest shared in the councils that prepared it; that Charles informed the Pope that a conspiracy had been discovered; and that Gregory made his thanksgiving only because the King's life was saved. Such things will cease to be written when men perceive that truth is the only merit that gives dignity and worth to history.”

John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton (1834–1902) British politician and historian

Source: 1860s, The Massacre Of St. Bartholomew (1869)

Tara Westover photo
Samuel R. Delany photo
James Mason (neo-Nazi) photo

“The System is as fearful as it is vengeful.”

Siege: The Collected Writings of James Mason (1992)

Divine Ndhlukula photo