Quotes about fear

We lived in the shadows, our voices silenced by fear, until one day we realized that silence was no longer an option.

You were scared of the ball because it was big and hard and could hurt you, just like life can hurt you.

Sometimes I think you have an overly vivid imagination, Hollis. With some things it’s just not worth thinking about them too carefully before they happen. They almost never turn out to be as horrible as you think they will.

“The only way to deal with fear is to treat it like an unwelcome guest. If you keep entertaining it, you’ll never be rid of it.” (Amara)

Of course I was afraid. But I had learned to fear other things more: being despised, whittled down one small piece of myself at a time, smirked at and taken advantage of. I put my chin up and said, as cold as I could be in answer, “And what will you give me in return?

“Throughout the history of men there’s always been some kind of drug, and the people stuck on it. The people who push the stuff are on a different kind of drug, one so powerful that they are not aware of its own, ravaging, animalistic effect on them.”

“What’s that?”

“Power and greed,” he told her. “The ugliest—no, the second ugliest ravager of people ever known.”

“What’s the ugliest then?” she asked him.

“Fear,” he replied seriously. “It destroys, rots, and touches everyone around.”

It’s true that setting boundaries isn’t easy. Paralyzing fear about how someone might respond can easily hold us back. You might play out awkward interactions in your mind and prepare yourself for the worst possible outcome. But trust me: short-term discomfort for a long-term healthy relationship is worth it every time!

we victimize ourselves further when we let our fear prevent us from doing what we need to do.

Fear is not rooted in fact. Fear is rooted in negative thoughts and the story lines in our heads.

Avoidance is a passive-aggressive way of expressing that you are tired of showing up. Hoping the problem will go away feels like the safest option, but avoidance is a fear-based response. Avoiding a discussion of our expectations doesn’t prevent conflict. It prolongs the inevitable task of setting boundaries.

Scared animals return home, regardless of whether home is safe or frightening.

In every neck of the woods people walked in the imagination of doomsayers and talked the language of extinction. (p5)