1.
Religion is for people who fear hell, spirituality is for people who have been there.
David Bowie
'Religion is for those who dread the unknown, spirituality is for those who have experienced it.'
2.
"Have you done your homework?" my mother would ask. "I'll do it later." "You will do it now, young man. I don't want you winding up on the third shift at Flagg-Utica." Flagg-Utica was a local textile plant. Somehow, I never could figure how failing to read three chapters in my geography book about the various sorts of vegetation to be found in a tropical rain forest had anything to do with facing a life as a mill hand. But with enough guilt and fear as catalysts, you can read anything, even geography books and Deuteronomy.
Lewis Grizzard
3.
Ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hate, and hate leads to violence. This is the equation.
Averroes
Unawareness leads to apprehension, apprehension leads to animosity, and animosity leads to aggression. This is the equation.
4.
So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.
Voltaire
5.
Don't be afraid to go after what you want to do, and what you want to be.
But don't be afraid to be willing to pay the price.
Lane Frost
Do not hesitate to pursue your ambitions, but be ready to accept the costs.
6.
Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.
Harry S. Truman
7.
One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth.
Growth must be chosen again and again;
fear must be overcome again and again.
Abraham Maslow
One can select to retreat to security or advance toward evolution. Evolution must be picked continuously; trepidation must be vanquished repeatedly.
8.
The most important thing in life is to dare. The most complicated thing in life is to be afraid. The smartest thing in the world is to try to be a moral person.
Shimon Peres
The most essential thing in life is to be audacious. The most intricate thing in life is to be apprehensive. The shrewdest thing in the world is to endeavor to be an ethical individual.
9.
F-E-A-R has two meanings: 'Forget Everything And Run' or 'Face Everything And Rise.' The choice is yours.
Zig Ziglar
'Dread has two interpretations: 'Disregard Everything And Hasten Away' or 'Confront Everything And Prosper.' The decision is yours.'
10.
Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking.
Leo Tolstoy
11.
You are not born racist. You are born into a racist society. And like anything else, if you can learn it, you can unlearn it. But some people choose not to unlearn it, because they're afraid they'll lose power if they share with other people. We are afraid of sharing power. That's what it's all about.
Jane Elliott
12.
The creation continues incessantly through the media of man. But man does not create... he discovers.
Antonio Gaudi
The generation is constant through the means of humanity. But humans do not generate... they uncover.
13.
Men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of power are feared; but only men of character are trusted.
Alfred Adler
Those of eminent ability are venerated, those of affluence are coveted, those of sway are dreaded; yet only individuals of integrity are relied upon.
14.
I prayed to dispel my fear, until suddenly, and I do not know how the idea came to me, I began to pray for others. I prayed for everyone who came into my thoughts - - people with whom I had traveled, those who had been in prison with me, my school friends of years ago. I do not know how long I continued my prayer, but this I do know - - my fear was gone! Interceding for others had released me!
Corrie Ten Boom
15.
Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater.
George Washington Carver
Anxiety towards something serves as the origin of animosity for others, and internalized hostility will eventually demolish the malevolent.
16.
There are only two emotions: love and fear. All positive emotions come from love, all negative emotions from fear. From love flows happiness, contentment, peace, and joy. From fear comes anger, hate, anxiety and guilt. It's true that there are only two primary emotions, love and fear. But it's more accurate to say that there is only love or fear, for we cannot feel these two emotions together, at exactly the same time. They're opposites. If we're in fear, we are not in a place of love. When we're in a place of love, we cannot be in a place of fear.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
17.
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate... Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
18.
Those who look for the laws of Nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator.
Antonio Gaudi
Those who search for the principles of Nature to help them in their creations join forces with the divine.
19.
The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.
William James
20.
I am not afraid; I was born to do this.
Joan of Arc
I was born to take on this challenge.
21.
I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.
Frederick Douglass
I choose to remain authentic even if it brings about the mockery of others, rather than be dishonest and draw my own repulsion.
22.
The years of imprisonment hardened me ... Perhaps if you have been given a moment to hold back and wait for the next blow, your emotions wouldn't be blunted as they have been in my case. When it happens every day of your life, when that pain becomes a way of life ... there is no longer anything I can fear. There is nothing the government has not done to me. There isn't any pain I haven't known.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
23.
Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.
Rudyard Kipling
'Frequently, our own anxieties can be the most deceptive of deceivers.'
24.
You can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.
Michelle Obama
25.
Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.
Marcus Aurelius
'Do not allow the future to unsettle you. You will confront it, if need be, with the same weapons of wisdom which arm you against the present.'
26.
Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.
St. Catherine of Siena
Declare the facts and do not stay quiet out of trepidation.
27.
Make yourself sheep and the wolves will eat you.
Benjamin Franklin
Render yourself vulnerable and the predators will devour you.
28.
If nations could overcome the mutual fear and distrust whose sombre shadow is now thrown over the world, and could meet with confidence and good will to settle their possible differences, they would easily be able to establish a lasting peace.
Fridtjof Nansen
29.
This is a dark time, filled with suffering and uncertainty. Like living cells in a larger body, it is natural that we feel the trauma of our world. So don’t be afraid of the anguish you feel, or the anger or fear, because these responses arise from the depth of your caring and the truth of your interconnectedness with all beings.
Joanna Macy
30.
If the only thing people learned was not to be afraid of their experience, that alone would change the world.
Sydney Banks
If the sole lesson people gleaned was to confront their circumstances fearlessly, it would revolutionize the world.
31.
This world of ours... must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
This realm of ours... must evade becoming a society of abject panic and animosity, and be, instead, a dignified alliance of reciprocal faith and esteem.
32.
Now is the time to understand more, so we fear less.
Marie Curie
It is essential to expand our knowledge so that we can abate our dread.
33.
If a man considers that he is born, he cannot avoid the fear of death. Let him find out if he has been born or if the Self has any birth. He will discover that the Self always exists, that the body that is born resolves itself into thought and that the emergence of thought is the root of all mischief. Find from where thoughts emerge. Then you will be able to abide in the ever-present inmost Self and be free from the idea of birth or the fear of death.
Ramana Maharshi
34.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
James Madison
If Autocracy and Suppression arrive in this country, it will be under the pretext of battling a foreign adversary.
35.
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.
Fred Rogers
36.
In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life.
Albert Bandura
In order to succeed, people need a belief in their own capability, to persistently collaborate and confront the inevitable adversities and disparities of life.
37.
The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?
Jack Kornfield
The heart is akin to a nursery. It can foster benevolence or apprehension, animosity or adoration. What saplings will you cultivate there?
38.
Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.
Bertrand Russell
Anxiety is the primary root of superstition, and one of the fundamental causes of cruelty. Overcoming anxiety is the commencement of sagacity.
39.
He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.
Aristotle
One who has vanquished their anxieties will genuinely be liberated.
40.
He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures.
Friedrich Nietzsche
One who lacks self-control will be directed. That is the essence of creatures that exist.
41.
Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
George Bernard Shaw
Autonomy denotes accountability. That is why many people fear it.
42.
Instead of worrying about what people say of you,
why not spend time trying to accomplish something they will admire.
Dale Carnegie
Instead of fretting about what others think of you, why not dedicate effort to achieving something they will respect.
43.
When a man carries a gun all the time, the respect he thinks he's getting might really be fear. So I don't carry a gun because I don't want the people of Mayberry to fear a gun. I'd rather they respect me.
Andy Griffith
44.
The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.
Eleanor Roosevelt
The goal of life is to savor it, to relish experiences fully, to boldly and fearlessly reach out for further and more rewarding experiences.
45.
A boat is safe in the harbor. But this is not the purpose of a boat.
Paulo Coelho
A craft is secure in the dock, yet this is not why it exists.
46.
Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men's views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.
Woodrow Wilson
47.
The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.
Frank Sinatra
The cardinal rule of life, child, is to never be intimidated by anyone or anything.
48.
"Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty."
Oscar Romero
49.
The corporations that profit from permanent war need us to be afraid. Fear stops us from objecting to government spending on a bloated military. Fear means we will not ask unpleasant questions of those in power. Fear permits the government to operate in secret. Fear means we are willing to give up our rights and liberties for promises of security. The imposition of fear ensures that the corporations that wrecked the country cannot be challenged. Fear keeps us penned in like livestock.
Chris Hedges
50.
Once you realize that the world is your own projection, you are free of it. You need not free yourself of a world that does not exist, except in your own imagination! However is the picture, beautiful or ugly, you are painting it and you are not bound by it. Realize that there is nobody to force it on you, that it is due to the habit of taking the imaginary to be real. See the imaginary as imaginary and be free of fear.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj