Skip to content

We may believe that anxiety and fear don't concern us…

“We may believe that anxiety and fear don't concern us because we avoid experiencing them. We may keep the scope of our lives narrow and familiar, opting for sameness and safety. We may not even know that we are scared of success, failure, rejection, criticism, conflict, competition, intimacy, or…” quote by Harriet Lerner
Download Open image
““We may believe that anxiety and fear don't concern us because we avoid experiencing them. We may keep the scope of our lives narrow and familiar, opting for sameness and safety. We may not even know that we are scared of success, failure, rejection, criticism, conflict, competition, intimacy, or adventure, because we rarely test the limits of our competence and creativity. We avoid anxiety by avoiding risk and change. Our challenge: To be willing to become more anxious, via embracing new situations and stepping more fully into our lives.””

Harriet Lerner

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

We often hide from anxiety by staying in familiar, safe routines, missing that fear can be about success, failure, intimacy, or adventure, and avoiding risk limits growth.

In simple terms: Avoiding anxiety keeps us stuck in safety, preventing growth.

Key Takeaway

Embrace discomfort to expand potential.

Themes

fear growth comfort zones risk self-awareness

Mood

anxious reflective motivational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

  • career change
  • starting a new project
  • entering a new relationship
  • public speaking
  • creative endeavors

Key Concepts

psychology self-development emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

  • What fears are you avoiding?
  • How could embracing anxiety unlock new opportunities?
A Different Perspective

Comfort can become a trap that hinders true progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Harriet Lerner

Explore all 113 Harriet Lerner quotes

More Anxiety quotes

Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes