---
title: "1 Avoid Anxiety Quotes By Harriet Lerner"
description: "1 Avoid Anxiety quotes by Harriet Lerner. Plus more from Harriet Lerner and more Avoid Anxiety sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/harriet-lerner-4248_anxiety_we-may-believe-that-anxiety-and-fear-don_1887019.jpg"
---

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/we-may-believe-that-anxiety-and-fear-don-t-concern-us-because-we/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/harriet-lerner-4248_anxiety_we-may-believe-that-anxiety-and-fear-don_1887019.jpg)

## More by Harriet Lerner

> [“Letting go of anger and hate requires us to give up the hope for a different past, along with the hope of a fantasized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/letting-go-of-anger-and-hate-requires-us-to-give-up-the-hope-for-a/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [“There’s a widespread belief that if you have solid self-esteem you don’t need outside affirmation and praise. This is patently untrue, by the way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/there-s-a-widespread-belief-that-if-you-have-solid-self-esteem-you/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [It is an act of courage to acknowledge our own uncertainty and sit with it for a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/it-is-an-act-of-courage-to-acknowledge-our-own-uncertainty-and-sit/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [Silence can pose a greater threat than the difficult truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/silence-can-pose-a-greater-threat-than-the-difficult-truth/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [Nothing you say can ensure that the other person will get it, or respond the way you want. You may never exceed his threshold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/nothing-you-say-can-ensure-that-the-other-person-will-get-it-or/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [If you exchanged wedding vows, tape them to your bathroom mirror and read them aloud to yourself every morning along with the ritual brushing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/if-you-exchanged-wedding-vows-tape-them-to-your-bathroom-mirror-and/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [Kids want nothing more than for all the important adults in their life to get along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/kids-want-nothing-more-than-for-all-the-important-adults-in-their/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [“People's sense of self worth is pivotal to their ability to look clearly at the hurt they've caused. The more solid one's sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/people-s-sense-of-self-worth-is-pivotal-to-their-ability-to-look/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [Being able to make a sincere apology - one that says, "Yes, I get it; I screwed up. Your feelings make sense, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/being-able-to-make-a-sincere-apology-one-that-says-yes-i-get-it-i/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [“Everyone freaks out. Sometimes the best we can do with fear is befriend it. Expect it and understand that fear will always reappear. Eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/everyone-freaks-out-sometimes-the-best-we-can-do-with-fear-is/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [The bolder and more courageous you are, the more you will learn about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/the-bolder-and-more-courageous-you-are-the-more-you-will-learn-about/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [Underground issues from one relationship or context invariably fuel our fires in another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/underground-issues-from-one-relationship-or-context-invariably-fuel/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [There are some things for which there is no apology, and on the question of slavery, there is no adequate apology for ripping people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/there-are-some-things-for-which-there-is-no-apology-and-on-the/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [Don't count on the power of your love or your nagging to create something that wasn't there to begin with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/don-t-count-on-the-power-of-your-love-or-your-nagging-to-create/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [If we only listened with the same passion that we feel about being heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/if-we-only-listened-with-the-same-passion-that-we-feel-about-being/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-anxiety/harriet-lerner/#itemlist",
            "name": "1 Avoid Anxiety Quotes By Harriet Lerner",
            "numberOfItems": 1,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“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.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Harriet Lerner"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/we-may-believe-that-anxiety-and-fear-don-t-concern-us-because-we/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/harriet-lerner-4248_anxiety_we-may-believe-that-anxiety-and-fear-don_1887019.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/harriet-lerner-4248_anxiety_we-may-believe-that-anxiety-and-fear-don_1887019.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/harriet-lerner-4248_anxiety_we-may-believe-that-anxiety-and-fear-don_1887019.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“We may believe that anxiety and fear don't concern us because we avoid experiencing them. We may keep the…” — Harriet Lerner",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-anxiety/harriet-lerner/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-anxiety/harriet-lerner/",
            "name": "Avoid Anxiety Quotes by Harriet Lerner",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-anxiety/harriet-lerner/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/harriet-lerner-4248_anxiety_we-may-believe-that-anxiety-and-fear-don_1887019.jpg"
            },
            "description": "1 Avoid Anxiety quotes by Harriet Lerner. Plus more from Harriet Lerner and more Avoid Anxiety sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-anxiety/harriet-lerner/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-anxiety/harriet-lerner/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Avoid Anxiety",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-anxiety/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Harriet Lerner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-anxiety/harriet-lerner/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
