--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We did those things when we were acting…" description: "\"“We did those things when we were acting of fear from the cold war. After 9/11 we learned a new kind of fear. A whole generation of brilliant minds sta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/andrew-mayne-25124_bad-people_we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting_1838051.jpg" --- # We did those things when we were acting of fear from the… ![“We did those things when we were acting of fear from the cold war. After 9/11 we learned a new kind of fear. A whole generation of brilliant minds started imagining all of the scary things that bad people could do to using genetic engineering, computer viruses, nanotechnology and a thousand other…” quote by Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/andrew-mayne-25124_bad-people_we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting_1838051.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/andrew-mayne-25124_bad-people_we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting_1838051.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/andrew-mayne-25124_bad-people_we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting_1838051.jpg) > ““We did those things when we were acting of fear from the cold war. After 9/11 we learned a new kind of fear. A whole generation of brilliant minds started imagining all of the scary things that bad people could do to using genetic engineering, computer viruses, nanotechnology and a thousand other technologies.’ ‘Once you start thinking”” [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear shifts with geopolitical context, driving speculation about emerging tech misuse. **In simple terms:** New fears arise from changing world events. Key Takeaway Recognize and address modern anxieties. Themes fear technology ethics future innovation Mood cautious analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - education - public discourse - research funding Key Concepts risk assessment technological determinism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance vigilance with progress? - What safeguards are realistic? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on worst‑case scenarios can stifle beneficial innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-people/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Genetic engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genetic-engineering/) [Scary things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary-things/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that there is a great fear in our generation of being labeled as priggish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-elizabeth-ii/i-believe-that-there-is-a-great-fear-in-our-generation-of-being/) [Queen Elizabeth II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-elizabeth-ii/) > [Acting in fear of the unknown is like running from shadows, stood ground sheds light. Let's all make the day count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/acting-in-fear-of-the-unknown-is-like-running-from-shadows-stood/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Courage is always and only one thing: It is acting with fear, not without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-inglis-anderson/courage-is-always-and-only-one-thing-it-is-acting-with-fear-not/) [Walter Inglis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-inglis-anderson/) > [“There are two motivating forces in this life: fear and love. When we move from a place of fear, we are acting out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-hildebrand/there-are-two-motivating-forces-in-this-life-fear-and-love-when-we/) Grace Hildebrand > [“Fear is no crime. But acting from fear is. Know that you're going to lose everything one day, whether you fear to lose it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-burch/fear-is-no-crime-but-acting-from-fear-is-know-that-you-re-going-to/) [Adam Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-burch/) > [The ego camouflages itself like a fox born and raised in a hen house. Its only worry is that you fail to notice its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-ego-camouflages-itself-like-a-fox-born-and-raised-in-a-hen-house/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [How can I turn my Life around?? By acting on Fear.. stop fearing the unexplained, stop fearing yourself just Do something about your Rut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samara-visser/how-can-i-turn-my-life-around-by-acting-on-fear-stop-fearing-the/) [Samara Visser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samara-visser/) > [“Fear is no crime,” he says. “But acting from fear is. Know that you’re going to lose everything one day, whether you fear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-burch/fear-is-no-crime-he-says-but-acting-from-fear-is-know-that-you-re/) [Adam Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-burch/) > [“In this book, we will naturally be dealing primarily with the manifestations of the third level of immunity. I gather material on the biography…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/in-this-book-we-will-naturally-be-dealing-primarily-with-the/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [Nuclear weapons need large facilities, but genetic engineering can be done in a small lab. You can't regulate every lab in the world. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/nuclear-weapons-need-large-facilities-but-genetic-engineering-can-be/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [We are intelligent atoms. We are intelligent organic structures. We can change who we are. We can heal ourselves. With genetic engineering, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-are-intelligent-atoms-we-are-intelligent-organic-structures-we-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Genetic engineering is a result of science advancement, so I don't think that in itself is bad. If used wisely, genetics can be beneficial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-kojima/genetic-engineering-is-a-result-of-science-advancement-so-i-don-t/) [Hideo Kojima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideo-kojima/) > [“All right. You want to know about Nigel. I’ll tell you about Nigel. He’s come a long way since that so-called accident, Jon. Heck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-corey/all-right-you-want-to-know-about-nigel-i-ll-tell-you-about-nigel-he-s/) Shawn Corey > [Genetic engineering is having a serious impact on the food we eat, on the environment, and on farmers. To ensure we can maximize benefits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/genetic-engineering-is-having-a-serious-impact-on-the-food-we-eat-on/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) ## More by Andrew Mayne > [“If I were looking for a bacterium that could eat oil, I’d be collecting samples of dirt from the middle of busy freeways. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/if-i-were-looking-for-a-bacterium-that-could-eat-oil-i-d-be/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“But they’re careful to avoid overpredation in certain areas, lest the fish remember this is a bad spot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/but-they-re-careful-to-avoid-overpredation-in-certain-areas-lest-the/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“Killing is a solution to a problem. Murder is something you do because you want to. You divorce your wife because you don’t love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/killing-is-a-solution-to-a-problem-murder-is-something-you-do-because/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [Read about the history of magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/read-about-the-history-of-magic/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“Yes. You can see this in the womb, where one fetus takes nutrients from another, causing varying birth weights. In vanishing twin syndrome, probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/yes-you-can-see-this-in-the-womb-where-one-fetus-takes-nutrients-from/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“We live in an incredible age. People like Laney get it, so do some of the general public. But I think they're still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/we-live-in-an-incredible-age-people-like-laney-get-it-so-do-some-of/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“In space there's no way to ground an electric current. If you have stray voltage, it'll find a path, no matter what.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/in-space-there-s-no-way-to-ground-an-electric-current-if-you-have/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [Some of the best ideas I've gotten for my act have come from comedians and not magicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/some-of-the-best-ideas-i-ve-gotten-for-my-act-have-come-from/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“There’s a clarity that arrives when life forces you into a binary situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/there-s-a-clarity-that-arrives-when-life-forces-you-into-a-binary/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“He’s trying to assert his authority by calling me onto the carpet. It’s a show of force. It’s weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/he-s-trying-to-assert-his-authority-by-calling-me-onto-the-carpet-it/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“I’m not a spy. I’m not a cop. All I know is from watching movies and I’m pretty sure if my life depends on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/i-m-not-a-spy-i-m-not-a-cop-all-i-know-is-from-watching-movies-and-i/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“Roosevelt pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it. “How can you smoke at a time like this?” asked the captain. His eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/roosevelt-pulled-a-cigar-from-his-pocket-and-lit-it-how-can-you-smoke/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“I’m not really an epidemiologist, if that’s what you mean. It’s outside my area. I build mathematical models based on biological systems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/i-m-not-really-an-epidemiologist-if-that-s-what-you-mean-it-s-outside/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“A mistake we make too often in science is thinking that having a name for something is the same as understanding it. A skeleton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/a-mistake-we-make-too-often-in-science-is-thinking-that-having-a-name/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [“She couldn't decide if he was a bit mad or if the world moved too slowly for him. Perhaps a little of both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/she-couldn-t-decide-if-he-was-a-bit-mad-or-if-the-world-moved-too/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) [Explore all 23 Andrew Mayne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) ## More Bad people quotes > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [“Any discussion of money and success would be lacking if I did not state that money is neither good nor bad. In the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-stovall/any-discussion-of-money-and-success-would-be-lacking-if-i-did-not/) [Jim Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-stovall/) > [When people walk away from you, let them go. You're destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn't mean they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-walk-away-from-you-let-them-go-you-re-destiny-is-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you have the ability and the opportunity to help someone, but you don't do anything just because you're scared or it's inconvenient or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/if-you-have-the-ability-and-the-opportunity-to-help-someone-but-you/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [Really bad people around the world, because of the genius of American innovation, use our products and infrastructure for their emails, for their communications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/really-bad-people-around-the-world-because-of-the-genius-of-american/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [“If you sought to leave the world, don’t go alone. Since there are too many bad people you can take them too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-you-sought-to-leave-the-world-don-t-go-alone-since-there-are-too/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“To feel someone’s life drain from their body by your hands . . . bad, bad people who need to be plucked from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/to-feel-someone-s-life-drain-from-their-body-by-your-hands-bad-bad/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“I just can't get with this idea that literature is a 12-step program. If someone wants to read a book to see good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/i-just-can-t-get-with-this-idea-that-literature-is-a-12-step-program/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [“Deterrents properly placed can help. But that is not enough. We are one society, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/deterrents-properly-placed-can-help-but-that-is-not-enough-we-are-one/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [Too bad all the people who know how to run this country are busy running taxicabs or cutting hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/too-bad-all-the-people-who-know-how-to-run-this-country-are-busy/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [The truth is that Africa is like everywhere else. There are poor areas, there are rich areas, there is a middle class. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/the-truth-is-that-africa-is-like-everywhere-else-there-are-poor-areas/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I'm a very placid human being. I don't want to kill anyone. I guess I have played a lot of bad people in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mays/i-m-a-very-placid-human-being-i-don-t-want-to-kill-anyone-i-guess-i/) [Daniel Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mays/) > [We do not come to God as bad people trying to become good people; we come as rebels to lay down our arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/we-do-not-come-to-god-as-bad-people-trying-to-become-good-people-we/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Browse all 703 Bad people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We did those things when we were acting of fear from the cold war. After 9/11 we learned a new kind of fear. A whole generation of brilliant minds started imagining all of the scary things that bad people could do to using genetic engineering, computer viruses, nanotechnology and a thousand other technologies.’ ‘Once you start thinking”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Mayne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting-of-fear-from-the-cold-war/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting-of-fear-from-the-cold-war/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/andrew-mayne-25124_bad-people_we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting_1838051.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/andrew-mayne-25124_bad-people_we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting_1838051.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8db/andrew-mayne-25124_bad-people_we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting_1838051.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We did those things when we were acting of fear from the cold war. After 9/11 we learned a new kind of fear…” — Andrew Mayne", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Andrew Mayne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We did those things when we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting-of-fear-from-the-cold-war/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/we-did-those-things-when-we-were-acting-of-fear-from-the-cold-war/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```