--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a terrible sense of dread…" description: "\"There's a terrible sense of dread filtering across America at the moment and it's not simply because of the continuing fear of terrorism and the fact t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/bob-herbert-47563_america_there-s-a-terrible-sense-of-dread-filter_870147.jpg" --- # There's a terrible sense of dread filtering across America… ![“There's a terrible sense of dread filtering across America at the moment and it's not simply because of the continuing fear of terrorism and the fact that the nation is at war. It's more frightening than that. It grows out of the suspicion that we all may be passengers in a vehicle that has made a…” quote by Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/bob-herbert-47563_america_there-s-a-terrible-sense-of-dread-filter_870147.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/bob-herbert-47563_america_there-s-a-terrible-sense-of-dread-filter_870147.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/bob-herbert-47563_america_there-s-a-terrible-sense-of-dread-filter_870147.jpg) > “There's a terrible sense of dread filtering across America at the moment and it's not simply because of the continuing fear of terrorism and the fact that the nation is at war. It's more frightening than that. It grows out of the suspicion that we all may be passengers in a vehicle that has made a radically wrong turn and is barreling along a dark road, with its headlights off and with someone behind the wheel who may not know how to drive.” [Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes a deep, pervasive anxiety about the direction of the country, likening it to being in a driverless car on a dark road. **In simple terms:** America feels lost and fearful about its future. Key Takeaway Recognize collective fear and seek informed leadership. Themes politics anxiety leadership trust societal direction Mood concerned reflective somber Type political analytical critical When to use this quote - elections - public policy debates - community meetings - media consumption Key Concepts cynicism collective paranoia directionlessness Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape civic engagement? - What can restore confidence in governance? A Different Perspective It may overstate uniform dread, ignoring regional optimism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Suspicion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicion/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wrong turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-turn/) ## Related quotes > [I distracted myself from the fear and terrorism by thinking about things like how the universe began and whether time travel is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-distracted-myself-from-the-fear-and-terrorism-by-thinking-about/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [We have become a nation ruled by fear. Since the end of the Second World War, various political leaders have fostered fear in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-gravel/we-have-become-a-nation-ruled-by-fear-since-the-end-of-the-second/) [Mike Gravel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-gravel/) > [You cannot avoid war in life, you cannot avoid the fear of terrorism, you cannot avoid those things now, they are a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/you-cannot-avoid-war-in-life-you-cannot-avoid-the-fear-of-terrorism/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [“Although Israel is targeted by terrorists much more frequently than the United States, Israelis do not live in fear of terrorism. A 2012 survey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/although-israel-is-targeted-by-terrorists-much-more-frequently-than/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [Part of what attracted me to the village was it had a lot of parallels to contemporary issues. Like, fear and the way fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrien-brody/part-of-what-attracted-me-to-the-village-was-it-had-a-lot-of/) [Adrien Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrien-brody/) > [Do we fear terrorism so much that we throw out our Constitution, and are we unwilling and afraid to debate our Constitution?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/do-we-fear-terrorism-so-much-that-we-throw-out-our-constitution-and/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [People say doing a startup is like a marathon. It's actually a roadtrip at night with no headlights. You think you're going to Toledo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/people-say-doing-a-startup-is-like-a-marathon-it-s-actually-a/) [Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/) > [“The Headlights lit the path we were traveling down, but only so far. After that, the world was dark and empty, full of possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-stephens/the-headlights-lit-the-path-we-were-traveling-down-but-only-so-far/) [S.C. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-stephens/) > [And there is the headlight, shining far down the track, glinting off the steel rails that, like all parallel lines, will meet in infinity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/and-there-is-the-headlight-shining-far-down-the-track-glinting-off/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [Many police officers watch for vehicles without headlights because it's a telltale of a drunk driver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-james-thomson/many-police-officers-watch-for-vehicles-without-headlights-because-it/) [Robert James Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-james-thomson/) > [“I've been talking to myself a lot lately. I don't know what that's about, but my mother was the same way. She hated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-ve-been-talking-to-myself-a-lot-lately-i-don-t-know-what-that-s/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Rush hour was under way; her car became one more pair of headlights in a glittering daisy chain of commuters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-prescott/rush-hour-was-under-way-her-car-became-one-more-pair-of-headlights-in/) [Michael Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-prescott/) > [Why is the church always a taillight rather than a headlight?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/why-is-the-church-always-a-taillight-rather-than-a-headlight/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I replaced the headlights in my car with strobe lights, so it looks like I'm the only one moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-replaced-the-headlights-in-my-car-with-strobe-lights-so-it-looks/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [And he don't know...that I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive, carved my name into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/and-he-don-t-know-that-i-dug-my-key-into-the-side-of-his-pretty/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) ## More by Bob Herbert > [I think the Republican Party is... accurately defined as a party that looks out for the interests of the very wealthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-herbert/i-think-the-republican-party-is-accurately-defined-as-a-party-that/) [Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) > [I get a headache when I hear supporters of this endless warfare complaining about the federal budget deficits. They're like arsonists complaining about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-herbert/i-get-a-headache-when-i-hear-supporters-of-this-endless-warfare/) [Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) > [Schools are no longer legally segregated, but because of residential patterns, housing discrimination, economic disparities and long-held custom, they most emphatically are in reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-herbert/schools-are-no-longer-legally-segregated-but-because-of-residential/) [Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) > [There is nothing more American than brutal violence. The country was built on it, revels in it and shows every evidence of clinging to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-herbert/there-is-nothing-more-american-than-brutal-violence-the-country-was/) [Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) > [There are few things more dangerous than a mixture of power, arrogance and incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-herbert/there-are-few-things-more-dangerous-than-a-mixture-of-power-arrogance/) [Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) > [The soldiers in Iraq are fighting, suffering and dying . . . anonymously and pointlessly, while the rest of us are free to buckle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-herbert/the-soldiers-in-iraq-are-fighting-suffering-and-dying-anonymously-and/) [Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) > [We pretend that no one's a racist anymore, but it's easier to talk about pornography in polite company than racial integration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-herbert/we-pretend-that-no-one-s-a-racist-anymore-but-it-s-easier-to-talk/) [Bob Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) [Explore all 8 Bob Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-herbert/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a terrible sense of dread filtering across America at the moment and it's not simply because of the continuing fear of terrorism and the fact that the nation is at war. It's more frightening than that. 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