---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ignorant frighten children with…"
description: "\"The ignorant frighten children with ghosts, and the better educated assure them there is no such thing. Our understanding may believe the latter, but o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/catherine-crowe-45327_believe_the-ignorant-frighten-children-with-ghos_1462151.jpg"
---

#  The ignorant frighten children with ghosts, and the better…

![“The ignorant frighten children with ghosts, and the better educated assure them there is no such thing. Our understanding may believe the latter, but our instincts believe the former; so that, out of this education, we retain the terror, and just believe enough to make it very troublesome whenever…” quote by Catherine Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/catherine-crowe-45327_believe_the-ignorant-frighten-children-with-ghos_1462151.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/catherine-crowe-45327_believe_the-ignorant-frighten-children-with-ghos_1462151.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad3/catherine-crowe-45327_believe_the-ignorant-frighten-children-with-ghos_1462151.jpg)

> “The ignorant frighten children with ghosts, and the better educated assure them there is no such thing. Our understanding may believe the latter, but our instincts believe the former; so that, out of this education, we retain the terror, and just believe enough to make it very troublesome whenever we are placed in circumstances that awaken it.”

[Catherine Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crowe/)

## About This Quote

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

Education can both calm and provoke fear; rational knowledge may not fully quell instinctual anxieties.

**In simple terms:** Learning may not erase deep fears.

Key Takeaway

Address both mind and instinct.

Themes

education fear instinct

Mood

anxious thoughtful

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- parenting
- public speaking
- trauma therapy
- media consumption

Key Concepts

psychology cognitive dissonance

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you reconcile learned facts with gut feelings?
- Can fear be useful?

A Different Perspective

Rational explanations sometimes fail to soothe emotional responses.

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[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/)

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