---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes we think we know what to fear…"
description: "\"“Sometimes we think we know what to fear. We never turn our back on it. Then something else we never thought of comes along. I wonder if what finally c..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_fear_sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear_555090.png"
---

#  Sometimes we think we know what to fear. We never turn our…

![“Sometimes we think we know what to fear. We never turn our back on it. Then something else we never thought of comes along. I wonder if what finally caught her in the end was something she feared all that time, or something she never would have thought of.” quote by Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_fear_sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear_555090.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_fear_sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear_555090.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_fear_sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear_555090.png)

> ““Sometimes we think we know what to fear. We never turn our back on it. Then something else we never thought of comes along. I wonder if what finally caught her in the end was something she feared all that time, or something she never would have thought of.””

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

## About This Quote

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

Fear often blinds us to unexpected dangers, and the true threat may be something we never imagined.

**In simple terms:** Fear can hide unseen risks.

Key Takeaway

Stay alert to unknown possibilities.

Themes

fear uncertainty unexpected danger

Mood

anxious thoughtful

Type

cautionary reflective

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- career decisions
- health choices
- financial planning

Key Concepts

psychology anticipation risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden risks are you ignoring?
- How can you broaden your awareness?

A Different Perspective

Fear may be misdirected, overlooking real threats.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-turn-2031962/) [Feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feared/) [Know Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-fear/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/)

## Related quotes

> [The break would never come as long as fear could turn to wrath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/the-break-would-never-come-as-long-as-fear-could-turn-to-wrath/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“Anger and fear can turn you into a different person. They mask what you’re really feeling, and they allow you to destroy something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-ward/anger-and-fear-can-turn-you-into-a-different-person-they-mask-what/)

[Natalie Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-ward/)

> [“I was afraid of the dance once, too. But I learned to embrace it and the mistakes I would make. Do not turn away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-lynn-payne/i-was-afraid-of-the-dance-once-too-but-i-learned-to-embrace-it-and/)

[Holly Lynn Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-lynn-payne/)

> [“...and the break would never come as long as fear can turn to wrath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-the-break-would-never-come-as-long-as-fear-can-turn-to-wrath/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/)

[Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/)

> [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/)

[Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/)

> [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [So now I know. I fear the unknown so deeply that I'd rather repeat the same heart-breaking pattern than face something or someone I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-estelle-frankel/so-now-i-know-i-fear-the-unknown-so-deeply-that-i-d-rather-repeat-the/)

[Valerie Estelle Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-estelle-frankel/)

> [“It's a little scary, what you do." As I tried to figure out how to respond, and with words as sharp and cold as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delilah-s-dawson/it-s-a-little-scary-what-you-do-as-i-tried-to-figure-out-how-to/)

[Delilah S. Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delilah-s-dawson/)

> [You do not know fear until you are stuck in a lift…with a flying cockroach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey/you-do-not-know-fear-until-you-are-stuck-in-a-lift-with-a-flying/)

[Joey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey/)

> [I know what the fear is. The fear is not for what is lost. What is lost is already in the wall. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-know-what-the-fear-is-the-fear-is-not-for-what-is-lost-what-is-lost/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [Fear and the thought of failure . . . But we don't really know what fear is. Fear is something that we create in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/fear-and-the-thought-of-failure-but-we-don-t-really-know-what-fear-is/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [“I sometimes do believe, and sometimes do not, as those that fear they hope, and know they fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakespeare-as-you-like-it/i-sometimes-do-believe-and-sometimes-do-not-as-those-that-fear-they/)

[Shakespeare As You Like It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakespeare-as-you-like-it/)

> [There is the fear that we shan't prove worthy in the eyes of someone who knows us at least as well as we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-the-fear-that-we-shan-t-prove-worthy-in-the-eyes-of-someone/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [Those who never know love never know fear those love always fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/x-jvale/those-who-never-know-love-never-know-fear-those-love-always-fear/)

[X JVale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/x-jvale/)

## More by Catherine Ryan Hyde

> [“That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/that-s-all-addiction-really-is-it-s-trading-away-the-future-so-you/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“He knew then why his voice had abandoned him. Because it takes courage to talk to people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/he-knew-then-why-his-voice-had-abandoned-him-because-it-takes-courage/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“Besides, they looked like brothers. They looked like two examples of the same theme.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/besides-they-looked-like-brothers-they-looked-like-two-examples-of/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“he was upset. Though hopefully not at her. But upset is a funny thing. It looks for places to direct itself. It’s an emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/he-was-upset-though-hopefully-not-at-her-but-upset-is-a-funny-thing/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“I see the sun, high overhead, and then I know. This darkness doesn’t belong to the night. It belongs to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/i-see-the-sun-high-overhead-and-then-i-know-this-darkness-doesn-t/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“No. It’s not your job to convince him. It’s his job to believe it. This is his shortcoming, not yours. He needs to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/no-it-s-not-your-job-to-convince-him-it-s-his-job-to-believe-it-this/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“When are you going to learn to act in your own best interests? In spite of what your emotions tell you to do?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/when-are-you-going-to-learn-to-act-in-your-own-best-interests-in/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“Until you get it that’s he’s only what his experience has shaped him to be, you’re seeing him as subhuman. As ‘other’ somehow. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/until-you-get-it-that-s-he-s-only-what-his-experience-has-shaped-him/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“I find it touching, almost enviable, that a person with so little feels she has all she needs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/i-find-it-touching-almost-enviable-that-a-person-with-so-little-feels/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [Because it proves that you don't need much to change the entire world for the better. You can start with the most ordinary ingredients.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/because-it-proves-that-you-don-t-need-much-to-change-the-entire-world/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“Other people always bring complications. That’s just the nature of human relationships. You can’t separate people from their complications. Uncomplicated and alone are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/other-people-always-bring-complications-that-s-just-the-nature-of/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“Everything grows best in oxygen and sunlight except secrets and guilt and regrets. They”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/everything-grows-best-in-oxygen-and-sunlight-except-secrets-and-guilt/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“No happy marriage was, in his estimation, ever based on thoughtless, automatic untruths and exclusions. And the best way to make someone unhappy, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/no-happy-marriage-was-in-his-estimation-ever-based-on-thoughtless/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“But mostly I just kept reminding myself to burn every moment into my memory. I just tried to be sure I was always there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/but-mostly-i-just-kept-reminding-myself-to-burn-every-moment-into-my/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

> [“So, I guess people figure it's not as hard to lose your mother when you never got along anyway. But they're wrong. They're dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/so-i-guess-people-figure-it-s-not-as-hard-to-lose-your-mother-when/)

[Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

[Explore all 154 Catherine Ryan Hyde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/)

## More Fear quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/)

[M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/)

> [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/)

[Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/)

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/)

[Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/)

> [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/)

[Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

[Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Sometimes we think we know what to fear. We never turn our back on it. Then something else we never thought of comes along. I wonder if what finally caught her in the end was something she feared all that time, or something she never would have thought of.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Catherine Ryan Hyde"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear-we-never-turn-our-back-on-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fear"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear-we-never-turn-our-back-on-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_fear_sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear_555090.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_fear_sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear_555090.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_fear_sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear_555090.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sometimes we think we know what to fear. We never turn our back on it. Then something else we never thought…” — Catherine Ryan Hyde",
                "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": "Catherine Ryan Hyde",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Sometimes we think we know what...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear-we-never-turn-our-back-on-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/sometimes-we-think-we-know-what-to-fear-we-never-turn-our-back-on-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
