--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But sometimes, it is not the thing that…" description: "\"“But sometimes, it is not the thing that we fear most that crushes us but that which we have forgotten to fear.”\" — Chika Unigwe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/chika-unigwe-33062_fear_but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-w_89446.jpg" --- # But sometimes, it is not the thing that we fear most that… ![“But sometimes, it is not the thing that we fear most that crushes us but that which we have forgotten to fear.” quote by Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/chika-unigwe-33062_fear_but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-w_89446.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/chika-unigwe-33062_fear_but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-w_89446.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/chika-unigwe-33062_fear_but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-w_89446.jpg) > ““But sometimes, it is not the thing that we fear most that crushes us but that which we have forgotten to fear.”” [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement suggests that forgotten fears can be more destructive than the obvious ones we consciously dread. **In simple terms:** Ignored fears can crush us more than known ones. Key Takeaway Neglected anxieties become lethal. Themes fear psychology awareness self-care Mood thoughtful cautionary Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - stress management - therapy session - personal reflection Key Concepts repressed emotions self-awareness Practical Applications - regularly review anxieties - address hidden concerns Questions to Reflect On - What fears have you overlooked? - How can you bring hidden fears to light? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm scared all the time," he admitted, bracing his hands on the counter. "I know he's powerful, I've seen him in battle, and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-m-scared-all-the-time-he-admitted-bracing-his-hands-on-the-counter/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [“He wouldn’t have forgotten. It might be too much the fear of losing me so much that he had withdrawn his heart to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eilis-o-neal/he-wouldn-t-have-forgotten-it-might-be-too-much-the-fear-of-losing-me/) [Eilis O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eilis-o-neal/) > [The only thing I fear is when people say, 'I should go to the theatre more.' I say, 'We should create work that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tiffany/the-only-thing-i-fear-is-when-people-say-i-should-go-to-the-theatre/) [John Tiffany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tiffany/) > [“the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-the-laws-of-rationality-it/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-and possibly teh bogey man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-fear-itself-and-possibly-teh-bogey/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [Whenever conscience commands anything, there is only one thing to fear, and that is fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/whenever-conscience-commands-anything-there-is-only-one-thing-to-fear/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [Who would condescend to strike down the mere things that he does not fear? Who would debase himself to be merely brave, like any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-would-condescend-to-strike-down-the-mere-things-that-he-does-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The thing I fear comes upon me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-thing-i-fear-comes-upon-me/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [I don't know if anyone has noticed but I only ever write about one thing: being alone. 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Then you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-scariest-most-terrifying-thing-that-i-fear-yes-my-imagination-i/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“It is not the thing you fear that you must deal with, it is the mother of the thing you fear. The very thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/it-is-not-the-thing-you-fear-that-you-must-deal-with-it-is-the-mother/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [We are not meant to fear anything, the only thing we should fear is fear itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-kermis/we-are-not-meant-to-fear-anything-the-only-thing-we-should-fear-is/) [Samuel Kermis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-kermis/) ## More by Chika Unigwe > [“She liked the freedom that came with not being anyone's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/she-liked-the-freedom-that-came-with-not-being-anyone-s/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“It is the dog that eats shit but it is the goat that gets rotten teeth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/it-is-the-dog-that-eats-shit-but-it-is-the-goat-that-gets-rotten-teeth/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“People who are quick to pay compliments, baby-baby, are also quick to withdraw them. But wisdom comes with age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/people-who-are-quick-to-pay-compliments-baby-baby-are-also-quick-to/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“No matter the size of your husband's penis, no other woman should know it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/no-matter-the-size-of-your-husband-s-penis-no-other-woman-should-know/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“Primary Science confused her (if man descended form monkeys, how com the monkey that loved with Mama Boy near the church, and has lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/primary-science-confused-her-if-man-descended-form-monkeys-how-com/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“Her mother sought to see the flaw in everyone, the blemishes, the scars. Mma sought perfection, she saw beauty in everyone. Her mother laughed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/her-mother-sought-to-see-the-flaw-in-everyone-the-blemishes-the-scars/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“Blood is thicker than water, you hear. Ha! Let me tell you, some blood flows thinner. And some water is as thick as sludge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/blood-is-thicker-than-water-you-hear-ha-let-me-tell-you-some-blood/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“S is for sir. It's what you called your father if you'd never lived with him. If you did not know where his medication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/s-is-for-sir-it-s-what-you-called-your-father-if-you-d-never-lived/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“The Catholic God is stiff. Too stiff. Only understands His people when they pray in a foreign language! He leaves no room to manoeuvre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/the-catholic-god-is-stiff-too-stiff-only-understands-his-people-when/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“Obi loved her. But duty was duty. It was as simple as that. She ought to understand. Duty was often stronger than love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/obi-loved-her-but-duty-was-duty-it-was-as-simple-as-that-she-ought-to/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“S is for sins. What is a sin? At Catechism, she was taught to repeat, 'Sin is an offence against reason, truth and right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/s-is-for-sins-what-is-a-sin-at-catechism-she-was-taught-to-repeat-sin/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“There is no Muslim Nigeria and no Christian Nigeria. There is only one indivisible Nigeria. Kaduna belongs to all Nigerians. No religion endorses violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/there-is-no-muslim-nigeria-and-no-christian-nigeria-there-is-only-one/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“Sometimes in life, we have to take a stand. It does not help to sit on the fence, even if we have to hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/sometimes-in-life-we-have-to-take-a-stand-it-does-not-help-to-sit-on/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“Shoes. Stranger. Strange. Her mother's shoes. A stranger's shoes. Her mother was a stranger. She was only finding that out now. It was easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/shoes-stranger-strange-her-mother-s-shoes-a-stranger-s-shoes-her/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) [Explore all 15 Chika Unigwe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) ## 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 > [“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. 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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": "“But sometimes, it is not the thing that we fear most that crushes us but that which we have forgotten to fear.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chika Unigwe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-we-fear-most-that-crushes-us/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-we-fear-most-that-crushes-us/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/chika-unigwe-33062_fear_but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-w_89446.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/chika-unigwe-33062_fear_but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-w_89446.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/chika-unigwe-33062_fear_but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-w_89446.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But sometimes, it is not the thing that we fear most that crushes us but that which we have forgotten to fear.” — Chika Unigwe", "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": "Chika Unigwe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But sometimes, it is not the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-we-fear-most-that-crushes-us/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-we-fear-most-that-crushes-us/#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 } } ] } ```