--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: only while under the dominion of fear do…" description: "\"“only while under the dominion of fear do men fall a prey to superstition; that all the portents ever invested with the reverence of misguided religion..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_only-while-under-the-dominion-of-fear-do_490027.jpg" --- # only while under the dominion of fear do men fall a prey… ![“only while under the dominion of fear do men fall a prey to superstition; that all the portents ever invested with the reverence of misguided religion are mere phantoms of dejected and fearful minds; and lastly, that prophets have most power among the people, and are most formidable to rulers…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_only-while-under-the-dominion-of-fear-do_490027.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_only-while-under-the-dominion-of-fear-do_490027.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/christopher-hitchens-117_fear_only-while-under-the-dominion-of-fear-do_490027.jpg) > ““only while under the dominion of fear do men fall a prey to superstition; that all the portents ever invested with the reverence of misguided religion are mere phantoms of dejected and fearful minds; and lastly, that prophets have most power among the people, and are most formidable to rulers, precisely at those times when the state is in most peril. I think this is sufficiently plain to all, and will therefore say no more on the subject.”” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear drives people to cling to superstition and false prophets, especially in crises, making them vulnerable to manipulation. **In simple terms:** Fear fuels superstition and power of false prophets. Key Takeaway Question fear, seek reason. Themes fear superstition power politics crisis Mood anxious critical reflective Type philosophical political cautionary When to use this quote - political turmoil - religious panic - personal anxiety - media sensationalism - leadership challenges Key Concepts psychology social influence authority mass hysteria Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape your belief system? - When have you resisted a charismatic leader? A Different Perspective Fear can also motivate protective community bonds, not just manipulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophets/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstition/) ## Related quotes > [“We can always be sure of one thing—that the messengers of discomfort and sacrifice will be stoned and pelted by those who wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/we-can-always-be-sure-of-one-thing-that-the-messengers-of-discomfort/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I think I have a very good idea why it is that anti-Semitism is so tenacious and so protean and so enduring. Christianity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-think-i-have-a-very-good-idea-why-it-is-that-anti-semitism-is-so/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Religion is man-made. Even the men who made it cannot agree on what their prophets or redeemers or gurus actually said or did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-is-man-made-even-the-men-who-made-it-cannot-agree-on-what/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“British diplomats and Anglo-American types in Washington have a near-superstitious prohibition on uttering the words 'Special Relationship' to describe relations between Britain and America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/british-diplomats-and-anglo-american-types-in-washington-have-a-near/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“And how easy it is to recognize the revenant shapes that the old unchanging enemies—racism, leader worship, superstition—assume when they reappear amongst us (often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/and-how-easy-it-is-to-recognize-the-revenant-shapes-that-the-old/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [The beauty of science hugely outranks the charms of superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-beauty-of-science-hugely-outranks-the-charms-of-superstition/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“It was sometimes feebly argued, as the political and military war against this enemy ran into difficulties, that it was 'a war without end.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-was-sometimes-feebly-argued-as-the-political-and-military-war/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“The origin of superstition above given affords us a clear reason for the fact, that it comes to all men naturally, though some refer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-origin-of-superstition-above-given-affords-us-a-clear-reason-for/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [I think superstition has a lot to do with fear: the less, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-think-superstition-has-a-lot-to-do-with-fear-the-less-the-better/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [The gifts that Yeshua left in the earth realm to enforce His authority were apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists. The gift that gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-pierce/the-gifts-that-yeshua-left-in-the-earth-realm-to-enforce-his/) [Chuck Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-pierce/) > [True artists are prophets. I don't want to be that prophetic in that sense because it's so lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/true-artists-are-prophets-i-don-t-want-to-be-that-prophetic-in-that/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [“Old Testament prophets. ‘You savvy dis fetish thing?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/old-testament-prophets-you-savvy-dis-fetish-thing/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [We are all at times unconscious prophets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/we-are-all-at-times-unconscious-prophets/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. 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