--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even in these mercifully emancipated…" description: "\"Even in these mercifully emancipated decades, many people still seem quite seriously alarmed at the prospect of sleeping away from officially consecrat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dca/colin-fletcher-25774_backpacking_even-in-these-mercifully-emancipated-dec_1921230.png" --- # Even in these mercifully emancipated decades, many people… ![“Even in these mercifully emancipated decades, many people still seem quite seriously alarmed at the prospect of sleeping away from officially consecrated campsites, with no more equipment than they can carry on their backs. When pressed, they babble about snakes or bears or even, by God, bandits…” quote by Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dca/colin-fletcher-25774_backpacking_even-in-these-mercifully-emancipated-dec_1921230.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dca/colin-fletcher-25774_backpacking_even-in-these-mercifully-emancipated-dec_1921230.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dca/colin-fletcher-25774_backpacking_even-in-these-mercifully-emancipated-dec_1921230.png) > “Even in these mercifully emancipated decades, many people still seem quite seriously alarmed at the prospect of sleeping away from officially consecrated campsites, with no more equipment than they can carry on their backs. When pressed, they babble about snakes or bears or even, by God, bandits. But the real barrier, I'm sure, is the unknown.” [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People fear unknown wilderness more than real dangers; the unknown amplifies anxiety. **In simple terms:** Fear of the unknown exceeds actual risk. Key Takeaway Confront unknown to reduce fear. Themes fear unknown adventure Mood anxious curious Type reflective adventurous When to use this quote - camping trips - solo hikes - travel planning Key Concepts psychology risk perception Questions to Reflect On - What unknowns hold you back? - How can you prepare for uncertainty? A Different Perspective Some risks are unavoidable; preparation matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backpacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backpacking/) [Barriers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barriers/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Snakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snakes/) ## Related quotes > [“Blowsily, frowsily, comfortably, toothlessly, Mrs Candleton was sleeping away the afternoon in her hair-curlers and her pinnafore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-e-bates/blowsily-frowsily-comfortably-toothlessly-mrs-candleton-was-sleeping/) [H.E. Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-e-bates/) > [“No man has been rewarded world's richest man for sleeping away his every day and night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/no-man-has-been-rewarded-world-s-richest-man-for-sleeping-away-his/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [When we are old and these rejoicing veins Are frosty channels to a muted stream, And out of all our burning there remains No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/when-we-are-old-and-these-rejoicing-veins-are-frosty-channels-to-a/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [He was going to live in New York, and be known at every restaurant and café, wearing a dress suit from early evening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/he-was-going-to-live-in-new-york-and-be-known-at-every-restaurant-and/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Under most conditions, the best roof for your bedroom is the sky. This commonsense arrangement saves weight, time, energy, and money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/under-most-conditions-the-best-roof-for-your-bedroom-is-the-sky-this/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Although the vast majority of walkers never even think of using a walking staff, I unhesitatingly include it among the foundations of the house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/although-the-vast-majority-of-walkers-never-even-think-of-using-a/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Is it conceivable that a newly emancipated people can soar to the heights of liberty, and, unlike Icarus, neither have its wings melt nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-bolivar/is-it-conceivable-that-a-newly-emancipated-people-can-soar-to-the/) [Simon Bolivar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-bolivar/) > [“Let woman share the rights, and she will emulate the virtues of man; for she must grow more perfect when emancipated, or justify the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/let-woman-share-the-rights-and-she-will-emulate-the-virtues-of-man/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [“furthermore, laws are now being enacted that will protect and assist old and crippled soldiers, because it is not right that they be treated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/furthermore-laws-are-now-being-enacted-that-will-protect-and-assist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Emancipated' women found out that the honesty, generosity, and camaraderie of men was a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/emancipated-women-found-out-that-the-honesty-generosity-and/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [“The world of the soap opera is the world of the Emancipated American Woman, a creature whose idleness is employed to no other purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-exley/the-world-of-the-soap-opera-is-the-world-of-the-emancipated-american/) [Frederick Exley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-exley/) > [I'm never going to be a woman who doesn't work. At 12 I was emancipated from my parents so I could sign my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-simpson/i-m-never-going-to-be-a-woman-who-doesn-t-work-at-12-i-was/) [Jessica Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-simpson/) > [I'm totally changed. I've been emancipated from all this Republican dogma. Whether it's being anti-immigration, being-anti gay, being militaristic and wanting to engage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ravenel/i-m-totally-changed-i-ve-been-emancipated-from-all-this-republican/) Thomas Ravenel > [An emancipated society, on the other hand, would not be a unitary state, but the realization of universality in the reconciliation of differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/an-emancipated-society-on-the-other-hand-would-not-be-a-unitary-state/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [The emancipated woman has to fight something worse than the crusted prejudices of her uncles; she has to fight the bewilderment in her own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-emancipated-woman-has-to-fight-something-worse-than-the-crusted/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) ## More by Colin Fletcher > [Mostly, two miles an hour is good going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/mostly-two-miles-an-hour-is-good-going/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [The best dress for walking is nakedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/the-best-dress-for-walking-is-nakedness/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [God is light, we are told, and Hell is outer darkness. But look at a desert mountain stripped bare by the sun, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/god-is-light-we-are-told-and-hell-is-outer-darkness-but-look-at-a/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Life should be an unfinished business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/life-should-be-an-unfinished-business/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Under most conditions, the best roof for your bedroom is the sky. This commonsense arrangement saves weight, time, energy, and money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/under-most-conditions-the-best-roof-for-your-bedroom-is-the-sky-this/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [By walking naked you gain far more than coolness. You feel an unexpected sense of freedom from restraint. An uplifting and almost delirious sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/by-walking-naked-you-gain-far-more-than-coolness-you-feel-an/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Although the vast majority of walkers never even think of using a walking staff, I unhesitatingly include it among the foundations of the house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/although-the-vast-majority-of-walkers-never-even-think-of-using-a/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [It is always there, of course, when you come back from the green world. 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Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/but-if-you-judge-safety-to-be-the-paramount-consideration-in-life-you/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Every walk of life falls under the Testicular Imperative: Either you have the world by them, or it has you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/every-walk-of-life-falls-under-the-testicular-imperative-either-you/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [“The act of driving your body, very occasionally, close to its limit of endurance is for some reason one of life’s major satisfactions. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/the-act-of-driving-your-body-very-occasionally-close-to-its-limit-of/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Details of the many walks I made along the crest have blurred, now, into a pleasing tapestry of grass and space and sunlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/details-of-the-many-walks-i-made-along-the-crest-have-blurred-now/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [I do what I do instinctively, and that’s me. If you like me, that’s fine; if you don’t like me then don’t watch me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/i-do-what-i-do-instinctively-and-that-s-me-if-you-like-me-that-s-fine/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Now, nakedness is a delightful condition. And it keeps you very pleasantly cool - especially, I suppose, if you happen to be a man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/now-nakedness-is-a-delightful-condition-and-it-keeps-you-very/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) [Explore all 22 Colin Fletcher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) ## More Backpacking quotes > [Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/traveling-is-a-brutality-it-forces-you-to-trust-strangers-and-to-lose/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [I'd really like to get on a Greyhound bus and go backpacking across America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-d-really-like-to-get-on-a-greyhound-bus-and-go-backpacking-across/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [In ultralight backpacking, modified gear pieces come into play, like a tent you hoist with your trekking poles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-duplass/in-ultralight-backpacking-modified-gear-pieces-come-into-play-like-a/) [Jay Duplass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-duplass/) > [“The old school of thought would have you believe that you'd be a fool to take on nature without arming yourself with every conceivable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryel-kestenbaum/the-old-school-of-thought-would-have-you-believe-that-you-d-be-a-fool/) Ryel Kestenbaum > [I couldn't afford a trip to Europe after college so I went backpacking through an IKEA to find myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-couldn-t-afford-a-trip-to-europe-after-college-so-i-went/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The man with the knapsack is never lost. No matter whither he may stray, his food and shelter are right with him, and home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-kephart/the-man-with-the-knapsack-is-never-lost-no-matter-whither-he-may/) [Horace Kephart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-kephart/) > [Under most conditions, the best roof for your bedroom is the sky. This commonsense arrangement saves weight, time, energy, and money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/under-most-conditions-the-best-roof-for-your-bedroom-is-the-sky-this/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [Although the vast majority of walkers never even think of using a walking staff, I unhesitatingly include it among the foundations of the house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-fletcher/although-the-vast-majority-of-walkers-never-even-think-of-using-a/) [Colin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-fletcher/) > [I really wished I had done the backpacking-through-Europe thing when I was younger, but I was busy doing musical theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-wersching/i-really-wished-i-had-done-the-backpacking-through-europe-thing-when/) [Annie Wersching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-wersching/) > [“It's not "jalan-jalan" nor "liburan". It's just something we do naturally. Like breathing and eating. It's basically living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riana-ambarsari/it-s-not-jalan-jalan-nor-liburan-it-s-just-something-we-do-naturally/) Riana Ambarsari > [“Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking; You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-ross/returning-home-is-the-most-difficult-part-of-long-distance-hiking-you/) Cindy Ross > [Suppose to be backpacking 50 miles this weekend...I'm to weak for this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/suppose-to-be-backpacking-50-miles-this-weekend-i-m-to-weak-for-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am very spoilt and want my travel to be smooth and peaceful. I don't like to rough it out, and I certainly do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/i-am-very-spoilt-and-want-my-travel-to-be-smooth-and-peaceful-i-don-t/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [I was a little hippie on a world backpacking adventure, and suddenly I became a vampire princess. I still find it hard to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-fry/i-was-a-little-hippie-on-a-world-backpacking-adventure-and-suddenly-i/) [Lucy Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-fry/) > [I've been doing long-distance backpacking since 2002 when I hiked the Appalachian Trail. You start to calm down and relax and get into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/i-ve-been-doing-long-distance-backpacking-since-2002-when-i-hiked-the/) [John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/) [Browse all 72 Backpacking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backpacking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even in these mercifully emancipated decades, many people still seem quite seriously alarmed at the prospect of sleeping away from officially consecrated campsites, with no more equipment than they can carry on their backs. When pressed, they babble about snakes or bears or even, by God, bandits. 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