--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rational or not, fear is painful and…" description: "\"“Rational or not, fear is painful and debilitating, and policy makers must endeavor to protect the public from fear, not only from real dangers.”\" — Da..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b7/daniel-kahneman-431_danger_rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debi_1937071.jpg" --- # Rational or not, fear is painful and debilitating, and… ![“Rational or not, fear is painful and debilitating, and policy makers must endeavor to protect the public from fear, not only from real dangers.” quote by Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b7/daniel-kahneman-431_danger_rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debi_1937071.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b7/daniel-kahneman-431_danger_rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debi_1937071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b7/daniel-kahneman-431_danger_rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debi_1937071.jpg) > ““Rational or not, fear is painful and debilitating, and policy makers must endeavor to protect the public from fear, not only from real dangers.”” [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear hampers rational decision‑making; policymakers should protect people from fear as much as from actual threats. **In simple terms:** Fear blocks clear thinking. Key Takeaway Design policies that reduce fear‑induced errors. Themes policy fear decision‑making public safety Mood cautious analytical Type advisory psychological When to use this quote - public health crises - financial regulation - emergency response Key Concepts behavioral economics risk perception Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape your choices? - What safeguards can reduce fear‑driven policies? A Different Perspective Fear can be as damaging as real danger. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Debilitating Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debilitating-policy-3065364/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-painful-1451512/) [Protect Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-public-795705/) [Public Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-fear-360557/) [Rational Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational-fear-1231982/) ## Related quotes > [Running from your fear can be more painful than facing it, for better or worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/running-from-your-fear-can-be-more-painful-than-facing-it-for-better/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [“For life has worn me down: continual uneasiness, concealment of my knowledge, pretense, fear, a painful straining of all my nerves—not to let down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/for-life-has-worn-me-down-continual-uneasiness-concealment-of-my/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Consider the public. Never fear it nor despise it. Coax it, charm it, interest it, stimulate it, shock it now and then if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/consider-the-public-never-fear-it-nor-despise-it-coax-it-charm-it/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [An intuitive part of the American ethos is a kind of protectiveness of the public's fear. We have to remember how unique that is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/an-intuitive-part-of-the-american-ethos-is-a-kind-of-protectiveness/) [Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/) > [The largest fear in the world is to speak in public. We fear of stumbling, or public humiliation, and so we're fearing a face-to-face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/the-largest-fear-in-the-world-is-to-speak-in-public-we-fear-of/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [Public fear isn't something to be played with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/public-fear-isn-t-something-to-be-played-with/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [The Federal Government is exploiting public fear to redefine the relationship between the rulers and the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-federal-government-is-exploiting-public-fear-to-redefine-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The Founding Fathers worried that 'some common impulse of passion' might lead many to subvert the rights of the few. It's a rational fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/the-founding-fathers-worried-that-some-common-impulse-of-passion/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [You'll think this is a bit silly, but I'm a bit--well, I have a thing about birds." "What, a phobia?" "Sort of." "Well, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-ll-think-this-is-a-bit-silly-but-i-m-a-bit-well-i-have-a-thing/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Although her father had told her of the nature of the one who waited for her, she could not control an instinctual shudder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/although-her-father-had-told-her-of-the-nature-of-the-one-who-waited/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [Behind every flinch is a fear or an anxiety - sometimes rational, sometimes not. Without the fear, there is no flinch. But wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/behind-every-flinch-is-a-fear-or-an-anxiety-sometimes-rational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think that it's rational to fear your own death or to fear harm to your family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/i-think-that-it-s-rational-to-fear-your-own-death-or-to-fear-harm-to/) [Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/) > [I am death-fearing. I don't think I'm morbid. That seems to me a fear of death that goes beyond the rational. Whereas it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-am-death-fearing-i-don-t-think-i-m-morbid-that-seems-to-me-a-fear/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“I didn’t say it was a rational fear. But the worst fears aren’t, are they?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-didn-t-say-it-was-a-rational-fear-but-the-worst-fears-aren-t-are/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [“It is a general misconception that the police exist to protect the public. This is true only in the most generic sense--i.e., once a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-waters/it-is-a-general-misconception-that-the-police-exist-to-protect-the/) [Robert A. Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-waters/) ## More by Daniel Kahneman > [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Belief in the Law of Small Numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/belief-in-the-law-of-small-numbers/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“People who are poor think like traders, but the dynamics are quite different. Unlike traders, the poor are not indifferent to the differences between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/people-who-are-poor-think-like-traders-but-the-dynamics-are-quite/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Mood evidently affects the operation of System 1: when we are uncomfortable and unhappy, we lose touch with our intuition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/mood-evidently-affects-the-operation-of-system-1-when-we-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [The confidence that individuals have in their beliefs depends mostly on the quality of the story they can tell about what they see, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-confidence-that-individuals-have-in-their-beliefs-depends-mostly/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“So this is my aim for watercooler conversations: improve the ability to identify and understand errors of judgment and choice, in others and eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/so-this-is-my-aim-for-watercooler-conversations-improve-the-ability/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“For example, I recently came to doubt my long-held impression that adultery is more common among politicians than among physicians or lawyers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/for-example-i-recently-came-to-doubt-my-long-held-impression-that/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Survival prospects are poor for an animal that is not suspicious of novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/survival-prospects-are-poor-for-an-animal-that-is-not-suspicious-of/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“the idea of money primes individualism: a reluctance to be involved with others, to depend on others, or to accept demands from others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-idea-of-money-primes-individualism-a-reluctance-to-be-involved/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Most of the moments of our life - and I calculated, you know, the psychological present is said to be about three seconds long;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/most-of-the-moments-of-our-life-and-i-calculated-you-know-the/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“knowing little makes it easier to fit everything you know into a coherent pattern.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/knowing-little-makes-it-easier-to-fit-everything-you-know-into-a/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Experts don't know exactly where the boundaries of their expertise are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/experts-don-t-know-exactly-where-the-boundaries-of-their-expertise-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [All of us would be better investors if we just made fewer decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/all-of-us-would-be-better-investors-if-we-just-made-fewer-decisions/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“The best we can do is a compromise: learn to recognize situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-best-we-can-do-is-a-compromise-learn-to-recognize-situations-in/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“A happy mood loosens the control of System 2 over performance: when in a good mood, people become more intuitive and more creative but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/a-happy-mood-loosens-the-control-of-system-2-over-performance-when-in/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) [Explore all 560 Daniel Kahneman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## More Danger quotes > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“Anything you fear is a shackle to ur soul. It is a phobia that tethers and blinds ur ability to see and comprehend your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/anything-you-fear-is-a-shackle-to-ur-soul-it-is-a-phobia-that-tethers/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/) [Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) [Christopher Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wood/) > [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [“I’ll always come back to you,” he said. “Always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/i-ll-always-come-back-to-you-he-said-always/) [Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [A sea setting us upon the ice has brought us close to danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hudson/a-sea-setting-us-upon-the-ice-has-brought-us-close-to-danger/) [Henry Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hudson/) > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [There's a danger in starting a fire, you'll never know how many bridges you'll burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-danger-in-starting-a-fire-you-ll-never-know-how-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This is the gift of your species and this is the danger, because you do not choose to control your imaginings. You imagine wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-is-the-gift-of-your-species-and-this-is-the-danger-because-you/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) [Browse all 5,463 Danger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Rational or not, fear is painful and debilitating, and policy makers must endeavor to protect the public from fear, not only from real dangers.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Kahneman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debilitating-and-policy-makers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Danger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debilitating-and-policy-makers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b7/daniel-kahneman-431_danger_rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debi_1937071.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b7/daniel-kahneman-431_danger_rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debi_1937071.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b7/daniel-kahneman-431_danger_rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debi_1937071.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rational or not, fear is painful and debilitating, and policy makers must endeavor to protect the public…” — Daniel Kahneman", "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": "Daniel Kahneman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Rational or not, fear is painful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debilitating-and-policy-makers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/rational-or-not-fear-is-painful-and-debilitating-and-policy-makers/#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 } } ] } ```