--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the root of fear is low self-esteem…" description: "\"At the root of fear is low self-esteem. This explains why angry people have low self-esteem, are argumentative, stubborn, and quick to flare up yet slo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/david-j-lieberman-26551_angry_at-the-root-of-fear-is-low-self-esteem-t_2889252.jpg" --- # At the root of fear is low self-esteem. This explains why… ![“At the root of fear is low self-esteem. This explains why angry people have low self-esteem, are argumentative, stubborn, and quick to flare up yet slow to forgive. Those behaviors are defenses against the underlying fear.” quote by David J. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/david-j-lieberman-26551_angry_at-the-root-of-fear-is-low-self-esteem-t_2889252.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/david-j-lieberman-26551_angry_at-the-root-of-fear-is-low-self-esteem-t_2889252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53b/david-j-lieberman-26551_angry_at-the-root-of-fear-is-low-self-esteem-t_2889252.jpg) > “At the root of fear is low self-esteem. This explains why angry people have low self-esteem, are argumentative, stubborn, and quick to flare up yet slow to forgive. Those behaviors are defenses against the underlying fear.” [David J. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Low self‑esteem fuels fear, which then manifests as anger, stubbornness, and defensiveness. **In simple terms:** Fear stems from low self‑esteem, causing angry behavior. Key Takeaway Boost self‑esteem to reduce fear‑driven anger. Themes psychology self‑esteem fear anger defense behavior Mood analytical motivational Type self‑help psychological When to use this quote - conflict resolution - coaching - self‑help workshops - relationship counseling Key Concepts insecurity emotional regulation personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What underlying fears drive your reactions? - How can you strengthen self‑esteem? A Different Perspective Self‑esteem alone may not stop all anger. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Angry People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry-people/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Flare up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flare-up/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [Low self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/low-self-esteem/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) ## Related quotes > [For example, it was this pack of wolves that sparked off the Rodney King affair a few years ago in Los Angeles. 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They're characters, so you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenji-kohan/you-want-everyone-to-be-a-full-character-no-one-is-just-evil-or-very/) [Jenji Kohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenji-kohan/) > [When some of the gangs got involved with the drug trade, particularlythe crack cocaine trade, and the lethal violence started to flare up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meda-chesney-lind/when-some-of-the-gangs-got-involved-with-the-drug-trade/) [Meda Chesney-Lind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meda-chesney-lind/) > [Whoever doesn't flare up at someone who's angry wins a battle hard to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/whoever-doesn-t-flare-up-at-someone-who-s-angry-wins-a-battle-hard-to/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [ What occurred to me on \[‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’\], and also with the passing of her mother, is that there's going to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/what-occurred-to-me-on-the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-and-also/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [Over time you get to understand the nature of man and the environments you are dealing with, and you can't always allow emotions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/over-time-you-get-to-understand-the-nature-of-man-and-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Whenever I get lost in a novel I just throw a poem in. What it does is flare up, and it's so illuminated that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-throw-a-poem-in-what-it-does-is/) [Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/) > [I tend to panic and fear on a low-grade level every day, but when something really disastrous happens, I kick into super high gear;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weyes-blood/i-tend-to-panic-and-fear-on-a-low-grade-level-every-day-but-when/) [Weyes Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weyes-blood/) > [My day-to-day local issues are rooted in an underlying fear of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-karpovsky/my-day-to-day-local-issues-are-rooted-in-an-underlying-fear-of-death/) [Alex Karpovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-karpovsky/) ## More by David J. Lieberman > [Sometimes people who adamantly assert an opinion or view don't even hold it themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-lieberman/sometimes-people-who-adamantly-assert-an-opinion-or-view-don-t-even/) [David J. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/) > [How people see the world is often a reflection of how they see themselves. If they think that the world is just a cesspool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-lieberman/how-people-see-the-world-is-often-a-reflection-of-how-they-see/) [David J. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/) > [We can find reasons to dislike anyone. But it's what you focus on and appreciate in a person that cultivates a positive relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-lieberman/we-can-find-reasons-to-dislike-anyone-but-it-s-what-you-focus-on-and/) [David J. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/) > [Consider, for example, lust versus love. 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Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/) > [When a person gives, he loves the object of his giving more -- and so love is planted and grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-lieberman/when-a-person-gives-he-loves-the-object-of-his-giving-more-and-so/) [David J. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/) > [If you know how much reality is getting in, then you know a great deal about what a person sees to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-lieberman/if-you-know-how-much-reality-is-getting-in-then-you-know-a-great-deal/) [David J. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/) > [Never ask advice from someone who has something at stake or something to lose from your decision. The more objective the person is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-lieberman/never-ask-advice-from-someone-who-has-something-at-stake-or-something/) [David J. 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Lieberman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/) ## More Angry quotes > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. 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