--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the thing about fear is that it defies…" description: "\"“the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead”\" — David Levithan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/david-levithan-67_fear_the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-t_69726.jpg" --- # the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of… ![“the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead” quote by David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/david-levithan-67_fear_the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-t_69726.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/david-levithan-67_fear_the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-t_69726.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/david-levithan-67_fear_the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-t_69726.jpg) > ““the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead”” [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear operates outside logical frameworks, establishing its own rules that bypass rational analysis. **In simple terms:** Fear creates its own logic. Key Takeaway Fear overrides reason. Themes psychology cognition emotion irrationality behavior Mood tense reflective Type aphor observation When to use this quote - making high‑stakes decisions - facing unknown threats - experiencing panic - overcoming anxiety Key Concepts fear dynamics rationality limits Practical Applications - risk assessment - mental resilience training Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape decision‑making? - Can rational strategies counteract fear's self‑imposed rules? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Rationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rationality/) ## Related quotes > [“But I guess the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-guess-the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-the-laws-of/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Bur I guess the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/bur-i-guess-the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-the-laws-of/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [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. The fear of being alone, the desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/i-don-t-know-if-anyone-has-noticed-but-i-only-ever-write-about-one/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [The greatest thing to fear is ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/the-greatest-thing-to-fear-is-ourselves/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [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/) > [The one thing I fear most is losing my freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-vasquez/the-one-thing-i-fear-most-is-losing-my-freedom/) [Christian Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-vasquez/) > [The scariest, most terrifying thing that I fear? Yes. My Imagination. I thought you were going to say "Fear, itself." 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/) > [“But sometimes, it is not the thing that we fear most that crushes us but that which we have forgotten to fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-unigwe/but-sometimes-it-is-not-the-thing-that-we-fear-most-that-crushes-us/) [Chika Unigwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-unigwe/) > [“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/) > [The only thing to fear is fearlessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-thing-to-fear-is-fearlessness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by David Levithan > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Patrick: Is she worth the trouble? Cameron: I thought she was- Patrick: Either she is, or she isn't. So give it a shot, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/patrick-is-she-worth-the-trouble-cameron-i-thought-she-was-patrick/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“We saw our friends die. But we also see our friends live. So many of them live, and we often toast their long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/we-saw-our-friends-die-but-we-also-see-our-friends-live-so-many-of/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“You never told me what you saw in him, not convincingly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-never-told-me-what-you-saw-in-him-not-convincingly/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“i nod to the other will grayson, up onstage. he nods to me. we have something between us, him and me. but the truth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-nod-to-the-other-will-grayson-up-onstage-he-nods-to-me-we-have/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“When you break someone's heart, you also break yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-break-someone-s-heart-you-also-break-yours/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Because toward the end all the words started leaving. Except for the ones that had to lock up at the end of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/because-toward-the-end-all-the-words-started-leaving-except-for-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) [Explore all 1,648 David Levithan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## 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. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. 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": "“the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Levithan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-the-laws-of-rationality-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-the-laws-of-rationality-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/david-levithan-67_fear_the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-t_69726.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/david-levithan-67_fear_the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-t_69726.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/david-levithan-67_fear_the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-t_69726.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“the thing about fear is that it defies the laws of rationality. It creates its own laws instead” — David Levithan", "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": "David Levithan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“the thing about fear is that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-the-laws-of-rationality-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-thing-about-fear-is-that-it-defies-the-laws-of-rationality-it/#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 } } ] } ```