--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As far as I can tell there are only two…" description: "\"“As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear. The other is desire.”\" — Deborah Harkness" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/deborah-harkness-3590_desire_as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two_57655.jpg" --- # As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep… ![“As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear. The other is desire.” quote by Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/deborah-harkness-3590_desire_as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two_57655.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/deborah-harkness-3590_desire_as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two_57655.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/deborah-harkness-3590_desire_as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two_57655.jpg) > ““As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear. The other is desire.”” [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that human history and societal dynamics are driven primarily by fear, which motivates self‑preservation, and desire, which fuels ambition and progress. **In simple terms:** Fear and desire drive humanity. Key Takeaway Emotions shape civilization. Themes Power Motivation Human Nature Societal Dynamics Psychology Mood Reflective Serious Contemplative Type Philosophical Observational When to use this quote - Political leadership - Corporate strategy - Personal goal‑setting - Social movements - Crisis response Key Concepts Emotion Drive Conflict Aspiration Practical Applications - Leadership training - Motivational speaking Questions to Reflect On - What other emotions might influence large events? - How can awareness of these forces improve decision‑making? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Year one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year-one/) ## Related quotes > [Never show ur emotions to the world the world maybe not so big enough to handle it but you are strong enough to hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron/never-show-ur-emotions-to-the-world-the-world-maybe-not-so-big-enough/) [AaRon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron/) > [“HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT REASONABLE creatures. Instead of being ruled by logic, we are ruled by emotions. The world would be a happier place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/human-beings-are-not-reasonable-creatures-instead-of-being-ruled-by-2/) [Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/) > [“...the two most important things in life were knowing what you wanted and understanding what you were afraid of. 'Fear and desire,' she said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-dermont/the-two-most-important-things-in-life-were-knowing-what-you-wanted/) [Amber Dermont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-dermont/) > [Having wandered some distance among gloomy rocks, I came to the entrance of a great cavern ... Two contrary emotions arose in me: fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/having-wandered-some-distance-among-gloomy-rocks-i-came-to-the/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“We fear what we most desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-king/we-fear-what-we-most-desire/) [Harley King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-king/) > [“Take your time in everything, until you feel the pull within yourself. Do not let yourself be guided by fear, or even by desire.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-white/take-your-time-in-everything-until-you-feel-the-pull-within-yourself/) Jenny White > [“They want you to be afraid. They want to believe, and they want to suffer, suffer, only suffer, and they choke the dying man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merce-rodoreda/they-want-you-to-be-afraid-they-want-to-believe-and-they-want-to/) Mercè Rodoreda > [What I fear and desire most in this world is passion. I fear it because it promises to be spontaneous, out of control, unnamed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-i-fear-and-desire-most-in-this-world-is-passion-i-fear-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Love,' Cardan goes on. 'That force that compels us to be sometimes better and often worse. That power by which we can all be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/love-cardan-goes-on-that-force-that-compels-us-to-be-sometimes-better/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [“Whatwe fear we also desire, and what we desire we fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/whatwe-fear-we-also-desire-and-what-we-desire-we-fear/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“I guess everyone has a bird urge when they look down heights, a desire to jump, without wing or buoyant sail. Fear of heights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amruta-patil/i-guess-everyone-has-a-bird-urge-when-they-look-down-heights-a-desire/) [Amruta Patil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amruta-patil/) > [“Fear is always around some desire. You want to become a famous man, the most famous man in the world- then there is fear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/fear-is-always-around-some-desire-you-want-to-become-a-famous-man-the/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [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/) > [Anxiety and desire are two, often conflicting, orientations to the unknown. Both are tilted toward the future. Desire implies a willingness, or a need,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-epstein/anxiety-and-desire-are-two-often-conflicting-orientations-to-the/) [Mark Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-epstein/) > [Most people's lives are run by desire and fear. Desire is the need to add something to yourself in order to be yourself more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/most-people-s-lives-are-run-by-desire-and-fear-desire-is-the-need-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## More by Deborah Harkness > [After 20 years of writing academic prose and lectures, it seems very familiar and straightforward to me. Writing a novel for the first time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/after-20-years-of-writing-academic-prose-and-lectures-it-seems-very/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [For me, a $20 wine that drinks like a $40 wine in terms of complexity and interest is a value, while a $5 wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/for-me-a-20-wine-that-drinks-like-a-40-wine-in-terms-of-complexity/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“Some swore he was a maid in man's attire, For in his looks were all that men desire, A pleasant smiling cheeke, a speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/some-swore-he-was-a-maid-in-man-s-attire-for-in-his-looks-were-all/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [I took a course on 'Magic, Alchemy, and Astrology' at Mount Holyoke, and it was a whole new awakening for me, a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/i-took-a-course-on-magic-alchemy-and-astrology-at-mount-holyoke-and/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [Her bark is worse than her bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/her-bark-is-worse-than-her-bite/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [The king just sits there, moving one square at a time. The queen can move so freely. I suppose I’d rather lose the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/the-king-just-sits-there-moving-one-square-at-a-time-the-queen-can/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [What if 16th century people were right, and the supernatural and natural coexisted? How would that play out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/what-if-16th-century-people-were-right-and-the-supernatural-and/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [I was planning on starting a new file on my computer with the title "Phrases That Sound One Way to Witches but Mean Something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/i-was-planning-on-starting-a-new-file-on-my-computer-with-the-title/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [I think you can learn a lot from primary sources. 'The Penguin Book of Witches,' which is edited by novelist Katherine Howe, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/i-think-you-can-learn-a-lot-from-primary-sources-the-penguin-book-of/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“History only became more challenging when it became less neat. Every time I pick up a book or document from the past, I'm in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/history-only-became-more-challenging-when-it-became-less-neat-every/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [We live in a world where we think the mysterious is retreating farther and farther from our lives and eventually we will know all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/we-live-in-a-world-where-we-think-the-mysterious-is-retreating/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“Give me knowledge of my end and the measure of my days, so I may know my frailty. My lifetime is no longer than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/give-me-knowledge-of-my-end-and-the-measure-of-my-days-so-i-may-know/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [Memories were short and history unkind. It was the way of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/memories-were-short-and-history-unkind-it-was-the-way-of-the-world/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“All men are fools, Your Majesty,” Matthew said swiftly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/all-men-are-fools-your-majesty-matthew-said-swiftly/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“I was jealous of Blanca, but Matthew wouldn't understand how or why. I gathered my thoughts and emotions and tried to sort them into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/i-was-jealous-of-blanca-but-matthew-wouldn-t-understand-how-or-why-i/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) [Explore all 122 Deborah Harkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [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/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear. The other is desire.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deborah Harkness" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two-emotions-that-keep-the-world/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two-emotions-that-keep-the-world/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/deborah-harkness-3590_desire_as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two_57655.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/deborah-harkness-3590_desire_as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two_57655.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/deborah-harkness-3590_desire_as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two_57655.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear…” — Deborah Harkness", "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": "Deborah Harkness", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As far as I can tell...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two-emotions-that-keep-the-world/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two-emotions-that-keep-the-world/#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 } } ] } ```