--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Helpless and fearful people are drawn to…" description: "\"“Helpless and fearful people are drawn to magical figures, mythic figures, epic men who intimidate and darkly loom. ... Some people are larger than lif..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/don-delillo-294_larger-than-life_helpless-and-fearful-people-are-drawn-to_1542029.jpg" --- # Helpless and fearful people are drawn to magical figures… ![“Helpless and fearful people are drawn to magical figures, mythic figures, epic men who intimidate and darkly loom. ... Some people are larger than life. Hitler is larger than death. You thought he would protect you. I understand completely.” quote by Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/don-delillo-294_larger-than-life_helpless-and-fearful-people-are-drawn-to_1542029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/don-delillo-294_larger-than-life_helpless-and-fearful-people-are-drawn-to_1542029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/don-delillo-294_larger-than-life_helpless-and-fearful-people-are-drawn-to_1542029.jpg) > ““Helpless and fearful people are drawn to magical figures, mythic figures, epic men who intimidate and darkly loom. ... Some people are larger than life. Hitler is larger than death. You thought he would protect you. I understand completely.”” [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## 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 helplessness and seek powerful, mythic figures for security, even when those figures are dangerous. **In simple terms:** Fear drives attraction to intimidating leaders. Key Takeaway Beware of idolizing dangerous figures. Themes fear power myth leadership Mood critical analytical Type literary observational When to use this quote - political rallies - cult followings - media consumption - personal crises Key Concepts psychology social influence hero worship Questions to Reflect On - Why do we gravitate toward larger‑than‑life personalities? - What protects us from being swayed by intimidation? A Different Perspective Not everyone is drawn to such figures; some resist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitler/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Larger than life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/larger-than-life/) ## Related quotes > [Some people are larger than life. Hitler is larger than death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/some-people-are-larger-than-life-hitler-is-larger-than-death/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Helpless and fearful people are drawn to magical figures, mythic figures, epic men who intimidate and darkly loom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/white-noise-don-delillo/helpless-and-fearful-people-are-drawn-to-magical-figures-mythic/) White Noise Don DeLillo > [“Always remember, animals can intimidate men with their strength but men cannot intimidate animals with their intelligence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/always-remember-animals-can-intimidate-men-with-their-strength-but/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Fearful people cant describe the world around them rather they see what they describe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fearful-people-cant-describe-the-world-around-them-rather-they-see/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Fearful people tend to be shaped by past interactions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-burchard/fearful-people-tend-to-be-shaped-by-past-interactions/) [Brendon Burchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-burchard/) > [“So many fearful people focus on the What if when they should be saying Why not?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/so-many-fearful-people-focus-on-the-what-if-when-they-should-be/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [I am fearful when I see people substituting fear for reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-h-north/i-am-fearful-when-i-see-people-substituting-fear-for-reason/) [Edmund H. North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-h-north/) > [“Nothing is more dangerous than fearful people with a fresh taste of power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/nothing-is-more-dangerous-than-fearful-people-with-a-fresh-taste-of/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [Artists themselves are neurotic and fearful people, and you can look at their work and figure out what they're scared of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/artists-themselves-are-neurotic-and-fearful-people-and-you-can-look/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [It seems that the most fearful people in our country are those who don't travel and are metaphorically barricaded in America. If we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-steves/it-seems-that-the-most-fearful-people-in-our-country-are-those-who/) [Rick Steves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-steves/) > [People more than ever since I can remember are concerned about being out of step and out of line with their political party and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ackerman/people-more-than-ever-since-i-can-remember-are-concerned-about-being/) [Gary Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ackerman/) > [Once you learn what it truly means to have courage, you will never want to build a life around fearful people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-you-learn-what-it-truly-means-to-have-courage-you-will-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fearful people are more dependent, more easily manipulated and controlled, more susceptible to deceptively simple, strong, tough measures and hard-line postures. ... They may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gerbner/fearful-people-are-more-dependent-more-easily-manipulated-and/) [George Gerbner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gerbner/) > [“Looking at ourselves through the eyes of those living in places where human tragedy is still embedded in complex religious and cultural narratives, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-watters/looking-at-ourselves-through-the-eyes-of-those-living-in-places-where/) [Ethan Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-watters/) > [“It is tragic the way fearful people put all of their fears and insecurities into others; the way they strangle their dreams — often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/it-is-tragic-the-way-fearful-people-put-all-of-their-fears-and/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## More by Don DeLillo > [“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/) > [Everything is barely weeks. Everything is days. We have minutes to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/everything-is-barely-weeks-everything-is-days-we-have-minutes-to-live/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“As I listened I thought a featureless baggy man was striking me in slow motion with a well-polished stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/as-i-listened-i-thought-a-featureless-baggy-man-was-striking-me-in/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Murray said, 'I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage. It´s a settling of grievances between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/murray-said-i-don-t-trust-anybody-s-nostalgia-but-my-own-nostalgia-is/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“She is beginning to think it is possible that all creation is a spurt of blank matter that chances to make an emerald planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/she-is-beginning-to-think-it-is-possible-that-all-creation-is-a-spurt/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Those who have abandoned belief must still believe in us. They are sure that they are right not to believe but they know belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/those-who-have-abandoned-belief-must-still-believe-in-us-they-are/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“The plane had lost power in all three engines, dropped from thirty-four thousand feet to twelve thousand feet. Something like four miles. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-plane-had-lost-power-in-all-three-engines-dropped-from-thirty/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Grass: I live in a great steel tower that reflects the blazing sun. People catch fire just walking by. The more bodies that pile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/grass-i-live-in-a-great-steel-tower-that-reflects-the-blazing-sun/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“What people discard could make a nation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/what-people-discard-could-make-a-nation/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Marriage is something we make from available materials. In this sense it’s improvised, it’s almost offhand. Maybe this is why we know so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/marriage-is-something-we-make-from-available-materials-in-this-sense/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The true life is not reducible to words spoken or written, not by anyone, ever. The true life takes place when we're alone, thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-true-life-is-not-reducible-to-words-spoken-or-written-not-by/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-ve-come-to-think-of-europe-as-a-hardcover-book-america-as-the/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [There is a set of balances and rhythms to a novel that we can't experience in real life. So I think there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-a-set-of-balances-and-rhythms-to-a-novel-that-we-can-t/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“There is no lie in war or preparation of war that can't be defended. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-no-lie-in-war-or-preparation-of-war-that-can-t-be-defended/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) [Explore all 699 Don DeLillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## More Hitler quotes > [ \[Hitler thought\] that Mussolini was no figure of world history, like der Fuehrer or Stalin. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/hitler-thought-that-mussolini-was-no-figure-of-world-history-like-der/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [“I look at my mother, connected by a breath of glimmering hope, her red and shadowed eyes reveal that some element of our whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nestor/i-look-at-my-mother-connected-by-a-breath-of-glimmering-hope-her-red/) [Alfred Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nestor/) > [Anyone who makes the life of Jewish people difficult or grievous, as did the Pharaoh, as did Hitler, will be cursed by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/anyone-who-makes-the-life-of-jewish-people-difficult-or-grievous-as/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [ Eva \[Braun\] loved \[Adolf\] Hitler and he was the only man in her life. She flirted and danced with other men but never would… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-loved-adolf-hitler-and-he-was-the-only-man-in-her-life-she/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [I'm not really a practising Jew but I keep a kosher kitchen just to spite Hitler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-m-not-really-a-practising-jew-but-i-keep-a-kosher-kitchen-just-to/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [ \[Wilhelm\] Bruckner was one of \[Adolf\] Hitler's adjutants, very close to him and he'd been in the party probably since day one. Personally neither… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/wilhelm-bruckner-was-one-of-adolf-hitler-s-adjutants-very-close-to/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [“Hitler made only one big mistake when he built his Atlantic Wall,” the paratroopers liked to say. “He forgot to put a roof on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/hitler-made-only-one-big-mistake-when-he-built-his-atlantic-wall-the/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [ My father would never have come to visit, he detested Eva's \[Braun\] choice in a man and the fact \[Adolf\] Hitler had set her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/my-father-would-never-have-come-to-visit-he-detested-eva-s-braun/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That's one of the things they're there for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/superman-punched-out-hitler-so-did-captain-america-that-s-one-of-the/) [Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/) > [“I remember seeing one elderly man look at us, and he held his hand out, and most frightening were his eyes, dark as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nestor/i-remember-seeing-one-elderly-man-look-at-us-and-he-held-his-hand-out/) [Alfred Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nestor/) > [To understand Hitler's power as a speaker, we must consider that he was not just the bellowing tavern demagogue we always picture, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/volker-ullrich/to-understand-hitler-s-power-as-a-speaker-we-must-consider-that-he/) [Volker Ullrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/volker-ullrich/) > [ For instance, \[Adolf Hitler\] would never have spent the night at the Widenmayerstraße apartment. He visited it before we moved the furniture in, he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/for-instance-adolf-hitler-would-never-have-spent-the-night-at-the/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily: "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/his-cold-eyes-stared-at-me-at-last-he-said-wearily-i-have-more-faith/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Most people are dead. Hitler. Ray Charles. Some other guys. But mostly those two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-are-dead-hitler-ray-charles-some-other-guys-but-mostly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hitler was no inexorable product of a German 'special path', no logical culmination of long-term trends in specifically German culture and ideology. Nor was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kershaw/hitler-was-no-inexorable-product-of-a-german-special-path-no-logical/) [Ian Kershaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kershaw/) [Browse all 688 Hitler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitler/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Helpless and fearful people are drawn to magical figures, mythic figures, epic men who intimidate and darkly loom. ... Some people are larger than life. Hitler is larger than death. You thought he would protect you. 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