--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How does one conquer fear, Don B.?\" \"One…" description: "\"How does one conquer fear, Don B.?\" \"One takes a frog and sews it to one's shoe,\" he said. \"The left or the right?\" Don B. gave me a pitying look. \"Wel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/donald-barthelme-2980_conquer_how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-take_1750238.png" --- # How does one conquer fear, Don B.?" "One takes a frog and… ![“How does one conquer fear, Don B.?" "One takes a frog and sews it to one's shoe," he said. "The left or the right?" Don B. gave me a pitying look. "Well, you'd look mighty funny going down the street with only one frog sewed to your shoes, wouldn't you?" he said. "One frog on each shoe.” quote by Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/donald-barthelme-2980_conquer_how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-take_1750238.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/donald-barthelme-2980_conquer_how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-take_1750238.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/donald-barthelme-2980_conquer_how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-take_1750238.png) > “How does one conquer fear, Don B.?" "One takes a frog and sews it to one's shoe," he said. "The left or the right?" Don B. gave me a pitying look. "Well, you'd look mighty funny going down the street with only one frog sewed to your shoes, wouldn't you?" he said. "One frog on each shoe.” [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear can be faced by confronting the absurd and turning it into a source of humor and perspective. **In simple terms:** Facing fear with absurd humor. Key Takeaway Use humor to diminish fear. Themes courage absurdity humor Mood playful lighthearted Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - public speaking - personal anxiety - creative writing Key Concepts Existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can absurdity change your reaction to fear? - What risks are you avoiding? A Different Perspective Humor may not resolve deep trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conquering fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquering-fear/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) ## Related quotes > [Well,” said the frog, “what are you going to do about it?” “Marrying Therandil? I don’t know. 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I see it for what it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/all-right-it-s-just-fear-i-don-t-have-to-let-it-control-me-i-see-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [We all fear what we don't know - it's natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/we-all-fear-what-we-don-t-know-it-s-natural/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [That's been my fear all along. That I'm not enough, and I still don't trust at all that I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/that-s-been-my-fear-all-along-that-i-m-not-enough-and-i-still-don-t/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [If you want to conquer fear, don't sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-conquer-fear-don-t-sit-home-and-think-about-it-go-out/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) ## More by Donald Barthelme > [And I sat there getting drunker and drunker and more in love and more in love...And you can never touch a girl in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/and-i-sat-there-getting-drunker-and-drunker-and-more-in-love-and-more/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-story-ends-it-was-written-for-several-reasons-nine-of-them-are/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“INTERVIEWER Why don’t you write tragedy? BARTHELME I’m fated to deal in mixtures, slumgullions, which preclude tragedy, which require a pure line. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/interviewer-why-don-t-you-write-tragedy-barthelme-i-m-fated-to-deal/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Do I want to be loved in spite of?Do you? Does anyone? But aren't we all to some degree? Aren't there important parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/do-i-want-to-be-loved-in-spite-of-do-you-does-anyone-but-aren-t-we/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Our becoming is done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/our-becoming-is-done/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Of course we had hoped that he would take up his sword as part of the President's war on poetry. The time is ripe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/of-course-we-had-hoped-that-he-would-take-up-his-sword-as-part-of-the/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [Capitalism places every man in competition with his fellows for a share of the available wealth. A few people accumulate big piles, but most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/capitalism-places-every-man-in-competition-with-his-fellows-for-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“You came and fell upon me, I was sitting in the wicker chair. The wicker exclaimed as your weight fell upon me. You were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/you-came-and-fell-upon-me-i-was-sitting-in-the-wicker-chair-the/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Mother, have you noticed that this society we’re in tends to be a little…repressive?” “What does that mean, Eugenie? What does that mean, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/mother-have-you-noticed-that-this-society-we-re-in-tends-to-be-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [I keep wondering if, say, there is intelligent life on other planets, the scientists argue that something like two percent of the other planets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/i-keep-wondering-if-say-there-is-intelligent-life-on-other-planets/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“This muck heaves and palpitates. It is multi-directional and has a mayor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/this-muck-heaves-and-palpitates-it-is-multi-directional-and-has-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“They were heading I judged for the Sixth Precinct. Had I had the black hat with me, and sufficient men and horses and lariats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/they-were-heading-i-judged-for-the-sixth-precinct-had-i-had-the-black/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“art is a meditation upon external reality rather than a representation of external reality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/art-is-a-meditation-upon-external-reality-rather-than-a/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“the hinder portion scalding-house good eating Curve B in addition to the usual baths and ablutions military police sumptuousness of the washhouse risking misstatements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-hinder-portion-scalding-house-good-eating-curve-b-in-addition-to/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [Any genuine work of art generates new work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/any-genuine-work-of-art-generates-new-work/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) [Explore all 142 Donald Barthelme quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) ## More Conquer quotes > [There are no more worlds to conquer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/there-are-no-more-worlds-to-conquer/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Give me 26 lead soldiers and I will conquer the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/give-me-26-lead-soldiers-and-i-will-conquer-the-world/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I'm ready to conquer anything thrown at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-pritchard/i-m-ready-to-conquer-anything-thrown-at-me/) [A. J. Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-pritchard/) > [“They had been dreamers. Her father always said that this was why they had been easy to conquer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-rutkoski/they-had-been-dreamers-her-father-always-said-that-this-was-why-they/) [Marie Rutkoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-rutkoski/) > [The moment you conquer one fear is the minute you conquer many fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/the-moment-you-conquer-one-fear-is-the-minute-you-conquer-many-fears/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [“In quixotically trying to conquer death doctors all too frequently do no good for their patients’ “ease” but at the same time they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kevorkian/in-quixotically-trying-to-conquer-death-doctors-all-too-frequently-do/) [Jack Kevorkian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kevorkian/) > [Yet hold it more humane, more heav'nly, first, By winning words to conquer willing hearts, And make persuasion do the work of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/yet-hold-it-more-humane-more-heav-nly-first-by-winning-words-to/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [At the time when this famous historical battle was fought in Kosovo, the people were looking at the stars, expecting aid from them. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/at-the-time-when-this-famous-historical-battle-was-fought-in-kosovo/) [Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/) > [I can conquer the world with one hand, as long as you are holding the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-smith/i-can-conquer-the-world-with-one-hand-as-long-as-you-are-holding-the/) [Megan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-smith/) > [ To conquer \[our enemies\] we must dare, and dare again, and dare for ever; and thus will France be saved ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-danton/to-conquer-our-enemies-we-must-dare-and-dare-again-and-dare-for-ever/) [Georges Danton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-danton/) > [I consider that the Golden Rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it. Software…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/i-consider-that-the-golden-rule-requires-that-if-i-like-a-program-i/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) Browse all 1,557 Conquer quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How does one conquer fear, Don B.?\" \"One takes a frog and sews it to one's shoe,\" he said. \"The left or the right?\" Don B. gave me a pitying look. \"Well, you'd look mighty funny going down the street with only one frog sewed to your shoes, wouldn't you?\" he said. \"One frog on each shoe.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donald Barthelme" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-takes-a-frog-and-sews-it-to-one-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conquer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-takes-a-frog-and-sews-it-to-one-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/donald-barthelme-2980_conquer_how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-take_1750238.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/donald-barthelme-2980_conquer_how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-take_1750238.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/donald-barthelme-2980_conquer_how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-take_1750238.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How does one conquer fear, Don B.?\" \"One takes a frog and sews it to one's shoe,\" he said. \"The left or the…” — Donald Barthelme", "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": "Donald Barthelme", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "How does one conquer fear, Don...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-takes-a-frog-and-sews-it-to-one-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/how-does-one-conquer-fear-don-b-one-takes-a-frog-and-sews-it-to-one-s/#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 } } ] } ```