--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Afraid? Of whom am I afraid? Not death…" description: "\"Afraid? Of whom am I afraid? Not death. For who is he?\" — Emily Dickinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/emily-dickinson-310_afraid_afraid-of-whom-am-i-afraid-not-death-for_2923241.jpg" --- # Afraid? Of whom am I afraid? Not death. For who is he? ![“Afraid? Of whom am I afraid? Not death. For who is he?” quote by Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/emily-dickinson-310_afraid_afraid-of-whom-am-i-afraid-not-death-for_2923241.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/emily-dickinson-310_afraid_afraid-of-whom-am-i-afraid-not-death-for_2923241.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/emily-dickinson-310_afraid_afraid-of-whom-am-i-afraid-not-death-for_2923241.jpg) > “Afraid? Of whom am I afraid? Not death. For who is he?” [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear is examined beyond death, questioning the object of terror and its meaning. **In simple terms:** Fear isn’t about death but something else. Key Takeaway Identify the true source of fear. Themes fear existence death Mood reflective somber Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - therapy - life decisions Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What are you truly afraid of? - How does confronting fear change you? A Different Perspective May be ambiguous about the object of fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Near death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/near-death/) ## Related quotes > [AFRAID? Of whom am I afraid? Not death; for who is he? The porter of my fathers lodge As much abasheth me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/afraid-of-whom-am-i-afraid-not-death-for-who-is-he-the-porter-of-my/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“The thing he was afraid of, he was afraid somebody'd say something smarter than he had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/the-thing-he-was-afraid-of-he-was-afraid-somebody-d-say-something/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Oh, I'm not afraid of death! What have I got to live for after all? I suppose you believe it's very wrong to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/oh-i-m-not-afraid-of-death-what-have-i-got-to-live-for-after-all-i/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“I am not afraid of death , i am afraid of being alive when it happens to you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haritha-velpureddy/i-am-not-afraid-of-death-i-am-afraid-of-being-alive-when-it-happens/) [Haritha Velpureddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haritha-velpureddy/) > [“the less a man is acquainted with the sweets of life, the less reason he has to be afraid of death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavius-vegetius-renatus/the-less-a-man-is-acquainted-with-the-sweets-of-life-the-less-reason/) [Flavius Vegetius Renatus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavius-vegetius-renatus/) > [Do you have any coffee?'...'It stunts my growth, and I'm afraid of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/do-you-have-any-coffee-it-stunts-my-growth-and-i-m-afraid-of-death/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“I'm not afraid of death…I'm afraid of life without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-woon/i-m-not-afraid-of-death-i-m-afraid-of-life-without-you/) [Yvonne Woon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-woon/) > [To me, man means awareness of death. 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Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/he-who-does-not-want-to-die-should-not-want-to-live-for-life-is/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I always look well when I'm near death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/i-always-look-well-when-i-m-near-death/) [Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/) > [“I was afraid, sheer afraid, and wondered at myself. You see, I've no more pluck than any man of my inches but I'd been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-brown/i-was-afraid-sheer-afraid-and-wondered-at-myself-you-see-i-ve-no-more/) Alice Brown > [“Are you afraid of dying, Ferris?' 'I'm afraid of not living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mccann/are-you-afraid-of-dying-ferris-i-m-afraid-of-not-living/) [Maria McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mccann/) > [I'm afraid to be afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/i-m-afraid-to-be-afraid/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [“Even now, I have a lot of trouble understanding why Sharon stayed – or why she married me in the first place, come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/even-now-i-have-a-lot-of-trouble-understanding-why-sharon-stayed-or/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) ## More by Emily Dickinson > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I could not prove the Years had feet-/Yet confident they run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-could-not-prove-the-years-had-feet-yet-confident-they-run/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [How softly summer shuts, without the creaking of a door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/how-softly-summer-shuts-without-the-creaking-of-a-door/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Could you tell me how to grow--or is it unconveyed--like Melody--or Witchcraft?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/could-you-tell-me-how-to-grow-or-is-it-unconveyed-like-melody-or/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Inebriate of Air — am I — And Debauchee of Dew — Reeling — thro endless summer days — From Inns of Molten Blue —”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/inebriate-of-air-am-i-and-debauchee-of-dew-reeling-thro-endless/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/luck-is-not-chance-it-s-toil-fortune-s-expensive-smile-is-earned/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [The abdication of Belief Makes the Behavior small- Better an ignis fatuus Than no illume at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/the-abdication-of-belief-makes-the-behavior-small-better-an-ignis/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Longing is like a seed that wrestles in the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/longing-is-like-a-seed-that-wrestles-in-the-ground/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“He ate and drank the precious words, His spirit grew robust; He knew no more that he was poor, Nor that his frame was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/he-ate-and-drank-the-precious-words-his-spirit-grew-robust-he-knew-no/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I SEE thee better in the dark, I do not need a light. The love of thee a prism be Excelling violet. I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-see-thee-better-in-the-dark-i-do-not-need-a-light-the-love-of-thee/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [One step at a time is all it takes to get you there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/one-step-at-a-time-is-all-it-takes-to-get-you-there/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Whose fingers string the stalactite- Who counts the Wampum of the night”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/whose-fingers-string-the-stalactite-who-counts-the-wampum-of-the-night/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [My life closed twice before its close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/my-life-closed-twice-before-its-close/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Until you have loved, you cannot become yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/until-you-have-loved-you-cannot-become-yourself/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) [Explore all 692 Emily Dickinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) ## More Afraid quotes > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“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/) > [I used to be afraid of my temper, but it turns out I don't really have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/i-used-to-be-afraid-of-my-temper-but-it-turns-out-i-don-t-really-have/) [Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I'm a pretty fearless person. I'm afraid of, like, creepy men in white vans and sidewalks with no streetlights. But I'm not afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/i-m-a-pretty-fearless-person-i-m-afraid-of-like-creepy-men-in-white/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) Darlene Senger > [Why am I so afraid to loose you,when you're not even mine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-am-i-so-afraid-to-loose-you-when-you-re-not-even-mine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to tell you, but I cant, becuase I'm afraid if I do you'll never treat me same the again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-orante/i-want-to-tell-you-but-i-cant-becuase-i-m-afraid-if-i-do-you-ll-never/) [Cristina Orante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-orante/) > [Mistakes I've made in the past make me afraid to try new things in the future. I want to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/mistakes-i-ve-made-in-the-past-make-me-afraid-to-try-new-things-in/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [“Humans are naturally scared and confused beings. They not only fear the unknown, as they live fearing themselves... ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/humans-are-naturally-scared-and-confused-beings-they-not-only-fear/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [If you are too afraid of failure, you cant possibly do what needs to be done to succeed in living a fulfilling life. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-you-are-too-afraid-of-failure-you-cant-possibly-do-what-needs-to/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [We cannot be afraid of the dark that they live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burnie-burns/we-cannot-be-afraid-of-the-dark-that-they-live-in/) [Burnie Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burnie-burns/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I'm still with that feeling that I am afraid of doing the wrong thing, because somebody is going to punish me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-m-still-with-that-feeling-that-i-am-afraid-of-doing-the-wrong-thing/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) Browse all 5,519 Afraid quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Afraid? 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