--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why are we so afraid of the body? Is it…" description: "\"“Why are we so afraid of the body? Is it because it's a mess, unpredictable, mortal, unreliable? We take pains to perfect it, to keep it healthy, but w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/emily-rapp-48724_death_why-are-we-so-afraid-of-the-body-is-it-b_999369.jpg" --- # Why are we so afraid of the body? Is it because it's a… ![“Why are we so afraid of the body? Is it because it's a mess, unpredictable, mortal, unreliable? We take pains to perfect it, to keep it healthy, but we probably wouldn't go to such extremes if we weren't scared to death to lose it. A paradox: we pretend we don't need it, that it's our minds that…” quote by Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/emily-rapp-48724_death_why-are-we-so-afraid-of-the-body-is-it-b_999369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/emily-rapp-48724_death_why-are-we-so-afraid-of-the-body-is-it-b_999369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7c/emily-rapp-48724_death_why-are-we-so-afraid-of-the-body-is-it-b_999369.jpg) > ““Why are we so afraid of the body? Is it because it's a mess, unpredictable, mortal, unreliable? We take pains to perfect it, to keep it healthy, but we probably wouldn't go to such extremes if we weren't scared to death to lose it. A paradox: we pretend we don't need it, that it's our minds that matter, and yet the body is the thing we can't ignore and that knocks our thinking minds flat to the floor.”” [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We fear our bodies because they are vulnerable and unpredictable, leading us to both obsess over health and deny its importance. **In simple terms:** Fear of bodily vulnerability causes contradictory behavior. Key Takeaway Accept and care for your body without fear. Themes mortality vulnerability health mind-body paradox Mood anxious reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - medical appointments - fitness routines - mental health therapy - end‑of‑life planning Key Concepts existential anxiety self-care psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape your health habits? - Can you value your body without obsessing over perfection? A Different Perspective Our bodies will still fail despite our efforts; acceptance isn’t a guarantee of control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid/) [Afraid Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-body-467563/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared/) [Scared Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared-death/) ## Related quotes > [You have to speak up in order for someone to hear you...you have to speak out in order for someone to understand you…you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-to-speak-up-in-order-for-someone-to-hear-you-you-have-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not afraid to fail...I'm scared to death of dying and having the Lord say to me, 'Angelica, this is what you might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-angelica/i-m-not-afraid-to-fail-i-m-scared-to-death-of-dying-and-having-the/) [Mother Angelica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-angelica/) > [Courage is the skill of being the only one who knows your scared to death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-the-skill-of-being-the-only-one-who-knows-your-scared-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “You are Soul’ and this is Pudgal \[the body-complex, the one that charges-discharges\]! If you become afraid, the body-complex will attack you! The whole… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/you-are-soul-and-this-is-pudgal-the-body-complex-the-one-that-charges/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“Why do men want to kill the bodies of other men? 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Scared to death of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-seacrest/failure-scared-to-death-of-it/) [Ryan Seacrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-seacrest/) > [TRUE Courage is when you are scared to death and STILL saddle up and ride in!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/true-courage-is-when-you-are-scared-to-death-and-still-saddle-up-and/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [I think mortality makes you live a fuller existence. When I was a kid I was scared of death, and maybe that's what made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-lundgren/i-think-mortality-makes-you-live-a-fuller-existence-when-i-was-a-kid/) [Dolph Lundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-lundgren/) > [“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/) ## More by Emily Rapp > [ “Ronan taught me that children do not exist to honor their parents; their parents exist to honor them. \[...\] Ronan was mine but he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/ronan-taught-me-that-children-do-not-exist-to-honor-their-parents/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“And although I no longer identified with the stringency or dogma of organized Christian religion, I remained drawn to the compassion and sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/and-although-i-no-longer-identified-with-the-stringency-or-dogma-of/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“Tucked inside the moments of this great sadness - this feeling of being punctured, scrambling and stricken - were also moments of the brightest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/tucked-inside-the-moments-of-this-great-sadness-this-feeling-of-being/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“You can, for just a moment, fuse grief like a bone, but the memory of the ability to bend lingers inside, like an itch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/you-can-for-just-a-moment-fuse-grief-like-a-bone-but-the-memory-of/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“The standards for what is "normal" have become so formalized and yet so restrictive that people need a break from that horrible feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-become-so-formalized-and-yet-so/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“Grief weighs nothing but you still have to drag it around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/grief-weighs-nothing-but-you-still-have-to-drag-it-around/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [If we remembered everyday that we could lose someone at any moment, we would love them more fiercely and freely, and without fear- not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/if-we-remembered-everyday-that-we-could-lose-someone-at-any-moment-we/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) [Explore all 8 Emily Rapp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) ## 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. 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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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why are we so afraid of the body? 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