--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: True fear has nothing to do with what…" description: "\"“True fear has nothing to do with what might happen to you, however painful or vile that might be. True fear is all about what might happen to someone ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aca/erin-kellison-25062_fear_true-fear-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-mi_1938197.jpg" --- # True fear has nothing to do with what might happen to you… ![“True fear has nothing to do with what might happen to you, however painful or vile that might be. True fear is all about what might happen to someone you love.” quote by Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aca/erin-kellison-25062_fear_true-fear-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-mi_1938197.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aca/erin-kellison-25062_fear_true-fear-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-mi_1938197.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aca/erin-kellison-25062_fear_true-fear-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-mi_1938197.jpg) > ““True fear has nothing to do with what might happen to you, however painful or vile that might be. True fear is all about what might happen to someone you love.”” [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True fear centers on concern for loved ones' wellbeing rather than personal outcomes. **In simple terms:** Fear focuses on loved ones. Key Takeaway Prioritize protecting those you care about. Themes love fear relationships Mood anxious protective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - family health - friend crises - partner support - parenting Key Concepts empathy attachment Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance caring for others with caring for yourself? - What signs show you’re over‑protective? A Different Perspective It may overlook self‑care needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ## Related quotes > [Things that happen, however painful they are at the time, do not matter very much for long. Only how we behave to them matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/things-that-happen-however-painful-they-are-at-the-time-do-not-matter/) [Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/) > [Fear, true fear, is a savage frenzy. Of all the insanities of which we are capable, it is surely the cruelest. There is naught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bernanos/fear-true-fear-is-a-savage-frenzy-of-all-the-insanities-of-which-we/) [Georges Bernanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bernanos/) > [“A true fear of God makes us respect more what God requires and commands than what our corrupt heart desires and suggests. It subdues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gouge/a-true-fear-of-god-makes-us-respect-more-what-god-requires-and/) [William Gouge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gouge/) > [“I made the fearful decision to head to Sydney, Australia, to study the Bible. My calling, my wife, Laura, my church, my passion—all were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lentz/i-made-the-fearful-decision-to-head-to-sydney-australia-to-study-the/) [Carl Lentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lentz/) > [“I knew then the taste of true fear. It tastes of dark places deep in your stomach and holds you by the neck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/i-knew-then-the-taste-of-true-fear-it-tastes-of-dark-places-deep-in/) [Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/) > [This was what true fear was--that you could never know other people, not completely. That you were always just guessing blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/this-was-what-true-fear-was-that-you-could-never-know-other-people-2/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“This was what true fear was- that you could never know other people, not completely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/this-was-what-true-fear-was-that-you-could-never-know-other-people/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“A bridge. A big bridge with lots of traffic. You can’t be serious. I’ve almost killed us at least twice going up and down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-klass/a-bridge-a-big-bridge-with-lots-of-traffic-you-can-t-be-serious-i-ve/) [Elle Klass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-klass/) > [“Our true fear of the zombie was never that its bite would turn us into one of them. Our fear is that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/our-true-fear-of-the-zombie-was-never-that-its-bite-would-turn-us/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Once you've been hurt, it is so hard to get attached again. The fear that it will happen again is what builds the walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-you-ve-been-hurt-it-is-so-hard-to-get-attached-again-the-fear/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [With a cold"--she spoke evenly, lowering her eyes a little--"now is the hardest time. Maybe even harder than dying. But this is probably as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/with-a-cold-she-spoke-evenly-lowering-her-eyes-a-little-now-is-the/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [Between the fear that something would happen and the hope that still it wouldn't, there is much more space than one thinks. On that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivo-andri/between-the-fear-that-something-would-happen-and-the-hope-that-still/) [Ivo Andric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivo-andri/) > [... in spite of being happier than I ever dreamed I could be, I'm also soberer. The fear that something may happen to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/in-spite-of-being-happier-than-i-ever-dreamed-i-could-be-i-m-also/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“Don’t stay because you fear what will happen if you leave. Your mind is constantly playing tricks on you. Standing up for yourself will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-erzfeld/don-t-stay-because-you-fear-what-will-happen-if-you-leave-your-mind/) [Chris Erzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-erzfeld/) > [The psychological condition of fear is divorced from any concrete and true immediate danger. It comes in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-psychological-condition-of-fear-is-divorced-from-any-concrete-and/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## More by Erin Kellison > [“Adam swallowed thickly. "Can you see the future?" "I see many futures." "Many?" "As many futures as there are choices." "Do I defeat the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/adam-swallowed-thickly-can-you-see-the-future-i-see-many-futures-many/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“Maybe the Indirect Surveillance thing cost him brain cells. Good thing he was so pretty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/maybe-the-indirect-surveillance-thing-cost-him-brain-cells-good-thing/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“Maisie was willing to bet there’d be a third living room within. Because what else would they do with all this space but buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/maisie-was-willing-to-bet-there-d-be-a-third-living-room-within/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“He was huge, no missing that, but she was determined to have him regardless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/he-was-huge-no-missing-that-but-she-was-determined-to-have-him/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“Banshee. Beauty. And, well, badass. He always knew she had it in her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/banshee-beauty-and-well-badass-he-always-knew-she-had-it-in-her/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“He dragged her to him, and she, being equally focused on attaching her mouth to his, lost her balance. Stepping in for the save,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/he-dragged-her-to-him-and-she-being-equally-focused-on-attaching-her/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“She gave herself up to the waves of the storm. If they drowned, it would be together, a shattered vessel on the sea, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/she-gave-herself-up-to-the-waves-of-the-storm-if-they-drowned-it/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“Lady Amunsdale," Talia said, looking around the room. Nothing. Ridiculous. She tried again, louder, with melodrama. "Lady Amunsdale. Please grace us with your presence."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/lady-amunsdale-talia-said-looking-around-the-room-nothing-ridiculous/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“I want to know--or understand something. I've been sick my whole life. What is the point of being alive if I never get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/i-want-to-know-or-understand-something-i-ve-been-sick-my-whole-life/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“How very…underhanded of him to hide these chiseled abs and dizzying obliques with suits. Steve-o had been holding out on her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/how-very-underhanded-of-him-to-hide-these-chiseled-abs-and-dizzying/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“Kathleen," he calls, his voice a groan. There is magic in names. Can she hear him? "Kathleen," he calls again, louder. Behind him, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/kathleen-he-calls-his-voice-a-groan-there-is-magic-in-names-can-she/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“Whatever was going on with Rook and Coll officially didn’t matter anymore. They’d just have to rot in prison by themselves. He’d join them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/whatever-was-going-on-with-rook-and-coll-officially-didn-t-matter/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“Abigail laughed. "Poor Adam. Probably thought he'd found a woman who would follow his lead, do everything he said. Got a banshee instead. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/abigail-laughed-poor-adam-probably-thought-he-d-found-a-woman-who/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“Never had she come so hard that she’d been left a noodle. Al dente, she thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/never-had-she-come-so-hard-that-she-d-been-left-a-noodle-al-dente-she/) [Erin Kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) > [“There is no reason for beauty. It just is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-kellison/there-is-no-reason-for-beauty-it-just-is/) [erin kellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) [Explore all 23 Erin Kellison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-kellison/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/) [Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/) > [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/) [M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/) > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [“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/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“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/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) [Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“True fear has nothing to do with what might happen to you, however painful or vile that might be. 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