--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was as afraid as the next man in my…" description: "\"I was as afraid as the next man in my time and maybe more so. But with the years, fear had come to be regarded as a form of stupidity to be classed wit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/ernest-hemingway-83_approach_i-was-as-afraid-as-the-next-man-in-my-ti_298183.jpg" --- # I was as afraid as the next man in my time and maybe more… ![“I was as afraid as the next man in my time and maybe more so. But with the years, fear had come to be regarded as a form of stupidity to be classed with overdrafts, acquiring a venereal disease or eating candies. Fear is a child's vice and while I loved to feel it approach, as one does with any…” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/ernest-hemingway-83_approach_i-was-as-afraid-as-the-next-man-in-my-ti_298183.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/ernest-hemingway-83_approach_i-was-as-afraid-as-the-next-man-in-my-ti_298183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/ernest-hemingway-83_approach_i-was-as-afraid-as-the-next-man-in-my-ti_298183.jpg) > “I was as afraid as the next man in my time and maybe more so. But with the years, fear had come to be regarded as a form of stupidity to be classed with overdrafts, acquiring a venereal disease or eating candies. Fear is a child's vice and while I loved to feel it approach, as one does with any vice, it was not for grown men and the only thing to be afraid of was the presence of true and imminent danger in a form that you should be aware of and not be a fool if you were responsible for others.” [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects that fear was once seen as childish, but true fear should be reserved for genuine danger, especially when responsible for others. **In simple terms:** Fear is childish unless real danger threatens others. Key Takeaway Prioritize real threats over imagined ones. Themes courage responsibility fear management Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - military command - parenting - public safety Key Concepts masculinity leadership risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - When is fear a useful signal? - How do you balance caution with bravery? A Different Perspective Dismissal of fear can lead to reckless behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Candy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candy/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vices/) ## Related quotes > [Having a child, that's always been my biggest fear. I want a child and I fear a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/having-a-child-that-s-always-been-my-biggest-fear-i-want-a-child-and/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [Keep fear out of your child's mind, as you would keep poison out of his body; for fear is the deadliest of mental poisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/keep-fear-out-of-your-child-s-mind-as-you-would-keep-poison-out-of/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [My greatest fear for my child is that he marries a woman exactly like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-mollen/my-greatest-fear-for-my-child-is-that-he-marries-a-woman-exactly-like/) [Jenny Mollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-mollen/) > [“I fear not a child with a weapon he cannot lift, I will never fear the mind of a man who does not think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-fear-not-a-child-with-a-weapon-he-cannot-lift-i-will-never-fear-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [As a person life has always been a bit of a challenge for me and I have spent so much of my early years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-sudol/as-a-person-life-has-always-been-a-bit-of-a-challenge-for-me-and-i/) [Alison Sudol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-sudol/) > [“wealthier than living a thousand years of fear, living one day with courage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasr/wealthier-than-living-a-thousand-years-of-fear-living-one-day-with/) Nasr > [“Never forget the blood sweat and tears The uphill struggle over years the fear and, trash talking and the people it was to, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linkin-park/never-forget-the-blood-sweat-and-tears-the-uphill-struggle-over-years/) [Linkin Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linkin-park/) > [“One word, two lips, three four five fingers form a fist. One corner, two parents, three four five reasons to hide. One child, two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/one-word-two-lips-three-four-five-fingers-form-a-fist-one-corner-two/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“We cannot shake off three hundred years of fear in three hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wright/we-cannot-shake-off-three-hundred-years-of-fear-in-three-hours/) [Richard Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wright/) > [“Two years ago," she says, "I was afraid of spiders, suffocation, walls that inch slowly inward and trap you between them,getting thrown out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/two-years-ago-she-says-i-was-afraid-of-spiders-suffocation-walls-that/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I'm working, but there is so much still to be done! And it frightens me to think of my weight of years. But on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-puccini/i-m-working-but-there-is-so-much-still-to-be-done-and-it-frightens-me/) [Giacomo Puccini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-puccini/) > [“It's hard to be afraid of a man who is sitting watching you put on hand lotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-hard-to-be-afraid-of-a-man-who-is-sitting-watching-you-put-on/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“You’re wrong!” “Am I?” he asks. “Face it. You want it just as much as I do, but you’re scared. You want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-p-attardo/you-re-wrong-am-i-he-asks-face-it-you-want-it-just-as-much-as-i-do/) M.P. Attardo > [A whole army, though they can neither write nor read, are not afraid of a platform, which they know is but earth or stone;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harrington/a-whole-army-though-they-can-neither-write-nor-read-are-not-afraid-of/) [James Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harrington/) > [Afraid? Me? A man who's licked his weight in wild caterpillars?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/afraid-me-a-man-who-s-licked-his-weight-in-wild-caterpillars/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) ## More by Ernest Hemingway > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“There was no wind, and, outside now of the warm air of the cave, heavy with smoke of both tobacco and charcoal, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-was-no-wind-and-outside-now-of-the-warm-air-of-the-cave-heavy/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“It was not brilliant bull-fighting. It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Creation's probably overrated. 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There was the green of the headlands, the white, red-roofed villas, patches of forest, and the ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/we-drove-out-along-the-coast-road-there-was-the-green-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Oh, darling, I've been so miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/oh-darling-i-ve-been-so-miserable/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I read my own books sometimes to cheer me when it is hard to write, and then I remember that it was always difficult,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-read-my-own-books-sometimes-to-cheer-me-when-it-is-hard-to-write/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“You find everything on earth at Harry's." "Yes, my Colonel. Except, possibly, happiness." "I'll damn well find happiness, too," the Colonel assured him. "Happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-find-everything-on-earth-at-harry-s-yes-my-colonel-except/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“No. It's bad for me. Cole Porter wrote the words and the music. This knowledge that you're going mad for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/no-it-s-bad-for-me-cole-porter-wrote-the-words-and-the-music-this/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“everything kills everything else in some way. Fishing kills me exactly as it keeps me alive. The boy keeps me alive, he thought. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/everything-kills-everything-else-in-some-way-fishing-kills-me-exactly/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Explore all 1,464 Ernest Hemingway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## 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": "I was as afraid as the next man in my time and maybe more so. 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