--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's very disheartening to encounter a…" description: "\"It's very disheartening to encounter a fearful twenty-one year old. They haven't earned the right to be that afraid. It's not like we're living in war-..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89a/fran-lebowitz-690_afraid_it-s-very-disheartening-to-encounter-a-f_1214714.jpg" --- # It's very disheartening to encounter a fearful twenty-one… ![“It's very disheartening to encounter a fearful twenty-one year old. They haven't earned the right to be that afraid. It's not like we're living in war-torn Bosnia or something.” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89a/fran-lebowitz-690_afraid_it-s-very-disheartening-to-encounter-a-f_1214714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89a/fran-lebowitz-690_afraid_it-s-very-disheartening-to-encounter-a-f_1214714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89a/fran-lebowitz-690_afraid_it-s-very-disheartening-to-encounter-a-f_1214714.jpg) > “It's very disheartening to encounter a fearful twenty-one year old. They haven't earned the right to be that afraid. It's not like we're living in war-torn Bosnia or something.” [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Young adults fearing life without cause can be frustrating; empathy is needed. **In simple terms:** Young fear can be unfair. Key Takeaway Offer support rather than judgment. Themes generational gaps empathy fear judgment Mood critical empathetic Type social commentary advice When to use this quote - counseling - mentoring - community dialogue Key Concepts social expectations mental health youth culture Questions to Reflect On - What experiences shape a young adult’s fear? - How can we help without dismissing? A Different Perspective Not all fear is unjustified; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid/) [Afraid Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-like-345385/) [Bosnia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bosnia/) [Disheartening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disheartening/) [Encounter Fearful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter-fearful-3697031/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Fearful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearful/) [Fearful Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearful-year-3697032/) [Havens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/havens/) [Torn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torn/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Twenty one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenty-one/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [When I first saw you, I was afraid to talk to you. 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"No, more the absence of light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-jones/sometimes-there-are-things-that-people-should-be-afraid-of-like-the/) [Carrie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-jones/) > [If I could be attacked by a grizzly and not be killed, or maimed in a way that made women afraid of me, I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/if-i-could-be-attacked-by-a-grizzly-and-not-be-killed-or-maimed-in-a/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [“I was afraid like a virgin of the act. I would have liked death to come with due warning, so that I could prepare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-was-afraid-like-a-virgin-of-the-act-i-would-have-liked-death-to/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [When I First Saw You I Was Afraid To Talk To You, When I First Talked To You I Was Afraid To Like You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-first-saw-you-i-was-afraid-to-talk-to-you-when-i-first-talked-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“(Or maybe she was just more afraid of being like everyone else.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/or-maybe-she-was-just-more-afraid-of-being-like-everyone-else/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) ## More by Fran Lebowitz > [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. 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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": "It's very disheartening to encounter a fearful twenty-one year old. 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