--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can all reprogram our brain's…" description: "\"We can all reprogram our brain's responses by putting ourselves into new, initially uncomfortable situations. We'll learn fear might not mean 'stop'; I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/frances-moore-lapp-4271_believe_we-can-all-reprogram-our-brain-s-respons_1382863.jpg" --- # We can all reprogram our brain's responses by putting… ![“We can all reprogram our brain's responses by putting ourselves into new, initially uncomfortable situations. We'll learn fear might not mean 'stop'; I've come to believe fear usually means 'go.” quote by Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/frances-moore-lapp-4271_believe_we-can-all-reprogram-our-brain-s-respons_1382863.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/frances-moore-lapp-4271_believe_we-can-all-reprogram-our-brain-s-respons_1382863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/frances-moore-lapp-4271_believe_we-can-all-reprogram-our-brain-s-respons_1382863.jpg) > “We can all reprogram our brain's responses by putting ourselves into new, initially uncomfortable situations. We'll learn fear might not mean 'stop'; I've come to believe fear usually means 'go.” [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We can change how our brain reacts by deliberately entering uncomfortable situations, turning fear into a cue to act rather than stop. **In simple terms:** Facing discomfort rewires fear into motivation. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort to grow. Themes personal growth neuroscience fear resilience Mood determined hopeful Type motivational psychological When to use this quote - public speaking - starting a new job - traveling alone - learning a skill Key Concepts Neuroplasticity behavioral conditioning cognitive reframing Questions to Reflect On - What uncomfortable situation could you try today? - How can you turn fear into a signal to move forward? A Different Perspective Fear can still paralyze if not paired with supportive strategies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-fear-285150/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brain Responses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-responses-4796607/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-mean-1030674/) [Fear Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-usually-902684/) [Learn Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-fear-740381/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) [Uncomfortable situations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable-situations/) ## Related quotes > [We'll learn fear might not mean 'stop'; personally, I've come to believe fear usually means 'go.' It always means listen closely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/we-ll-learn-fear-might-not-mean-stop-personally-i-ve-come-to-believe/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [“Emma, everyone's afraid of something." Julian move slightly closer; she felt his shoulders bump hers. "We fear things because we value them. We fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/emma-everyone-s-afraid-of-something-julian-move-slightly-closer-she/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Always remember the acronym for "FEAR" can mean one of two things: Fuck Everything And Run or Face Everything And Recover.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cupcake-brown/always-remember-the-acronym-for-fear-can-mean-one-of-two-things-fuck/) [Cupcake Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cupcake-brown/) > [My biggest fear is, I mean, kind of what happened. Like falling for somebody and ready to spend my life with somebody and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-kufrin/my-biggest-fear-is-i-mean-kind-of-what-happened-like-falling-for/) [Becca Kufrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-kufrin/) > [“We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear death because we value being alive. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/we-fear-things-because-we-value-them-we-fear-losing-people-because-we-2/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/we-fear-things-because-we-value-them-we-fear-losing-people-because-we-3/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/we-fear-things-because-we-value-them-we-fear-losing-people-because-we/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear. I mean really, no fear!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-ll-tell-you-what-freedom-is-to-me-no-fear-i-mean-really-no-fear/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [You can't let yourself be pushed around. You can't live in fear. I mean, some people do live in fear. You can't live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-goetz/you-can-t-let-yourself-be-pushed-around-you-can-t-live-in-fear-i-mean/) [Bernhard Goetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-goetz/) > [“Jules: Emma, everyone's afraid of something. We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/jules-emma-everyone-s-afraid-of-something-we-fear-things-because-we/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [In politics, what begins in fear usually ends in failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/in-politics-what-begins-in-fear-usually-ends-in-failure/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Fear looks both ways but still refuses to cross; fear looks twice and still doesn't leap. ... Fear usually arrives late, inevitably leaves early,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-barreca/fear-looks-both-ways-but-still-refuses-to-cross-fear-looks-twice-and/) [Gina Barreca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-barreca/) > [“All my life I've wanted to tell people I love them. Fear usually held me back, that they wouldn't care, or they wouldn't hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-gaffney/all-my-life-i-ve-wanted-to-tell-people-i-love-them-fear-usually-held/) [Patricia Gaffney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-gaffney/) > [“A FATHER’S GREATEST FEAR is usually that he won’t be able to provide for his family. A mom’s greatest fear is typically that something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-father-s-greatest-fear-is-usually-that-he-won-t-be-able-to-provide/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“What are you putting off out of fear? Usually, what we most fear doing is what we most need to do. That phone call,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-are-you-putting-off-out-of-fear-usually-what-we-most-fear-doing/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) ## More by Frances Moore Lappé > [Hunger is a people-made phenomenon, so the central issue is power: the power of those who make the decisions about what is grown and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hunger-is-a-people-made-phenomenon-so-the-central-issue-is-power-the/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Beauty exists irrespective of financial circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/beauty-exists-irrespective-of-financial-circumstances/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [What is different and exciting is how much we have learned. We learned we were right that we don't need the chemical model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/what-is-different-and-exciting-is-how-much-we-have-learned-we-learned/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [We hear, "Oh, we need to patent GMOs and develop new strains and new chemicals because Nature can't provide what we need." I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/we-hear-oh-we-need-to-patent-gmos-and-develop-new-strains-and-new/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [The good life may mean doing some things that do not feel comfortable. It may mean sitting long hours just with yourself as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/the-good-life-may-mean-doing-some-things-that-do-not-feel-comfortable/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [That's what happened when my own life crumbled. The people who came into my life bolstered me to take more risks, to be even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/that-s-what-happened-when-my-own-life-crumbled-the-people-who-came/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [If we cannot know what's possible, then we are free to do that which is pulling our hearts and that which is life serving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/if-we-cannot-know-what-s-possible-then-we-are-free-to-do-that-which/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [ I never like to use those terms \[like pessimistic\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/i-never-like-to-use-those-terms-like-pessimistic/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [My path has not been smooth. But the great thing about getting to be an elder is that you can look back and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/my-path-has-not-been-smooth-but-the-great-thing-about-getting-to-be/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Old models of farming with chemicals and credit mostly favored privileged men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/old-models-of-farming-with-chemicals-and-credit-mostly-favored/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [What an extraordinary time to be alive. We're the first people on our planet to have real choice: we can continue killing each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/what-an-extraordinary-time-to-be-alive-we-re-the-first-people-on-our/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Honest hope has an edge. It's messy. It requires that we let go of all pat answers, all preconceived formulas, all confidence that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/honest-hope-has-an-edge-it-s-messy-it-requires-that-we-let-go-of-all/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [Because we are living in a culture increasingly dominated by fear where many feel blocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/because-we-are-living-in-a-culture-increasingly-dominated-by-fear/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [What we see today is a world movement represented by the World Social Forum, involving all sorts of interactions across cultures, not to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/what-we-see-today-is-a-world-movement-represented-by-the-world-social/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) > [The problem is that our whole tribe - if you will, the larger community of humanity itself - is on a death march ecologically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/the-problem-is-that-our-whole-tribe-if-you-will-the-larger-community/) [Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) [Explore all 113 Frances Moore Lappé quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We can all reprogram our brain's responses by putting ourselves into new, initially uncomfortable situations. 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