--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing is to be feared but fear." description: "\"Nothing is to be feared but fear.\" — Francis Bacon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/francis-bacon-297_fear_nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear-2983592_2983592.jpg" --- # Nothing is to be feared but fear. ![“Nothing is to be feared but fear.” quote by Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/francis-bacon-297_fear_nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear-2983592_2983592.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/francis-bacon-297_fear_nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear-2983592_2983592.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/francis-bacon-297_fear_nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear-2983592_2983592.jpg) > “Nothing is to be feared but fear.” [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear itself is the only thing that should be feared; other things are manageable. **In simple terms:** Fear is the real enemy. Key Takeaway Confront fear directly. Themes psychology philosophy courage Mood reflective determined Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - personal challenges - public speaking - health issues Key Concepts Stoicism cognitive behavior Questions to Reflect On - What fears hold you back? - How can you reframe fear? A Different Perspective Fear can be rational. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feared/) [Feared Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feared-fear-772904/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing is to be feared but fear itself. Nothing grievous but to yield to grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear-itself-nothing-grievous-but-to-yield/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [there is nothing to fear but fear itself yet even then fear shouldn't be feared because fear cannot take what is protected by change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-moran/there-is-nothing-to-fear-but-fear-itself-yet-even-then-fear-shouldn-t/) [Michelle Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-moran/) > [To be feared is to fear. No one has been able to strike terror into others and at the same time enjoy peace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/to-be-feared-is-to-fear-no-one-has-been-able-to-strike-terror-into/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Those who love to be feared fear to be loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-francis-de-sales/those-who-love-to-be-feared-fear-to-be-loved/) [Saint Francis de Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-francis-de-sales/) > [“I feared fear and fear had won.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-theia/i-feared-fear-and-fear-had-won/) [V. Theia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-theia/) > [Nothing is so much to be feared as fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nothing-is-so-much-to-be-feared-as-fear/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Those who love to be feared, fear to be loved. Some fear them, but they fear everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pierre-camus/those-who-love-to-be-feared-fear-to-be-loved-some-fear-them-but-they/) [Jean-Pierre Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pierre-camus/) > [“For it is not death or pain that is to be feared, but the fear of pain or death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/for-it-is-not-death-or-pain-that-is-to-be-feared-but-the-fear-of-pain/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Courage is... the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/courage-is-the-knowledge-of-how-to-fear-what-ought-to-be-feared-and/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [Nothing is so much to be feared as fear. Atheism may comparatively be popular with God himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nothing-is-so-much-to-be-feared-as-fear-atheism-may-comparatively-be/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The only honorable, desirable kind of fear that shouldn't be feared is the fear of harm on a loved one. It's the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-honorable-desirable-kind-of-fear-that-shouldn-t-be-feared-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [“As for us, we behave like a herd of deer. When they flee from the huntsman's feathers in affright, which way do they turn?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/as-for-us-we-behave-like-a-herd-of-deer-when-they-flee-from-the/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Those who love to be feared fear to be loved, and they themselves are more afraid than anyone, for whereas other men fear only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-francis-de-sales/those-who-love-to-be-feared-fear-to-be-loved-and-they-themselves-are/) [Saint Francis de Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-francis-de-sales/) > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) ## More by Francis Bacon > [Princes are like heavenly bodies, which cause good or evil times, and which have much veneration, but no rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/princes-are-like-heavenly-bodies-which-cause-good-or-evil-times-and/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The best preservative to keep the mind in health is the faithful admonition of a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-best-preservative-to-keep-the-mind-in-health-is-the-faithful/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Since custom is the principal magistrate of man's life, let men by all means endeavor to obtain good customs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/since-custom-is-the-principal-magistrate-of-man-s-life-let-men-by-all/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/painting-today-is-pure-intuition-and-luck-and-taking-advantage-of/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-usually-accept-bribes-from-both-sides-so-that-tainted-money-can/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Much bending breaks the bow; much unbending the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/much-bending-breaks-the-bow-much-unbending-the-mind/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [When Christ came into the world, peace was sung; and when He went out of the world, peace was bequeathed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-christ-came-into-the-world-peace-was-sung-and-when-he-went-out/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [...neither is it possible to discover the more remote and deeper parts of any science, if you stand but upon the level of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/neither-is-it-possible-to-discover-the-more-remote-and-deeper-parts/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The divisions of science are not like different lines that meet in one angle, but rather like the branches of trees that join in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-divisions-of-science-are-not-like-different-lines-that-meet-in/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The human understanding, when any preposition has been once laid down... forces everything else to add fresh support and confirmation; and although more cogent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-human-understanding-when-any-preposition-has-been-once-laid-down/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I should have been, I don't know, a con-man, a robber or a prostitute. But it was vanity that made me choose painting, vanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-should-have-been-i-don-t-know-a-con-man-a-robber-or-a-prostitute/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Wounds cannot be cured without searching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/wounds-cannot-be-cured-without-searching/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The French are wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem wiser than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-french-are-wiser-than-they-seem-and-the-spaniards-seem-wiser-than/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [When a man laughs at his troubles he loses a great many friends. They never forgive the loss of their prerogative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/when-a-man-laughs-at-his-troubles-he-loses-a-great-many-friends-they/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Believing that I was born for the service of mankind, and regarding the care of the commonwealth as a kind of common property which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/believing-that-i-was-born-for-the-service-of-mankind-and-regarding/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) [Explore all 711 Francis Bacon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Nothing is to be feared but fear.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis Bacon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/francis-bacon-297_fear_nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear-2983592_2983592.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/francis-bacon-297_fear_nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear-2983592_2983592.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/francis-bacon-297_fear_nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear-2983592_2983592.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nothing is to be feared but fear.” — Francis Bacon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Francis Bacon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nothing is to be feared but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/nothing-is-to-be-feared-but-fear/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```