---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's easier to be terrified by an enemy…"
description: "\"It's easier to be terrified by an enemy you admire.\" — Frank Herbert"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/frank-herbert-262_admire_it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy_1094908.jpg"
---

#  It's easier to be terrified by an enemy you admire.

![“It's easier to be terrified by an enemy you admire.” quote by Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/frank-herbert-262_admire_it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy_1094908.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/frank-herbert-262_admire_it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy_1094908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/frank-herbert-262_admire_it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy_1094908.jpg)

> “It's easier to be terrified by an enemy you admire.”

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Admiring an opponent can amplify fear, making the threat feel more personal and unsettling.

**In simple terms:** Admiring an enemy heightens fear.

Key Takeaway

Beware of idolizing adversaries.

Themes

fear admiration psychology

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

cautionary psychological

When to use this quote

- political rivalry
- personal relationships
- competition
- leadership

Key Concepts

projection cognitive bias

Questions to Reflect On

- What qualities in an opponent do you find most intimidating?
- How does admiration affect your strategic decisions?

A Different Perspective

Even admired foes can be managed through objective assessment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/)

## Related quotes

> [“You just try to get through the day. The small stuff—waiting on a bus, eating, having a simple conversation—is too much to bear, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-gordon/you-just-try-to-get-through-the-day-the-small-stuff-waiting-on-a-bus/)

Scott Gordon

> [“These two misfortunes happen to armies, to become so terrified of the enemy that they are unwilling to attempt any offensive, and so bold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/onasander/these-two-misfortunes-happen-to-armies-to-become-so-terrified-of-the/)

Onasander

> [I used to be a bit obsessed by acting but not anymore. I do enjoy acting but I probably enjoy it more now because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-used-to-be-a-bit-obsessed-by-acting-but-not-anymore-i-do-enjoy/)

[Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/)

> [I guess I have always been deeply terrified to really be someones wife since I know from life one cannot love another, ever, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/i-guess-i-have-always-been-deeply-terrified-to-really-be-someones/)

[Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/)

> [“Here at its extremities the terrified transients gathered, gazing out at the vast refulgent ocean for some sign of security.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/here-at-its-extremities-the-terrified-transients-gathered-gazing-out/)

[William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/)

> [I am terrified by this dark thing That sleeps in me; All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-am-terrified-by-this-dark-thing-that-sleeps-in-me-all-day-i-feel/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [Being on set is quite difficult, because it's so big and you've got to try and relax, which isn't easy when you know you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/being-on-set-is-quite-difficult-because-it-s-so-big-and-you-ve-got-to/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [I did a thing called 24 Hour Plays, a thing they do every year on Broadway. A bunch of playwrights and actors get together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/i-did-a-thing-called-24-hour-plays-a-thing-they-do-every-year-on/)

[Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/)

> [I remember learning about the Holocaust when I was in kindergarten and being terrified. I think we even watched a graphic video about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-soloway/i-remember-learning-about-the-holocaust-when-i-was-in-kindergarten/)

[Jill Soloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-soloway/)

> [“banshee continued, mixed with terrified”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/banshee-continued-mixed-with-terrified/)

[Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/)

> [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [You know, I read the papers and I watch the news a lot. I watch 'Dateline' and '48 Hours'. And I think we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-galecki/you-know-i-read-the-papers-and-i-watch-the-news-a-lot-i-watch/)

[Johnny Galecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-galecki/)

> [The idea of a bowed and terrified liberal minority during McCarthy's 'reign of terror' is poppycock. Then as now, all elite opinion was against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-idea-of-a-bowed-and-terrified-liberal-minority-during-mccarthy-s/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Frank Herbert

> [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“A leader, you see, is one of the things that distinguishes a mob from a people. He maintains the level of individuals. Too few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-leader-you-see-is-one-of-the-things-that-distinguishes-a-mob-from-a/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“I will tell you this only once. Homosexuals have been among the best warriors in our history, the berserkers of last resort. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-will-tell-you-this-only-once-homosexuals-have-been-among-the-best/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/between-depriving-a-man-of-one-hour-from-his-life-and-depriving-him/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [The surest way to keep a secret is to make someone think they already know the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-surest-way-to-keep-a-secret-is-to-make-someone-think-they-already/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“how inevitable it was that the aristocrat would refuse his final duty—which was to step aside and vanish into history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/how-inevitable-it-was-that-the-aristocrat-would-refuse-his-final-duty/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“What we should have done was test the gift first. We should have probed for dangers. We were too bedazzled by it, though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/what-we-should-have-done-was-test-the-gift-first-we-should-have/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“Have you noticed, Stil, how beautiful the young women are this year?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/have-you-noticed-stil-how-beautiful-the-young-women-are-this-year/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“Humans are born with a susceptibility to that most persistent and debilitating disease of intellect: self-deception. The best of all possible worlds and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/humans-are-born-with-a-susceptibility-to-that-most-persistent-and/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Face your fears or they will climb over your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/face-your-fears-or-they-will-climb-over-your-back/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Many have marked the speed with which Muad'Dib learned the necessities of Arrakis. The Bene Gesserit, of course, know the basis of this speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/many-have-marked-the-speed-with-which-muad-dib-learned-the/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [“The assumption that a whole system can be made to work better through an assault on its conscious elements betrays a dangerous ignorance. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-assumption-that-a-whole-system-can-be-made-to-work-better-through/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-power-to-destroy-a-thing-is-the-absolute-control-over-it/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Providence and Manifest Destiny are synonyms often invoked to support arguments based on wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/providence-and-manifest-destiny-are-synonyms-often-invoked-to-support/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [If you ask "Should we be in space?" you ask a nonsense question. We are in space. We will be in space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-ask-should-we-be-in-space-you-ask-a-nonsense-question-we-are/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

[Explore all 776 Frank Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

## More Admire quotes

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I admire Serena Williams, because, I mean, who doesn't admire Serena Williams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-admire-serena-williams-because-i-mean-who-doesn-t-admire-serena/)

[Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/)

> [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/)

[Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/)

> [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [I really admire people's interactions with technology that aren't tech-centric but use it as a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/i-really-admire-people-s-interactions-with-technology-that-aren-t/)

[Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/)

> [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/)

[John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/)

> [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

> [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/)

[Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/)

> [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [I think it's really good and helpful to have the people you most admire in some other discipline than what you work in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-think-it-s-really-good-and-helpful-to-have-the-people-you-most/)

[Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/)

> [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [I respect and admire the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-respect-and-admire-the-premier-league/)

[Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/)

> [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/)

[Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/)

> [“The thing I admire most about you is no matter how hard, or how much the world has tried to beat you, break you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-gill/the-thing-i-admire-most-about-you-is-no-matter-how-hard-or-how-much/)

[Nikita Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-gill/)

Browse all 2,369 Admire quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's easier to be terrified by an enemy you admire.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frank Herbert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy-you-admire/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Admire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy-you-admire/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/frank-herbert-262_admire_it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy_1094908.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/frank-herbert-262_admire_it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy_1094908.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/586/frank-herbert-262_admire_it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy_1094908.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's easier to be terrified by an enemy you admire.” — Frank Herbert",
                "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": "Frank Herbert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's easier to be terrified by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy-you-admire/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/it-s-easier-to-be-terrified-by-an-enemy-you-admire/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
