--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Safer to be feared than loved." description: "\"Safer to be feared than loved.\" — Gillian Flynn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/gillian-flynn-316_fear_safer-to-be-feared-than-loved-1675500_1675500.jpg" --- # Safer to be feared than loved. ![“Safer to be feared than loved.” quote by Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/gillian-flynn-316_fear_safer-to-be-feared-than-loved-1675500_1675500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/gillian-flynn-316_fear_safer-to-be-feared-than-loved-1675500_1675500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdd/gillian-flynn-316_fear_safer-to-be-feared-than-loved-1675500_1675500.jpg) > “Safer to be feared than loved.” [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power and control are more reliable than affection for maintaining authority. **In simple terms:** Fear secures authority better than love. Key Takeaway Choose influence over affection. Themes power control authority Mood cautious serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - relationships - political negotiations Key Concepts political strategy human behavior Questions to Reflect On - Is fear a sustainable leadership tool? - When does fear become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Fear can breed resentment and rebellion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feared/) [Feared Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feared-loved-272304/) [Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved/) [Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safer/) [Safer Feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safer-feared-904570/) ## Related quotes > [“It is far safer to be feared than loved”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-is-far-safer-to-be-feared-than-loved/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“It is safer to be feared than loved”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machiavelli-the-prince-nookbook/it-is-safer-to-be-feared-than-loved/) [Machiavelli The Prince NOOKbook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machiavelli-the-prince-nookbook/) > [Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/since-it-is-difficult-to-join-them-together-it-is-safer-to-be-feared/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/since-love-and-fear-can-hardly-exist-together-if-we-must-choose/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [My view is that it is desirable to be both loved and feared; but it is difficult to achieve both and, if one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/my-view-is-that-it-is-desirable-to-be-both-loved-and-feared-but-it-is/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“And…” Søren continued, “it’s safer to be feared than loved. At least where I’m concerned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/and-s-ren-continued-it-s-safer-to-be-feared-than-loved-at-least-where/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > [It is much safer for the prince to be feared than loved, but he ought to avoid making himself hated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-is-much-safer-for-the-prince-to-be-feared-than-loved-but-he-ought/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-is-much-safer-to-be-feared-than-loved-because-love-is-preserved-by/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“Because fear and ove can hardly co exist together,if we must chose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-fear-and-ove-can-hardly-co-exist-together-if-we-must-chose/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Do I want to be feared or loved? That's a good question. I want both. I want people to be afraid of how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-i-want-to-be-feared-or-loved-that-s-a-good-question-i-want-both-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bullies are often people who are shy and can't make friends easily, so, as the theme of the movie 'A Bronx Tale' tells us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/bullies-are-often-people-who-are-shy-and-can-t-make-friends-easily-so/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [It is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved? It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-is-better-to-be-loved-rather-than-feared-or-feared-rather-than/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott-the-office/would-i-rather-be-feared-or-loved-easy-both-i-want-people-to-be/) [Michael Scott (The Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott-the-office/) > [The reply is, that one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/the-reply-is-that-one-ought-to-be-both-feared-and-loved-but-as-it-is/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Machiavelli taught me it was better to be feared than loved. Because if you are loved they sense you might be weak. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-king/machiavelli-taught-me-it-was-better-to-be-feared-than-loved-because/) [Don King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-king/) ## More by Gillian Flynn > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [The midwest is great because it hasn't been entirely claimed. There's more room to write about it; it's harder to write about New York,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/the-midwest-is-great-because-it-hasn-t-been-entirely-claimed-there-s/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Sometimes it is all too loud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/sometimes-it-is-all-too-loud/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/there-s-something-disturbing-about-recalling-a-warm-memory-and/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“My life has begun to feel like an epilogue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-life-has-begun-to-feel-like-an-epilogue/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“The Victorians, especially southern Victorians, needed a lot of room to stray away from each other, to duck tuberculosis and flu, to avoid rapacious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/the-victorians-especially-southern-victorians-needed-a-lot-of-room-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“You think: Oh, here is the rest of my life. It’s finally arrived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/you-think-oh-here-is-the-rest-of-my-life-it-s-finally-arrived/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [What a generous thing that is, I realize, for a husband to try to make his wife laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/what-a-generous-thing-that-is-i-realize-for-a-husband-to-try-to-make/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I am a great believer in jobs for teens. They teach important life lessons, build character, and inflict just the right amount of humiliation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-am-a-great-believer-in-jobs-for-teens-they-teach-important-life/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“you'd literally lie, cheat, and steal -hell, kill- to convince people you are a good guy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/you-d-literally-lie-cheat-and-steal-hell-kill-to-convince-people-you/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [My imagination is more tweaked by imagining the lives of the people who were there before us. I don't need to give myself the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-imagination-is-more-tweaked-by-imagining-the-lives-of-the-people/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Given my druthers now, I’d prefer a snapshot of Warren Harding’s wife, “the Duchess,” who recorded the smallest offenses in a little red notebook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/given-my-druthers-now-i-d-prefer-a-snapshot-of-warren-harding-s-wife/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [A town so suffocating and small, you tripped over people you hated every day. People who knew things about you. It's the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/a-town-so-suffocating-and-small-you-tripped-over-people-you-hated/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“For a long time Cool Girl offended me. I used to see men - friends, coworkers, strangers - giddy over these awful pretender women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/for-a-long-time-cool-girl-offended-me-i-used-to-see-men-friends/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) [Explore all 668 Gillian Flynn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) ## 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. 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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. 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