--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I hear, 'Be afraid of Tehran,' I'm…" description: "\"If I hear, 'Be afraid of Tehran,' I'm like, 'I'd better go to Tehran.'\" — Henry Rollins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/henry-rollins-170_afraid_if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i_55935.png" --- # If I hear, 'Be afraid of Tehran,' I'm like, 'I'd better go… ![“If I hear, 'Be afraid of Tehran,' I'm like, 'I'd better go to Tehran.'” quote by Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/henry-rollins-170_afraid_if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i_55935.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/henry-rollins-170_afraid_if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i_55935.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/henry-rollins-170_afraid_if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i_55935.png) > “If I hear, 'Be afraid of Tehran,' I'm like, 'I'd better go to Tehran.'” [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker flips a warning into a challenge, implying that fear can be a catalyst for confronting the source directly. **In simple terms:** Fear can motivate direct action. Key Takeaway Turn fear into curiosity. Themes courage defiance paradox psychology Mood defiant playful Type humorous provocative When to use this quote - receiving a warning - considering travel - facing a perceived threat Key Concepts risk assessment motivation Practical Applications - motivational speaking - personal resilience training Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to confront what you fear? - How can fear be reframed as opportunity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid/) [Afraid Tehran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-tehran-778286/) [Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better/) [Better Tehran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-tehran-778289/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Hear Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hear-afraid-778288/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Tehran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tehran/) [Tehran Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tehran-like-778287/) ## Related quotes > [“Yes,” I whisper so the others won’t hear, “but being afraid is good because it means I still have more to lose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-george/yes-i-whisper-so-the-others-won-t-hear-but-being-afraid-is-good/) [Caroline George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-george/) > [“Are you afraid of what you’ll hear? Afraid I’ll speak the name you fear? Not Slytherin! Not Gryffindor! Not Hufflepuff! Not Ravenclaw! Don’t worry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tiffany/are-you-afraid-of-what-you-ll-hear-afraid-i-ll-speak-the-name-you/) [John Tiffany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tiffany/) > [A lot of niggas came up off of a style that I made up but if all I hear is me, then who should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/a-lot-of-niggas-came-up-off-of-a-style-that-i-made-up-but-if-all-i/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [America roused to a righteous anger has always been a force for good. States that have been supporting if not Osama bin Laden, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-lowry/america-roused-to-a-righteous-anger-has-always-been-a-force-for-good/) [Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/) > [Children whose developing lungs are particularly vulnerable suffer the most from air pollution. For children, breathing the air in cities with the worst pollution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/children-whose-developing-lungs-are-particularly-vulnerable-suffer/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [“Secretary of State Clinton dared Iran on Monday to let her hold a town-hall meeting in Tehran.” That’s telling ’em. If the ayatollahs had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/secretary-of-state-clinton-dared-iran-on-monday-to-let-her-hold-a/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Argo might well be studied as a bait-and-switch masterwork: In showing the capture of the American Embassy in Tehran, Ben Affleck first made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edelstein/argo-might-well-be-studied-as-a-bait-and-switch-masterwork-in-showing/) [David Edelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edelstein/) > [“When the day comes that Tehran can announce its nuclear capability, every shred of international law will have been discarded. The mullahs have publicly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/when-the-day-comes-that-tehran-can-announce-its-nuclear-capability/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Tehran believes it's none of our business or anybody else's to decide the future of personalities in other countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-javad-zarif/tehran-believes-it-s-none-of-our-business-or-anybody-else-s-to-decide/) [Mohammad Javad Zarif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-javad-zarif/) > [The more aggressive our ideologies become, the more aggressive our discourse whether it's in the United States, from Washington D.C., or whether it's from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/the-more-aggressive-our-ideologies-become-the-more-aggressive-our/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [A brilliant inquiry into the contemporary Iranian predicament and what it means for the world. At a time when all too many of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afshin-molavi/a-brilliant-inquiry-into-the-contemporary-iranian-predicament-and/) [Afshin Molavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afshin-molavi/) > [Appeasing the Castro brothers will only cause other tyrants from Caracas to Tehran to Pyongyang to see that they can take advantage of President…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/appeasing-the-castro-brothers-will-only-cause-other-tyrants-from/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [In Mexico City, Tehran, Kolkata, Bangkok, Shanghai, and hundreds of other cities, the air is no longer safe to breathe. In some cities, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/in-mexico-city-tehran-kolkata-bangkok-shanghai-and-hundreds-of-other/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [ In 2009, US President \[Barack\] Obama said that the missile defense only serves as protection from Iranian nuclear missiles. But now there is an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/in-2009-us-president-barack-obama-said-that-the-missile-defense-only/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [“On the misty window of her room, she let her finger trace a broken line. She was that line.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azin-sametipour/on-the-misty-window-of-her-room-she-let-her-finger-trace-a-broken/) [Azin Sametipour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azin-sametipour/) ## More by Henry Rollins > [I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-believe-that-one-defines-oneself-by-reinvention/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [In the summer of '84, you just couldn't escape the Born in the USA record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/in-the-summer-of-84-you-just-couldn-t-escape-the-born-in-the-usa/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [We spend millions of dollars to remove pain from our lives. It's why so many people get hooked on painkillers. The body becomes addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-spend-millions-of-dollars-to-remove-pain-from-our-lives-it-s-why/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Sleep is for squares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/sleep-is-for-squares/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-a-lot-of-mountain-climbers-trapped-inside-of-bodies-of-people/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-lose-the-light-of-the-sun-i-will-write-by-candlelight-moonlight/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was raised in Washington, DC, very violent place. I grew up with violence. My introduction to music was violent. The years I've spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-raised-in-washington-dc-very-violent-place-i-grew-up-with/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel pain everyday of my life. When you see me perform, it's that pain you're seeing coming out. I put all my emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-pain-everyday-of-my-life-when-you-see-me-perform-it-s-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel close to people like Jimi Hendrix because I connect with his music. Not the man but what he did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-close-to-people-like-jimi-hendrix-because-i-connect-with-his/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-or-destiny-i-believe-in-various-degrees-of/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Young, gay and stuck in Arkansas? Sounds like a horror flick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/young-gay-and-stuck-in-arkansas-sounds-like-a-horror-flick/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was never told to "Get up, get out there, get a job." It was never a thing either parent ever said I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-never-told-to-get-up-get-out-there-get-a-job-it-was-never-a/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's no retirement, there's just a few years of non-work by the fire with someone bringing you some tea and relative peace and playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-no-retirement-there-s-just-a-few-years-of-non-work-by-the/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I love being a storyteller. I love telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-love-being-a-storyteller-i-love-telling-stories/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) [Explore all 1,006 Henry Rollins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## More Afraid quotes > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“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/) > [I used to be afraid of my temper, but it turns out I don't really have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/i-used-to-be-afraid-of-my-temper-but-it-turns-out-i-don-t-really-have/) [Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I'm a pretty fearless person. I'm afraid of, like, creepy men in white vans and sidewalks with no streetlights. But I'm not afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/i-m-a-pretty-fearless-person-i-m-afraid-of-like-creepy-men-in-white/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) [Darlene Senger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darlene-senger/) > [Why am I so afraid to loose you,when you're not even mine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-am-i-so-afraid-to-loose-you-when-you-re-not-even-mine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to tell you, but I cant, becuase I'm afraid if I do you'll never treat me same the again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-orante/i-want-to-tell-you-but-i-cant-becuase-i-m-afraid-if-i-do-you-ll-never/) [Cristina Orante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-orante/) > [Mistakes I've made in the past make me afraid to try new things in the future. I want to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/mistakes-i-ve-made-in-the-past-make-me-afraid-to-try-new-things-in/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [“Humans are naturally scared and confused beings. They not only fear the unknown, as they live fearing themselves... ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/humans-are-naturally-scared-and-confused-beings-they-not-only-fear/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [If you are too afraid of failure, you cant possibly do what needs to be done to succeed in living a fulfilling life. 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": "If I hear, 'Be afraid of Tehran,' I'm like, 'I'd better go to Tehran.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Rollins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i-d-better-go-to-tehran/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afraid" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i-d-better-go-to-tehran/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/henry-rollins-170_afraid_if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i_55935.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/henry-rollins-170_afraid_if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i_55935.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/henry-rollins-170_afraid_if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i_55935.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I hear, 'Be afraid of Tehran,' I'm like, 'I'd better go to Tehran.'” — Henry Rollins", "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": "Henry Rollins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I hear, 'Be afraid of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i-d-better-go-to-tehran/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-hear-be-afraid-of-tehran-i-m-like-i-d-better-go-to-tehran/#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 } } ] } ```