--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He's weak and ignorant, scared of the way…" description: "\"“He's weak and ignorant, scared of the way consequences of an action leap away from your control and breed new events, new consequences, until you're l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/ian-mcewan-494_scared_he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way_2551451.png" --- # He's weak and ignorant, scared of the way consequences of… ![“He's weak and ignorant, scared of the way consequences of an action leap away from your control and breed new events, new consequences, until you're led to a place you never dreamed of and would never choose - a knife at the throat.” quote by Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/ian-mcewan-494_scared_he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way_2551451.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/ian-mcewan-494_scared_he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way_2551451.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/ian-mcewan-494_scared_he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way_2551451.png) > ““He's weak and ignorant, scared of the way consequences of an action leap away from your control and breed new events, new consequences, until you're led to a place you never dreamed of and would never choose - a knife at the throat.”” [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Uncontrolled consequences spiral, leading to unforeseen, unwanted outcomes. **In simple terms:** Actions create unpredictable chains. Key Takeaway Consider downstream effects. Themes consequences uncertainty destiny Mood anxious thoughtful Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - personal decisions - technology deployment - legal judgments Key Concepts chaos theory ethical responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do you mitigate unintended consequences? - Can you accept uncertainty in decisions? A Different Perspective Predicting all outcomes is impossible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [People are scared. People are generally xenophobic - they're scared of what's different. If you're ignorant as well as scared, then you might end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/people-are-scared-people-are-generally-xenophobic-they-re-scared-of/) [Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/) > [And, too ignorant to be scared, too young to be awed, Tristan Thorn traveled beyond the fields we know...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/and-too-ignorant-to-be-scared-too-young-to-be-awed-tristan-thorn/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I love you so much,and there are so many things that I didn't get to tell you. I was scared of the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/i-love-you-so-much-and-there-are-so-many-things-that-i-didn-t-get-to/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [History teaches us that whenever a weak and ignorant people possess a thing which a strong and enlightened people want, it must be yielded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/history-teaches-us-that-whenever-a-weak-and-ignorant-people-possess-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [People who do drugs seem so weak and ignorant.They don't know the value of life, lack self control and will let their peers control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-who-do-drugs-seem-so-weak-and-ignorant-they-don-t-know-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Think how great a proportion of mankind, consists of weak and ignorant men and women, and of inexperienced youth of both sexes, who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-how-great-a-proportion-of-mankind-consists-of-weak-and-ignorant/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [If you're taking a risk and you are not scared in some way, you're doing something wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/if-you-re-taking-a-risk-and-you-are-not-scared-in-some-way-you-re/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [“I am scared of the way they are clinging to the French and Belgian ports, even though they’ve been pushed out of most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-am-scared-of-the-way-they-are-clinging-to-the-french-and-belgian/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [The movie that scared the hell out of me was 'The Blair Witch Project.' I can't remember another movie that scared me the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-lan-noel/the-movie-that-scared-the-hell-out-of-me-was-the-blair-witch-project/) [Y'lan Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-lan-noel/) > [“I was thinking: Girls get scared way too often. Girls get stupidly scared. I was not scared. Telling myself not to be scared kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-faith-berger/i-was-thinking-girls-get-scared-way-too-often-girls-get-stupidly/) [Tamara Faith Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-faith-berger/) > [Be sure,Even though you are confused and scared, there is a way out of this temporary cloud and onto a powerful bridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/be-sure-even-though-you-are-confused-and-scared-there-is-a-way-out-of/) Senoraroy > [“She was someone who heard each grain in the hour-glass, she felt the passing seconds like sandpaper against her softest skin. Time actually seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in-the-hour-glass-she-felt-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“I think everyone is scared in their own way. Takut gagal, takut salah, takut nyesel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winna-efendi/i-think-everyone-is-scared-in-their-own-way-takut-gagal-takut-salah/) [Winna Efendi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winna-efendi/) > [Kids love to be scared - there's way to do it right, and ways to do it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/kids-love-to-be-scared-there-s-way-to-do-it-right-and-ways-to-do-it/) [Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/) > [Every day I run scared. That's the only way I can stay ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-johnson/every-day-i-run-scared-that-s-the-only-way-i-can-stay-ahead/) [John H. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-johnson/) ## More by Ian McEwan > [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/on-chesil-beach-he-could-have-called-out-to-florence-he-could-have/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [It was always the view of my parents...that hot weather encouraged loose morals among young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-always-the-view-of-my-parents-that-hot-weather-encouraged/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian McEwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## More Scared quotes > [“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/) > [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/) > [The beginning of genius is being scared shitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/the-beginning-of-genius-is-being-scared-shitless/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [“She felt something for me too, deep down I knew it, but she was just scared of getting hurt again. I could wait thought;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-moseley/she-felt-something-for-me-too-deep-down-i-knew-it-but-she-was-just/) [Kirsty Moseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-moseley/) > [She still felt shell-shocked by all of it, numb. Beneath the numbness, though, was a raw and terrible anger that was unlike anything she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-still-felt-shell-shocked-by-all-of-it-numb-beneath-the-numbness/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [When I became Miss World, I couldn't believe I had won it. I used to sleep with my crown because I was scared someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/when-i-became-miss-world-i-couldn-t-believe-i-had-won-it-i-used-to/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [What I love about watching classic horror films is that they take you on a ride and they obviously make you scared because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/what-i-love-about-watching-classic-horror-films-is-that-they-take-you/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [If you scared to take chances, you'll never have the answers...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/if-you-scared-to-take-chances-you-ll-never-have-the-answers/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The #MeToo campaign is monumental. It is giving a voice to so many too scared to speak out before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-smart/the-metoo-campaign-is-monumental-it-is-giving-a-voice-to-so-many-too/) [Elizabeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-smart/) > [I had always been scared of the unknown, and I think it had a lot to do with a lack of self-confidence (and wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-levy/i-had-always-been-scared-of-the-unknown-and-i-think-it-had-a-lot-to/) [Dan Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-levy/) > [According to Shakyamuni Buddha, it's normal for human beings to be anxious, because it's normal for human beings not to understand themselves. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reb-anderson/according-to-shakyamuni-buddha-it-s-normal-for-human-beings-to-be/) [Reb Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reb-anderson/) > [“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/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) Browse all 4,224 Scared quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He's weak and ignorant, scared of the way consequences of an action leap away from your control and breed new events, new consequences, until you're led to a place you never dreamed of and would never choose - a knife at the throat.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian McEwan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way-consequences-of-an-action/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Scared" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way-consequences-of-an-action/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/ian-mcewan-494_scared_he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way_2551451.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/ian-mcewan-494_scared_he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way_2551451.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f55/ian-mcewan-494_scared_he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way_2551451.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He's weak and ignorant, scared of the way consequences of an action leap away from your control and breed…” — Ian McEwan", "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": "Ian McEwan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He's weak and ignorant, scared of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way-consequences-of-an-action/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way-consequences-of-an-action/#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 } } ] } ```