--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The tension of a mysterious danger is…" description: "\"The tension of a mysterious danger is even more unbearable than danger itself. People hate the vacuum of an unknown situation. They want security. They..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/joost-meerloo-30477_all-kinds_the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-ev_1892978.jpg" --- # The tension of a mysterious danger is even more unbearable… ![“The tension of a mysterious danger is even more unbearable than danger itself. People hate the vacuum of an unknown situation. They want security. They even prefer war to the insecure expectation of a war with its threat of enemy surprise. This vague fearful expectation acts on their fantasies…” quote by Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/joost-meerloo-30477_all-kinds_the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-ev_1892978.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/joost-meerloo-30477_all-kinds_the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-ev_1892978.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/joost-meerloo-30477_all-kinds_the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-ev_1892978.jpg) > “The tension of a mysterious danger is even more unbearable than danger itself. People hate the vacuum of an unknown situation. They want security. They even prefer war to the insecure expectation of a war with its threat of enemy surprise. This vague fearful expectation acts on their fantasies. They anticipate all kinds of mysterious dangers; they begin to provoke them. It is the evocation of fear and danger in order to escape the tension of insecurity.” [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear of the unknown creates more tension than actual danger, leading people to prefer predictable conflict over uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Unknown threats cause anxiety, making people choose familiar risks. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty, reduce fear. Themes fear uncertainty security Mood cautious thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political decisions - personal anxieties - media narratives Key Concepts psychology risk perception social behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape your choices? - Can embracing uncertainty improve resilience? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on fear can paralyze action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fearful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearful/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Insecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insecurity/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [Vague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vague/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“What is there so fearful as the expectation of evil tidings delayed? ... Misery is a more welcome visitant when she comes in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/what-is-there-so-fearful-as-the-expectation-of-evil-tidings-delayed-2/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [What is there so fearful as the expectation of evil tidings delayed? ... Misery is a more welcome visitant when she comes in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/what-is-there-so-fearful-as-the-expectation-of-evil-tidings-delayed/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [We don't need women. There are plenty other things in the world to have sex with, just go to a sexaholics meeting and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-don-t-need-women-there-are-plenty-other-things-in-the-world-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Poetic talent doesn't operate in a vacuum. There is a spirit of Polish poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wislawa-szymborska/poetic-talent-doesn-t-operate-in-a-vacuum-there-is-a-spirit-of-polish/) [Wislawa Szymborska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wislawa-szymborska/) > [There is a God-shaped vacuum in every heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-is-a-god-shaped-vacuum-in-every-heart/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Marriage is like a vacuum cleaner. You stick it to your ear and it sucks out all your energy and ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/marriage-is-like-a-vacuum-cleaner-you-stick-it-to-your-ear-and-it/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [Nature abhors a lot of things, including vacuums, ships called the Marie Celeste, and the chuck keys for electric drills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/nature-abhors-a-lot-of-things-including-vacuums-ships-called-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Climate change isn't just an environmental issue; it's a technology, water, food, energy, population issue. None of this happens in a vacuum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-titley/climate-change-isn-t-just-an-environmental-issue-it-s-a-technology/) [David Titley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-titley/) > [ You can't put toilet paper in the toilet \[in the space ship\], so there's a separate vacuum can in front of you on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/you-can-t-put-toilet-paper-in-the-toilet-in-the-space-ship-so-there-s/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [I am Woman, here me roar...of is that my vacuum cleaner?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/i-am-woman-here-me-roar-of-is-that-my-vacuum-cleaner/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [Space is not empty. It is full, a plenum as opposed to a vacuum, and is the ground for the existence of everything, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/space-is-not-empty-it-is-full-a-plenum-as-opposed-to-a-vacuum-and-is/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Of course, you're not making records in a vacuum. I'm not making them for myself. It would be nice if I could get more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-benatar/of-course-you-re-not-making-records-in-a-vacuum-i-m-not-making-them/) [Pat Benatar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-benatar/) > [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [You will see a 3-D movie in a movie theater for the shared experience of it - or for a date, and so on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/you-will-see-a-3-d-movie-in-a-movie-theater-for-the-shared-experience/) [Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/) > [A vacuum can only exist, I imagine, by the things which enclose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-fitzgerald/a-vacuum-can-only-exist-i-imagine-by-the-things-which-enclose-it/) [Zelda Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-fitzgerald/) ## More by Joost Meerloo > [Puzzlement and doubt are, however, already crimes in the totalitarian state. The mind that is open for questions is open for dissent. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/puzzlement-and-doubt-are-however-already-crimes-in-the-totalitarian/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [The big lie and monotonously repeated nonsense have more emotional appeal in a cold war than logic and reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/the-big-lie-and-monotonously-repeated-nonsense-have-more-emotional/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [He who dictates and formulates the words and phrases we use, he who is master of the press and radio, is master of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/he-who-dictates-and-formulates-the-words-and-phrases-we-use-he-who-is/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [Pavlov's findings were that some animals learned more quickly if rewarded (by affection, by food, by stroking) each time they showed the right response,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/pavlov-s-findings-were-that-some-animals-learned-more-quickly-if/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [Confusing a targeted audience is one of the necessary ingredients for effective mind control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/confusing-a-targeted-audience-is-one-of-the-necessary-ingredients-for/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [. . . well publicized facts are always the bane to the mind controllers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/well-publicized-facts-are-always-the-bane-to-the-mind-controllers/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [Ready made opinions can be distributed day by day through the press, radio, and so on, again and again, till they reach the nerve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/ready-made-opinions-can-be-distributed-day-by-day-through-the-press/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [Numbing the senses by monotonously repeating an assertion is a key element in utilizing mind control techniques.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/numbing-the-senses-by-monotonously-repeating-an-assertion-is-a-key/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [Demoralization of the target audience is yet another step in successful mind control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/demoralization-of-the-target-audience-is-yet-another-step-in/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [The bulk of the totalitarian-minded in the democratic societies are men and women who are attracted to this destructive way of life for inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/the-bulk-of-the-totalitarian-minded-in-the-democratic-societies-are/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [The continual intrusion into our minds of the hammering noises of arguments and propaganda can lead to two kinds of reactions. It may lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/the-continual-intrusion-into-our-minds-of-the-hammering-noises-of/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [If men can be made to understand that society, with its rigid codes and stratifications, is in its confused infancy rather than in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/if-men-can-be-made-to-understand-that-society-with-its-rigid-codes/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [Between two beings there is always the barrier of words. Man has so many ears and speaks so many languages. Should it nevertheless be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/between-two-beings-there-is-always-the-barrier-of-words-man-has-so/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [It's among the intelligentsia that we often find the glib compulsion to explain everything and to understand nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/it-s-among-the-intelligentsia-that-we-often-find-the-glib-compulsion/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) > [The flight from study and awareness is much too common in a world that throws too many confusing pictures to the individual. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/the-flight-from-study-and-awareness-is-much-too-common-in-a-world/) [Joost Meerloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) [Explore all 17 Joost Meerloo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/) ## More All kinds quotes > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [I'm not technically proficient enough to attempt all kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-m-not-technically-proficient-enough-to-attempt-all-kinds-of-music/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [My office in New York is overflowing with all kinds of cookbooks, and in New Orleans we have a huge culinary library. So yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/my-office-in-new-york-is-overflowing-with-all-kinds-of-cookbooks-and/) [Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/) > [Sydney is full of the craziest and most talented artists of all kinds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiynan-lonsdale/sydney-is-full-of-the-craziest-and-most-talented-artists-of-all-kinds/) [Keiynan Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiynan-lonsdale/) > [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [You know, the world’s not running out of oil. There’s all kinds of oil left in all kinds of places. …We’re never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-rubin/you-know-the-world-s-not-running-out-of-oil-there-s-all-kinds-of-oil/) [Jeff Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-rubin/) > [I grew up with all kinds of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-diesel/i-grew-up-with-all-kinds-of-people/) [Vin Diesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-diesel/) > [Because there were all kinds of hell - some were black and dirty, and some were silvery and high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/because-there-were-all-kinds-of-hell-some-were-black-and-dirty-and/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [The architecture of the song, if it's built properly, can withstand all kinds of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-haines/the-architecture-of-the-song-if-it-s-built-properly-can-withstand-all/) [Emily Haines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-haines/) > [There are all kinds of writers. The best writers write children's books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-scarry/there-are-all-kinds-of-writers-the-best-writers-write-children-s-books/) [Richard Scarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-scarry/) > [We also need to make sure women can be in charge of their reproductive health. We can't defund places like Planned Parenthood, where women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissy-teigen/we-also-need-to-make-sure-women-can-be-in-charge-of-their/) [Chrissy Teigen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissy-teigen/) > [The single greatest pleasure that I have in doing ('Bizarre Foods') is when I meet families with 6, 7, 8-year-olds, or teenagers, who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-zimmern/the-single-greatest-pleasure-that-i-have-in-doing-bizarre-foods-is/) [Andrew Zimmern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-zimmern/) > [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Do you know people who insist they like 'all kinds of music'? That actually means they like no kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/do-you-know-people-who-insist-they-like-all-kinds-of-music-that/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) Browse all 1,489 All kinds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The tension of a mysterious danger is even more unbearable than danger itself. People hate the vacuum of an unknown situation. They want security. They even prefer war to the insecure expectation of a war with its threat of enemy surprise. This vague fearful expectation acts on their fantasies. They anticipate all kinds of mysterious dangers; they begin to provoke them. It is the evocation of fear and danger in order to escape the tension of insecurity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joost Meerloo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-even-more-unbearable-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "All kinds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-even-more-unbearable-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/joost-meerloo-30477_all-kinds_the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-ev_1892978.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/joost-meerloo-30477_all-kinds_the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-ev_1892978.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/joost-meerloo-30477_all-kinds_the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-ev_1892978.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The tension of a mysterious danger is even more unbearable than danger itself. People hate the vacuum of an…” — Joost Meerloo", "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": "Joost Meerloo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joost-meerloo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The tension of a mysterious danger...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-even-more-unbearable-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joost-meerloo/the-tension-of-a-mysterious-danger-is-even-more-unbearable-than/#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 } } ] } ```