--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Though Abdul had been afraid of ghosts as…" description: "\"“Though Abdul had been afraid of ghosts as most Annawadi boys, these reports did no disturb him. Being terrorized by living people seemed to have dimin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/katherine-boo-7467_fear_though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-a_295017.png" --- # Though Abdul had been afraid of ghosts as most Annawadi… ![“Though Abdul had been afraid of ghosts as most Annawadi boys, these reports did no disturb him. Being terrorized by living people seemed to have diminished his fear of the dead.” quote by Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/katherine-boo-7467_fear_though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-a_295017.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/katherine-boo-7467_fear_though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-a_295017.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/katherine-boo-7467_fear_though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-a_295017.png) > ““Though Abdul had been afraid of ghosts as most Annawadi boys, these reports did no disturb him. Being terrorized by living people seemed to have diminished his fear of the dead.”” [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character's fear of supernatural threats lessens when faced with real human cruelty, showing that real danger can eclipse imagined ones. **In simple terms:** Real danger can be scarier than imagined. Key Takeaway Recognize real threats over imagined ones. Themes fear human cruelty growth Mood reflective serious Type narrative observational When to use this quote - urban poverty - personal development - community dynamics Key Concepts psychology social reality Questions to Reflect On - How do real hardships reshape imagined fears? - When does real danger outweigh myth? A Different Perspective Imagined fears can still affect behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) ## Related quotes > [“Being terrorized by living people seemed to have diminished his fear of the dead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/being-terrorized-by-living-people-seemed-to-have-diminished-his-fear/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [Why are people afraid of ghosts? 'Ooh, no, I wouldn't want to see one! I'd be too scared' - accompanied by a tremolo of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/why-are-people-afraid-of-ghosts-ooh-no-i-wouldn-t-want-to-see-one-i-d/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [Now, most days, I spend like a child. Who's afraid of ghosts in my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-lee/now-most-days-i-spend-like-a-child-who-s-afraid-of-ghosts-in-my-mind/) [Amos Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-lee/) > [“Am I afraid of ghosts? My life experience has taught me to be much more afraid of what a human is capable of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/am-i-afraid-of-ghosts-my-life-experience-has-taught-me-to-be-much/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [No one is more afraid of ghosts than those that dont believe in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/no-one-is-more-afraid-of-ghosts-than-those-that-dont-believe-in-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [It's sort of sad, but the public is no longer afraid of ghosts. They laugh at them instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lorre/it-s-sort-of-sad-but-the-public-is-no-longer-afraid-of-ghosts-they/) [Peter Lorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lorre/) > [“I've never been afraid of ghosts. I live with them daily, after all. When I look in a mirror, my mother's eyes look back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-ve-never-been-afraid-of-ghosts-i-live-with-them-daily-after-all/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [I do not understand why people are afraid of ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshad-warsi/i-do-not-understand-why-people-are-afraid-of-ghosts/) [Arshad Warsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshad-warsi/) > [Most men are less afraid of ghosts than of facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/most-men-are-less-afraid-of-ghosts-than-of-facts/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [I myself am not afraid of ghosts; I am afraid of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-autumn/i-myself-am-not-afraid-of-ghosts-i-am-afraid-of-people/) [Emilie Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-autumn/) > [“People have asked me why I seem to have no fear. It's apparently that which stops so many people from doing what they need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucinda-riley/people-have-asked-me-why-i-seem-to-have-no-fear-it-s-apparently-that/) [Lucinda Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucinda-riley/) > [I am not afraid of ghosts now because I have realized that people nowadays are scarier than ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-am-not-afraid-of-ghosts-now-because-i-have-realized-that-people/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Nothing to be honest. I am a fighter. I'm crazy already. I'm not afraid of ghosts or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-garcia/nothing-to-be-honest-i-am-a-fighter-i-m-crazy-already-i-m-not-afraid/) [Danny Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-garcia/) > [When I was a child I was afraid of ghosts. As I grew up I realized people are more scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-was-a-child-i-was-afraid-of-ghosts-as-i-grew-up-i-realized/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I might be afraid of ghosts and like dragons and those things, but I'm not afraid of the Taliban.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-might-be-afraid-of-ghosts-and-like-dragons-and-those-things-but-i-m/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) ## More by Katherine Boo > [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“The forces of justice had finally come to Annawadi. That the beneficiaries were horses was a source of bemusement to Sunil and the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/the-forces-of-justice-had-finally-come-to-annawadi-that-the/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“For years, Asha had hoped that her daughter wouldn’t guess about the men. Now she wished she had raised Manju to be worldly enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/for-years-asha-had-hoped-that-her-daughter-wouldn-t-guess-about-the/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“What was unfolding in Mumbai was unfolding elsewhere, too. In the age of global market capitalism, hopes and grievances were narrowly conceived, which blunted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/what-was-unfolding-in-mumbai-was-unfolding-elsewhere-too-in-the-age/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [I was spending a lot of time in Mumbai after I met my husband, who is Indian, and while parts of the city were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/i-was-spending-a-lot-of-time-in-mumbai-after-i-met-my-husband-who-is/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [One thing that was very clear to me is that the young people in a place like Annawadi aren't tripping on caste the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/one-thing-that-was-very-clear-to-me-is-that-the-young-people-in-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“that the only Indians who went on trial were”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/that-the-only-indians-who-went-on-trial-were/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“Besides, this was the gentle-going hour in which he hated Annawadi least. The pale sun lent the sewage lake a sparkling silver cast, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/besides-this-was-the-gentle-going-hour-in-which-he-hated-annawadi/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [There's some way in which we would prefer not to see very clearly the immense gifts and intelligence of some of the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/there-s-some-way-in-which-we-would-prefer-not-to-see-very-clearly-the/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“No onlooker asked, Why fix a house when the airport authority might demolish it? Almost everyone here improved his hut when he was able,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/no-onlooker-asked-why-fix-a-house-when-the-airport-authority-might/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [Everyone in Annawadi talks like this: 'Oh, I will make my child a doctor, a lawyer, and he will make us rich'. It's vanity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/everyone-in-annawadi-talks-like-this-oh-i-will-make-my-child-a-doctor/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“Like most scavengers, Sunil knew how he appeared to the people who frequented the airport: shoeless, unclean, pathetic. By winter’s end, he had defended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/like-most-scavengers-sunil-knew-how-he-appeared-to-the-people-who/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [But if writing about people who are not yourself is illegitimate, then the only legitimate work is autobiography; and as a reader and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/but-if-writing-about-people-who-are-not-yourself-is-illegitimate-then/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [I'm not squeamish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/i-m-not-squeamish/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“Abdul hadn’t previously thought of policemen as people with hearts and lungs who worried about money or their health. The world seemed replete with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/abdul-hadn-t-previously-thought-of-policemen-as-people-with-hearts/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) [Explore all 90 Katherine Boo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) ## 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. 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/) > [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/) [M.T. 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 > [“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. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“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/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) [Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Though Abdul had been afraid of ghosts as most Annawadi boys, these reports did no disturb him. Being terrorized by living people seemed to have diminished his fear of the dead.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katherine Boo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-as-most-annawadi-boys-these/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-as-most-annawadi-boys-these/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/katherine-boo-7467_fear_though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-a_295017.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/katherine-boo-7467_fear_though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-a_295017.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/katherine-boo-7467_fear_though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-a_295017.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Though Abdul had been afraid of ghosts as most Annawadi boys, these reports did no disturb him. Being…” — Katherine Boo", "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": "Katherine Boo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Though Abdul had been afraid of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-as-most-annawadi-boys-these/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/though-abdul-had-been-afraid-of-ghosts-as-most-annawadi-boys-these/#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 } } ] } ```