--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This line of reasoning could have…" description: "\"“This line of reasoning could have frightened him, but it did not. He gained a certain strength from it. Because, after all, what can be imagined can b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/mal-peet-15262_frightened_this-line-of-reasoning-could-have-fright_223382.jpg" --- # This line of reasoning could have frightened him, but it… ![“This line of reasoning could have frightened him, but it did not. He gained a certain strength from it. Because, after all, what can be imagined can be achieved. At the head of the stairs, he paused to straighten a mask that had been knocked askew.” quote by Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/mal-peet-15262_frightened_this-line-of-reasoning-could-have-fright_223382.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/mal-peet-15262_frightened_this-line-of-reasoning-could-have-fright_223382.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/mal-peet-15262_frightened_this-line-of-reasoning-could-have-fright_223382.jpg) > ““This line of reasoning could have frightened him, but it did not. He gained a certain strength from it. Because, after all, what can be imagined can be achieved. At the head of the stairs, he paused to straighten a mask that had been knocked askew.”” [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing fear can empower; imagination fuels achievement despite obstacles. **In simple terms:** Imagining possibilities creates strength. Key Takeaway Use imagination to overcome challenges. Themes psychology imagination resilience Mood inspirational reflective motivational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - creative problem solving - leadership training Key Concepts cognitive reframing self‑efficacy narrative therapy Questions to Reflect On - What fears can you reframe? - How does imagination shape your goals? A Different Perspective Imagining alone may not change reality without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightened/) [Mask Knocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mask-knocked-2277455/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Reasoning Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasoning-frightened-2277454/) [Stairs Paused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stairs-paused-1230501/) [Strength Imagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength-imagined-2277456/) ## Related quotes > [“Most bravery, dear little one,’ he said as he pulled the dog from the water and rested it across the back of his thickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/most-bravery-dear-little-one-he-said-as-he-pulled-the-dog-from-the/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“I'm not doing jumping jacks for an hour." "Then you could run arounf the house, up and down the stairs." He paused, his smug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/i-m-not-doing-jumping-jacks-for-an-hour-then-you-could-run-arounf-the/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“Jesus, Dolores, you've got to get yourself together. You've got responsibilities. Think about those sometimes - okay? - and get your fucking head right."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/jesus-dolores-you-ve-got-to-get-yourself-together-you-ve-got/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [Sometimes I've been to a party where no one spoke to me for a whole evening. The men, frightened by their wives or sweeites...the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/sometimes-i-ve-been-to-a-party-where-no-one-spoke-to-me-for-a-whole/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/) [Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/) > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [No one seems to have learned, or can remember, the magic words that calm people when they are frightened or threatened: "I'm sorry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/no-one-seems-to-have-learned-or-can-remember-the-magic-words-that/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [Megachurches. I can't be the only one frightened when our houses of worship sound like they could take on Godzilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/megachurches-i-can-t-be-the-only-one-frightened-when-our-houses-of/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/she-had-just-started-living-like-a-grown-up-and-she-d-never-felt-more/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [We all have prejudices to dispel: the need to get away from thinking that 'I' am important and special and 'you' are not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/we-all-have-prejudices-to-dispel-the-need-to-get-away-from-thinking/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [American imperialism has always been the imperialism that has been frightened of speaking its name. Now it's beginning to do so. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/american-imperialism-has-always-been-the-imperialism-that-has-been/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [I don't think kids have a problem with death. It's us older ones who are nearer to it, that start being frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-don-t-think-kids-have-a-problem-with-death-it-s-us-older-ones-who/) [Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/) > [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) ## More by Mal Peet > [History is the heavy traffic that prevents us from crossing the road. We're not especially interested in what it consists of. We wait, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/history-is-the-heavy-traffic-that-prevents-us-from-crossing-the-road/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“You do not win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making sure that some poor bastard dies for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/you-do-not-win-a-war-by-dying-for-your-country-you-win-a-war-by/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Unfortunately, however, weapons of mass destruction tend to attract maniacs: men - it's almost always men - who want to jab the red button…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/unfortunately-however-weapons-of-mass-destruction-tend-to-attract/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Boredom had not been among the dangers that the SOE had prepared him for. No pompous little officer had stood in front of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/boredom-had-not-been-among-the-dangers-that-the-soe-had-prepared-him/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Wagstaff was a trim little man in a dark-blue uniform with an armband embroidered with the words CIVIL DEFENSE. "Thank you, Headmaster, and good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/wagstaff-was-a-trim-little-man-in-a-dark-blue-uniform-with-an-armband/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Let me tell you something. When there is a penalty kick, most people think that the penalty taker is in control. But they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/let-me-tell-you-something-when-there-is-a-penalty-kick-most-people/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Sprawled, bloody, holding the pistol, he looked like a police photograph of a suicide. Dart went back to his chair and picked up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/sprawled-bloody-holding-the-pistol-he-looked-like-a-police-photograph/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“I can explain to you why algebra is useful. But that is not what algebra is really for.' He moved his fingers gently on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/i-can-explain-to-you-why-algebra-is-useful-but-that-is-not-what/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“So? You think people stop talking to you when they are dead?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/so-you-think-people-stop-talking-to-you-when-they-are-dead/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“It still, after all these years, puts frost into my blood to remember that men like LeMay and Powers had their fingers so close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/it-still-after-all-these-years-puts-frost-into-my-blood-to-remember/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [Sentimentality and nostalgia are closely related. Kissing cousins. I have no time for nostalgia, though. Nostalgics believe the past is nicer than the present.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/sentimentality-and-nostalgia-are-closely-related-kissing-cousins-i/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Shit! Those sons a bitches Russians!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/shit-those-sons-a-bitches-russians/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Kennedy was not perfectly sure that Khrushchev was an entirely rational being. He was not absolutely certain that the Soviet Union wouldn't be happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/kennedy-was-not-perfectly-sure-that-khrushchev-was-an-entirely/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“What I'm trying to explain to my sulky little cousin is that we are doing things backwards. We are going from the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/what-i-m-trying-to-explain-to-my-sulky-little-cousin-is-that-we-are/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“He taught me that language was rubbery, plastic. It wasn't, as I thought, something you just use, but something you can play with. Words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/he-taught-me-that-language-was-rubbery-plastic-it-wasn-t-as-i-thought/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) [Explore all 42 Mal Peet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) ## More Frightened quotes > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [I don't think kids have a problem with death. It's us older ones who are nearer to it, that start being frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-don-t-think-kids-have-a-problem-with-death-it-s-us-older-ones-who/) [Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/) > [American imperialism has always been the imperialism that has been frightened of speaking its name. Now it's beginning to do so. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/american-imperialism-has-always-been-the-imperialism-that-has-been/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [We all have prejudices to dispel: the need to get away from thinking that 'I' am important and special and 'you' are not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/we-all-have-prejudices-to-dispel-the-need-to-get-away-from-thinking/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/she-had-just-started-living-like-a-grown-up-and-she-d-never-felt-more/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Megachurches. I can't be the only one frightened when our houses of worship sound like they could take on Godzilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/megachurches-i-can-t-be-the-only-one-frightened-when-our-houses-of/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [No one seems to have learned, or can remember, the magic words that calm people when they are frightened or threatened: "I'm sorry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/no-one-seems-to-have-learned-or-can-remember-the-magic-words-that/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/) [Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/) > [Sometimes I've been to a party where no one spoke to me for a whole evening. The men, frightened by their wives or sweeites...the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/sometimes-i-ve-been-to-a-party-where-no-one-spoke-to-me-for-a-whole/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [All your names I and my friend approve of or nearly all as to sense & expression, but I am frightened by their length…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/all-your-names-i-and-my-friend-approve-of-or-nearly-all-as-to-sense/) [Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. Yet all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/she-was-using-the-water-as-she-had-used-the-fruit-earlier-to-calm/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) [Browse all 1,303 Frightened quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightened/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This line of reasoning could have frightened him, but it did not. He gained a certain strength from it. Because, after all, what can be imagined can be achieved. 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