--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can’t save ourselves from fear by…" description: "\"We can’t save ourselves from fear by seeking safety, because safety always means there’s something to be safe from-in other words, something to fear. T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/martha-beck-961_fear_we-can-t-save-ourselves-from-fear-by-see_594068.png" --- # We can’t save ourselves from fear by seeking safety… ![“We can’t save ourselves from fear by seeking safety, because safety always means there’s something to be safe from-in other words, something to fear. The way out of fear isn’t safety. It’s freedom.” quote by Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/martha-beck-961_fear_we-can-t-save-ourselves-from-fear-by-see_594068.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/martha-beck-961_fear_we-can-t-save-ourselves-from-fear-by-see_594068.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/martha-beck-961_fear_we-can-t-save-ourselves-from-fear-by-see_594068.png) > “We can’t save ourselves from fear by seeking safety, because safety always means there’s something to be safe from-in other words, something to fear. The way out of fear isn’t safety. It’s freedom.” [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking safety cannot eliminate fear because safety itself implies something to fear; true freedom comes from confronting fear directly. **In simple terms:** Safety creates fear; freedom frees you. Key Takeaway Face fear to achieve freedom. Themes fear freedom courage Mood introspective empowering Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - risk taking - creative pursuits - career change Key Concepts psychology existentialism personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What fears do you avoid with safety? - How can you practice freedom in daily life? A Different Perspective Safety can be necessary for basic survival; not always a barrier. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) ## Related quotes > [The way out of fear isn’t safety. It’s freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-way-out-of-fear-isn-t-safety-it-s-freedom/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Increasing public safety almost always means restricting liberties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/increasing-public-safety-almost-always-means-restricting-liberties/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Man's right to know, to learn, to inquire, to make bona fide errors, to investigate human emotions must, by all means, be safe, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/man-s-right-to-know-to-learn-to-inquire-to-make-bona-fide-errors-to/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [If personal safety means discrimination, then I'm all for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-parshall/if-personal-safety-means-discrimination-then-i-m-all-for-it/) [Janet Parshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-parshall/) > [A back door is a nonstarter. It means we are all not safe... I don't support a back door for any government, ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/a-back-door-is-a-nonstarter-it-means-we-are-all-not-safe-i-don-t/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > ['Safety', the wife of Pablo said. 'There is no such thing as safety. There are so many seeking safety here now that they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/safety-the-wife-of-pablo-said-there-is-no-such-thing-as-safety-there/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [The majority of immigrants are in search of a better life for their families or are seeking safety by leaving violent and corrupt countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-schlapp/the-majority-of-immigrants-are-in-search-of-a-better-life-for-their/) [Mercedes Schlapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-schlapp/) > [“We're walking contradictions, seeking safety and predictability on one hand and thriving on diversity on the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/we-re-walking-contradictions-seeking-safety-and-predictability-on-one/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Our democratic and American values point us to what we already know to be true: every human being deserves to live in safety with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laphonza-butler/our-democratic-and-american-values-point-us-to-what-we-already-know/) [Laphonza Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laphonza-butler/) > [... any woman who accepts aloneness as the natural by-product of success is accepting a punishment for a crime she didn't commit. And she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/any-woman-who-accepts-aloneness-as-the-natural-by-product-of-success/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [I don't think we should ever accept the idea that someone can come along and take away our safety and our freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-think-we-should-ever-accept-the-idea-that-someone-can-come/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Those who would trade safety for freedom deserve neither.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/those-who-would-trade-safety-for-freedom-deserve-neither/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [It was a great childhood. We weren't especially wealthy or anything, but I felt I had a kind of safety and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/it-was-a-great-childhood-we-weren-t-especially-wealthy-or-anything/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [Freedom is not defined by safety. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference. Government cannot create a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/freedom-is-not-defined-by-safety-freedom-is-defined-by-the-ability-of/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More by Martha Beck > [Imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/imagine-what-you-d-do-if-it-absolutely-didn-t-matter-what-people/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [If I tell a man he needs to quit his soul-sucking job, he has to go home and fight with his wife or fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/if-i-tell-a-man-he-needs-to-quit-his-soul-sucking-job-he-has-to-go/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [I was learning to track rhinoceroses in Africa and tracked right up on an animal that really I thought was going to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/i-was-learning-to-track-rhinoceroses-in-africa-and-tracked-right-up/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [There has never been, and never will be, anyone who sees, thinks, or responds exactly the way you do. Whether you’re revolutionizing physics or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/there-has-never-been-and-never-will-be-anyone-who-sees-thinks-or/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Loneliness is proof that your innate search for connection is intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/loneliness-is-proof-that-your-innate-search-for-connection-is-intact/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Most of my clients don't realize that the way they look and the way they think about their looks are two separate issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/most-of-my-clients-don-t-realize-that-the-way-they-look-and-the-way/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [The power to bring me out of solitude - or to push me back into it - had never belonged to another person. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-power-to-bring-me-out-of-solitude-or-to-push-me-back-into-it-had/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Learning to quit while you're not ahead, when the dull ooze of depression tells you things are not going to get any better, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/learning-to-quit-while-you-re-not-ahead-when-the-dull-ooze-of/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-important-thing-is-to-tell-yourself-a-life-story-in-which-you-the/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [A joyful life isn’t about others; it’s about the brightness that is associated with being alive. Your path to it is through anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/a-joyful-life-isn-t-about-others-it-s-about-the-brightness-that-is/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Fear is the raw material from which courage is manufactured. Without it, we wouldn't even know what it means to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/fear-is-the-raw-material-from-which-courage-is-manufactured-without/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Many people think passion is a fuzzy feeling that makes taking action effortless. In fact, it's the gritty courage and tenacity to forge onward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/many-people-think-passion-is-a-fuzzy-feeling-that-makes-taking-action/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Angels come in many shapes and sizes, and most of them are not invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/angels-come-in-many-shapes-and-sizes-and-most-of-them-are-not/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Truth itself is something you live, not something you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/truth-itself-is-something-you-live-not-something-you-think/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) [Explore all 318 Martha Beck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) ## 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": "We can’t save ourselves from fear by seeking safety, because safety always means there’s something to be safe from-in other words, something to fear. The way out of fear isn’t safety. 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