--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They conjure phantoms endlessly…" description: "\"“They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday do back what was done to them—”\" — N.K. Jemisin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/n-k-jemisin-1466_phantoms_they-conjure-phantoms-endlessly-terrifie_1928864.png" --- # They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their… ![“They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday do back what was done to them—” quote by N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/n-k-jemisin-1466_phantoms_they-conjure-phantoms-endlessly-terrifie_1928864.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/n-k-jemisin-1466_phantoms_they-conjure-phantoms-endlessly-terrifie_1928864.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/n-k-jemisin-1466_phantoms_they-conjure-phantoms-endlessly-terrifie_1928864.png) > ““They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday do back what was done to them—”” [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People create imagined threats out of fear that their victims will retaliate, revealing how anxiety fuels endless cycles of suspicion and control. **In simple terms:** Fear of revenge drives people to invent endless threats. Key Takeaway Break cycles of fear‑based control. Themes fear control revenge psychology Mood cautionary philosophical Type quote reflection When to use this quote - political discourse - personal relationships - media narratives Key Concepts social manipulation paranoia power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What fuels the creation of imagined enemies? - How can societies reduce fear‑driven retaliation? A Different Perspective Assuming worst‑case scenarios can be self‑fulfilling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conjure Phantoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conjure-phantoms-3006767/) [Endlessly Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endlessly-terrified-3006769/) [Phantoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms/) [Phantoms Endlessly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms-endlessly-3006766/) [Terrified Victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified-victims-3006768/) ## Related quotes > [“But there are none so frightened, or so strange in their fear, as conquerors. They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/but-there-are-none-so-frightened-or-so-strange-in-their-fear-as/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“But I think that this apparent desire to be a victim cloaks an opposing dread: that Americans are in truth profoundly, neurotically terrified of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/but-i-think-that-this-apparent-desire-to-be-a-victim-cloaks-an/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [There are those who would love each other if once they were to speak to each other; when they spoke they would discover their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hello/there-are-those-who-would-love-each-other-if-once-they-were-to-speak/) [Ernest Hello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hello/) > [ By \[age\] 93, I had shrunk quite a lot. My car was known as the Phantom Cadillac. People would see it whizzing by and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/by-age-93-i-had-shrunk-quite-a-lot-my-car-was-known-as-the-phantom/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Now we must remark, that there are two parts in the Commandment-the first forbids the erection of a graven image, or any likeness; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/now-we-must-remark-that-there-are-two-parts-in-the-commandment-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [This too is a jihad. Yet we Americans find ourselves in the dangerous position of going to war not against a state but against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/this-too-is-a-jihad-yet-we-americans-find-ourselves-in-the-dangerous/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Truth is a necessary phantom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/truth-is-a-necessary-phantom/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“People do not put their faith in phantoms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/people-do-not-put-their-faith-in-phantoms/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [Sit, Phantom!" Ivy cooed. "On your bottom!" "Oh, for goodness' sake!" Gabriel put down his book and pointed a longer finger at Phantom. "Sit,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/sit-phantom-ivy-cooed-on-your-bottom-oh-for-goodness-sake-gabriel-put/) [Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/) > [As far back as she could remember, a phantom life had mocked her with its impenetrable “something else,” but now it was the opposite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/as-far-back-as-she-could-remember-a-phantom-life-had-mocked-her-with/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [I did a song, "Court and Spark," for a Joni Mitchell tribute album that's yet to see the light of day. So she's someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-sheik/i-did-a-song-court-and-spark-for-a-joni-mitchell-tribute-album-that-s/) [Duncan Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-sheik/) > [There are few of us who have not sometimes wakened before dawn, either after one of those dreamless nights that make one almost enamoured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-are-few-of-us-who-have-not-sometimes-wakened-before-dawn-either/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I know that whenever a group of women are gathered together, the grandmother always makes a phantom appearance, hovering above them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/i-know-that-whenever-a-group-of-women-are-gathered-together-the/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [Robert Duvall taught me years ago. He said, "You know theatre is not real. I don't like plays." You know, he doesn't like plays.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/robert-duvall-taught-me-years-ago-he-said-you-know-theatre-is-not/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [“Women's regular bleeding engenders phantoms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paracelsus/women-s-regular-bleeding-engenders-phantoms/) [Paracelsus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paracelsus/) ## More by N.K. Jemisin > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [You are Insignificant. One of millions, neither special nor unique. I did not ask for this ignominy, and I resent the comparison. Fine. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-are-insignificant-one-of-millions-neither-special-nor-unique-i/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“She feels closer than ever to her father in this moment of utter broken rage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/she-feels-closer-than-ever-to-her-father-in-this-moment-of-utter/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When a comm builds atop a fault line, do you blame its walls when they inevitably crush the people inside? No; you blame whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/when-a-comm-builds-atop-a-fault-line-do-you-blame-its-walls-when-they/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“I don’t know how I feel about a canon anymore ... The sheer volume of books that exist out there means that a canon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/i-don-t-know-how-i-feel-about-a-canon-anymore-the-sheer-volume-of/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ “\[...\] the kind of healer who knows that sometimes one must inflict terrible agony - rebreak a bone, carve off a limb, kill the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/the-kind-of-healer-who-knows-that-sometimes-one-must-inflict-terrible/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [So here is why I write what I do: We all have futures. We all have pasts. We all have stories. And we all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/so-here-is-why-i-write-what-i-do-we-all-have-futures-we-all-have/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“How can we prepare for the future if we won’t acknowledge the past?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/how-can-we-prepare-for-the-future-if-we-won-t-acknowledge-the-past/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“You waver, because you don’t really want to know … but you haven’t been a coward for some years now. So you steel yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-waver-because-you-don-t-really-want-to-know-but-you-haven-t-been/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“What can orogeny do against something like that? Keep her breathing, maybe. But breathing doesn't always mean living, and maybe... maybe genocide doesn't always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/what-can-orogeny-do-against-something-like-that-keep-her-breathing/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“What the rust do you matter? Who cares about you? Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Once, you did have people who cared about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/what-the-rust-do-you-matter-who-cares-about-you-well-that-s-the-thing/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“Let me say only that these vehicles float a few inches off the ground. No animals draw them. No steam or chemical fuels them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/let-me-say-only-that-these-vehicles-float-a-few-inches-off-the-ground/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [We can never be gods, after all--but we can become something less than human with frightening ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/we-can-never-be-gods-after-all-but-we-can-become-something-less-than/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“(This is not a digression.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/this-is-not-a-digression/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“He's not a parasite if she needs him, too, and if she gives what he will not take. (One day soon, she will learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/he-s-not-a-parasite-if-she-needs-him-too-and-if-she-gives-what-he/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) [Explore all 225 N.K. Jemisin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) ## More Phantoms quotes > [“Women's regular bleeding engenders phantoms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paracelsus/women-s-regular-bleeding-engenders-phantoms/) [Paracelsus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paracelsus/) > [Robert Duvall taught me years ago. He said, "You know theatre is not real. I don't like plays." You know, he doesn't like plays.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/robert-duvall-taught-me-years-ago-he-said-you-know-theatre-is-not/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [I know that whenever a group of women are gathered together, the grandmother always makes a phantom appearance, hovering above them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/i-know-that-whenever-a-group-of-women-are-gathered-together-the/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [There are few of us who have not sometimes wakened before dawn, either after one of those dreamless nights that make one almost enamoured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-are-few-of-us-who-have-not-sometimes-wakened-before-dawn-either/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I did a song, "Court and Spark," for a Joni Mitchell tribute album that's yet to see the light of day. So she's someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-sheik/i-did-a-song-court-and-spark-for-a-joni-mitchell-tribute-album-that-s/) [Duncan Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-sheik/) > [As far back as she could remember, a phantom life had mocked her with its impenetrable “something else,” but now it was the opposite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/as-far-back-as-she-could-remember-a-phantom-life-had-mocked-her-with/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [Sit, Phantom!" Ivy cooed. "On your bottom!" "Oh, for goodness' sake!" Gabriel put down his book and pointed a longer finger at Phantom. "Sit,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/sit-phantom-ivy-cooed-on-your-bottom-oh-for-goodness-sake-gabriel-put/) [Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/) > [“People do not put their faith in phantoms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/people-do-not-put-their-faith-in-phantoms/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [Truth is a necessary phantom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/truth-is-a-necessary-phantom/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [This too is a jihad. Yet we Americans find ourselves in the dangerous position of going to war not against a state but against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/this-too-is-a-jihad-yet-we-americans-find-ourselves-in-the-dangerous/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Now we must remark, that there are two parts in the Commandment-the first forbids the erection of a graven image, or any likeness; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/now-we-must-remark-that-there-are-two-parts-in-the-commandment-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [ By \[age\] 93, I had shrunk quite a lot. My car was known as the Phantom Cadillac. People would see it whizzing by and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/by-age-93-i-had-shrunk-quite-a-lot-my-car-was-known-as-the-phantom/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [There are those who would love each other if once they were to speak to each other; when they spoke they would discover their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hello/there-are-those-who-would-love-each-other-if-once-they-were-to-speak/) [Ernest Hello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hello/) > [Of all the phantoms fleeting in the mist Of time, though meagre all and ghostly thin; Most unsubstantial, unessential shade Was earthly fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pollok/of-all-the-phantoms-fleeting-in-the-mist-of-time-though-meagre-all/) [Robert Pollok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pollok/) > [Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/affleck-was-the-bomb-in-phantoms/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) [Browse all 305 Phantoms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday do back what was done to them—”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "N.K. 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