--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can live in fear, or not." description: "\"“We can live in fear, or not.”\" — Nathan Lowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/nathan-lowell-27268_fear_we-can-live-in-fear-or-not-2713795_2713795.jpg" --- # We can live in fear, or not. ![“We can live in fear, or not.” quote by Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/nathan-lowell-27268_fear_we-can-live-in-fear-or-not-2713795_2713795.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/nathan-lowell-27268_fear_we-can-live-in-fear-or-not-2713795_2713795.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/nathan-lowell-27268_fear_we-can-live-in-fear-or-not-2713795_2713795.jpg) > ““We can live in fear, or not.”” [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One can choose to live under fear’s grip or reject it, shaping one’s experience. **In simple terms:** Choose courage over fear. Key Takeaway Reject fear’s control. Themes psychology choice freedom Mood introspective motivational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - personal decision‑making - mental health coping - risk assessment Key Concepts fear agency Questions to Reflect On - What fears limit you? - How can you practice choosing differently? A Different Perspective Fear can be deeply ingrained. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ## Related quotes > [No one should have to live in fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-fortenberry/no-one-should-have-to-live-in-fear/) [Jeff Fortenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-fortenberry/) > [Happy Monday! Live without fear! Face your fears and see them as an OPPORTUNITY for strength and growth. 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You can't live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-goetz/you-can-t-let-yourself-be-pushed-around-you-can-t-live-in-fear-i-mean/) [Bernhard Goetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-goetz/) > [We live in fear when we've forgotten how to act from a place of love. 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I want to be an example for them and I don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/for-me-having-kids-now-it-s-important-to-live-my-truth-i-want-to-be/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [Don't let people who live in fear and hate govern how you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-etheridge/don-t-let-people-who-live-in-fear-and-hate-govern-how-you-live/) [Melissa Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-etheridge/) > [On some level we trade passion for security, that's trading one illusion for another. It's a matter of degree. We can't live in constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/on-some-level-we-trade-passion-for-security-that-s-trading-one/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Fear is a human instinct, just like hunger. Whether you like it or not, you become hungry. Similarly with fear. But I have learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/fear-is-a-human-instinct-just-like-hunger-whether-you-like-it-or-not/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) ## More by Nathan Lowell > [My books are offered through Podiobooks.com and the iTunes Music Store as free audio downloads. I don't sell them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/my-books-are-offered-through-podiobooks-com-and-the-itunes-music/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Stop aspiring. Start doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/stop-aspiring-start-doing/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I credit Podiobooks and the free audio podcasts for helping me develop the audience I needed when I started selling my books in text…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-credit-podiobooks-and-the-free-audio-podcasts-for-helping-me/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Podiobooks rules. It's still the best way I know to find an audience for longer works in any genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/podiobooks-rules-it-s-still-the-best-way-i-know-to-find-an-audience/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [specialize in small cast/single reader long fiction so I only compete against other podcasts of novels in that form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/specialize-in-small-cast-single-reader-long-fiction-so-i-only-compete/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [More and more of my audio fans are asking for audiobook versions - files without the intro/outro/etc that go into the podcasts. More and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/more-and-more-of-my-audio-fans-are-asking-for-audiobook-versions/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Ignore the trade-pub narratives about how little success indies enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/ignore-the-trade-pub-narratives-about-how-little-success-indies-enjoy/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [My works are a direct response to the typical space opera. I grew tired of always reading about how the people with power, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/my-works-are-a-direct-response-to-the-typical-space-opera-i-grew/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“the shadow from my body creating a window in the reflection, a hole in the room where an empty man stood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/the-shadow-from-my-body-creating-a-window-in-the-reflection-a-hole-in/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I can write three novels in the time it takes to write one novella. I'm probably not going to go with that form again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-can-write-three-novels-in-the-time-it-takes-to-write-one-novella-i/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“I really felt like it was coming together and I regretted that feeling with every step. If experience taught me anything, it was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-really-felt-like-it-was-coming-together-and-i-regretted-that/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I only read on my phone and the whole "let's see if we can get people to do it" idea seems less "wouldn't it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-only-read-on-my-phone-and-the-whole-let-s-see-if-we-can-get-people/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“I call on the Guardian of the South to bless her with the fire of life, to keep her passion alive even as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-call-on-the-guardian-of-the-south-to-bless-her-with-the-fire-of/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Coffee takes on an almost ritualistic meaning. I learned that from being on hurricane patrol for a year in the North Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/coffee-takes-on-an-almost-ritualistic-meaning-i-learned-that-from/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“Sometimes you needed to be an outsider to really appreciate how things worked. Otherwise you took it for granted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/sometimes-you-needed-to-be-an-outsider-to-really-appreciate-how/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) [Explore all 20 Nathan Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) ## 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 live in fear, or not.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathan Lowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/we-can-live-in-fear-or-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/we-can-live-in-fear-or-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/nathan-lowell-27268_fear_we-can-live-in-fear-or-not-2713795_2713795.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/nathan-lowell-27268_fear_we-can-live-in-fear-or-not-2713795_2713795.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88c/nathan-lowell-27268_fear_we-can-live-in-fear-or-not-2713795_2713795.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can live in fear, or not.” — Nathan Lowell", "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": "Nathan Lowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We can live in fear, or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/we-can-live-in-fear-or-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/we-can-live-in-fear-or-not/#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 } } ] } ```