--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People often express surprise that I'm…" description: "\"People often express surprise that I'm not a psychopath. But it's not about what I want to do to other people, it's that I'm scared of what other peopl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/neil-cross-23838_about_people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-n_249810.png" --- # People often express surprise that I'm not a psychopath… ![“People often express surprise that I'm not a psychopath. But it's not about what I want to do to other people, it's that I'm scared of what other people might do to me.” quote by Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/neil-cross-23838_about_people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-n_249810.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/neil-cross-23838_about_people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-n_249810.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/neil-cross-23838_about_people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-n_249810.png) > “People often express surprise that I'm not a psychopath. But it's not about what I want to do to other people, it's that I'm scared of what other people might do to me.” [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He notes that people fear him not for his actions but for potential harm from others, highlighting mutual distrust. **In simple terms:** People fear others more than his actions. Key Takeaway Build trust, not fear. Themes trust fear social anxiety Mood cautious reflective Type psychological insight social commentary When to use this quote - online dating - neighborhood safety - workplace relations Key Concepts psychology interpersonal dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape your interactions? - What steps can reduce mutual suspicion? A Different Perspective Fear of others can become a self‑fulfilling prophecy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psychopath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopath/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) ## Related quotes > [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Education in British schools isn't good enough. It's not remotely imaginative enough. It lets down too many children, excluding them from society, and, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/education-in-british-schools-isn-t-good-enough-it-s-not-remotely/) [Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/) > [Everyone has some sort of kindness and good in them. Some are just scared to show it, for people might take advantage of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hqlinesme/everyone-has-some-sort-of-kindness-and-good-in-them-some-are-just/) HQLinesme > [People are scared. People are generally xenophobic - they're scared of what's different. If you're ignorant as well as scared, then you might end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/people-are-scared-people-are-generally-xenophobic-they-re-scared-of/) [Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/) > [“Scared people did scary things sometimes, even kids. Sam knew that from personal experience. Fear could be dangerous. Fear could get people hurt. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/scared-people-did-scary-things-sometimes-even-kids-sam-knew-that-from/) [Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/) > [I used to be scared of people thinking I was gay but now I'd be shocked if they didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-alexander/i-used-to-be-scared-of-people-thinking-i-was-gay-but-now-i-d-be/) [Olly Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-alexander/) > [I love music dats my world jux scared to show people what I can doo but 1 day I will an dat day will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dat-girl/i-love-music-dats-my-world-jux-scared-to-show-people-what-i-can-doo/) Dat Girl > [“Our true selves have scared people away. So we sometimes give them someone else to love unconditionally before introducing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/our-true-selves-have-scared-people-away-so-we-sometimes-give-them/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [I'd always been scared of people with tertiary education and high intellects in case they found me wanting. I thought they viewed me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/i-d-always-been-scared-of-people-with-tertiary-education-and-high/) [Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/) > [Don't be scared of what people will say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-mua/don-t-be-scared-of-what-people-will-say/) [Manny MUA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-mua/) > [What did exclusivity ever have to offer but a distorted, unrealistic view of the world? People who stuck only to their own kind were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-shihab-nye/what-did-exclusivity-ever-have-to-offer-but-a-distorted-unrealistic/) [Naomi Shihab Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-shihab-nye/) > [“When I was little, I was afraid of monsters. I mistook the silhouettes flitting to and fro in the midst of the bamboo trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinoko-nasu/when-i-was-little-i-was-afraid-of-monsters-i-mistook-the-silhouettes/) [Kinoko Nasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinoko-nasu/) > [“God, I'm scared,' he said, quietly. She almost said, 'Oh, stop. I hate scared people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/god-i-m-scared-he-said-quietly-she-almost-said-oh-stop-i-hate-scared/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“Scared people don’t really mean what they say, they’re just looking for ways to rationalize everything so they have someone or something to blame.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-dietzel/scared-people-don-t-really-mean-what-they-say-they-re-just-looking/) [Chris Dietzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-dietzel/) > [People love to get scared. People want to see the worst thing that can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-joel-osment/people-love-to-get-scared-people-want-to-see-the-worst-thing-that-can/) [Haley Joel Osment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-joel-osment/) ## More by Neil Cross > [I'd always read omnivorously and often thought much literary fiction is read by young men and women in their 20s as substitutes for experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/i-d-always-read-omnivorously-and-often-thought-much-literary-fiction/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [I don't want to repeat myself. I hate the idea of coasting and of recycling the same ideas. Then, you're just subject to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/i-don-t-want-to-repeat-myself-i-hate-the-idea-of-coasting-and-of/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [And by the right thing, I mean that whatever step we take next, the first criteria we should consider is the people who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/and-by-the-right-thing-i-mean-that-whatever-step-we-take-next-the/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [I am very interested in theology. In fact, my first degree was in theology, so it's something that interests me greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/i-am-very-interested-in-theology-in-fact-my-first-degree-was-in/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [“Okay then. That's what I'll do. I'll tell you a story. Can you hear them? All these people who lived in terror of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/okay-then-that-s-what-i-ll-do-i-ll-tell-you-a-story-can-you-hear-them/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [It's perceived as an accolade to be published as a 'literary' writer, but, actually, it's pompous and it's fake. Literary fiction is often nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/it-s-perceived-as-an-accolade-to-be-published-as-a-literary-writer/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [I don't get on with novelists, don't enjoy their company. Once you've worked for a publisher, you understand the species, see them in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/i-don-t-get-on-with-novelists-don-t-enjoy-their-company-once-you-ve/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [The thematic bucket of vomit that I've been chained to since I was about 9 is the moral complexity of anti-heroism. I have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/the-thematic-bucket-of-vomit-that-i-ve-been-chained-to-since-i-was/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [The Booker thing was a catalyst for me in a bizarre way. It’s perceived as an accolade to be published as a ‘literary’ writer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/the-booker-thing-was-a-catalyst-for-me-in-a-bizarre-way-it-s/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [I love to see heroes who fuel some kind of moral furnace inside them, who are driven to take on the evils of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/i-love-to-see-heroes-who-fuel-some-kind-of-moral-furnace-inside-them/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [The fictional character with whom I most profoundly identified was Yossarian in Catch-22. Always did, still do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/the-fictional-character-with-whom-i-most-profoundly-identified-was/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [Because this exact leaf had to grow in that exact way, in that exact place, so that precise wind could tear it from that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/because-this-exact-leaf-had-to-grow-in-that-exact-way-in-that-exact/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [Writing a novel is an intense and lonely business, but you have the reward at the end of a very direct dialogue between you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/writing-a-novel-is-an-intense-and-lonely-business-but-you-have-the/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > ['Luther' is absolutely a monster-of-the-week show. Although it's post-watershed and is rendered in intense graphic novel-style images, it's inspiration is not that different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/luther-is-absolutely-a-monster-of-the-week-show-although-it-s-post/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [“I have lived a long life, and I have seen a few things. I walked away from the Last Great Time War. I marked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/i-have-lived-a-long-life-and-i-have-seen-a-few-things-i-walked-away/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) [Explore all 25 Neil Cross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People often express surprise that I'm not a psychopath. But it's not about what I want to do to other people, it's that I'm scared of what other people might do to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Cross" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-not-a-psychopath-but-it-s-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-not-a-psychopath-but-it-s-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/neil-cross-23838_about_people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-n_249810.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/neil-cross-23838_about_people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-n_249810.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/neil-cross-23838_about_people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-n_249810.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People often express surprise that I'm not a psychopath. But it's not about what I want to do to other…” — Neil Cross", "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": "Neil Cross", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People often express surprise that I'm...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-not-a-psychopath-but-it-s-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/people-often-express-surprise-that-i-m-not-a-psychopath-but-it-s-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 } } ] } ```