--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, monsters are scared,\" said Lettie…" description: "\"Oh, monsters are scared,\" said Lettie. \"That's why they're monsters.\" — Neil Gaiman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/neil-gaiman-29_monster_oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that_710299.jpg" --- # Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're… ![“Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're monsters.” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/neil-gaiman-29_monster_oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that_710299.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/neil-gaiman-29_monster_oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that_710299.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/neil-gaiman-29_monster_oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that_710299.jpg) > “Oh, monsters are scared," said Lettie. "That's why they're monsters.” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Monsters are defined by the fear they inspire, not by any inherent quality. **In simple terms:** Fear makes monsters. Key Takeaway Recognize fear as a label, not a truth. Themes identity fear perception Mood uneasy reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - storytelling - self‑esteem - overcoming anxiety Key Concepts psychology labeling projection Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape your view of others? - Can you see beyond the label? A Different Perspective Monsters can be misunderstood, not just frightening. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lettie Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lettie-monsters-5603509/) [Monster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Monsters Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters-scared-1885396/) [Oh Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oh-monsters-2438442/) [Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared/) ## Related quotes > [Oh, monsters are scared. That's why they're monsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/oh-monsters-are-scared-that-s-why-they-re-monsters/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“All monsters are scared. That's why they're monsters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/all-monsters-are-scared-that-s-why-they-re-monsters/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Nobody looks like what they really are on the inside. You don’t. I don’t. People are much more complicated than that. It’s true of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/nobody-looks-like-what-they-really-are-on-the-inside-you-don-t-i-don-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Oh, monsters are scared', said Lettie. 'And as for grown-ups...' She stopped talking, rubbed her freckled nose with a finger. Then, 'I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-and-as-for-grown-ups-she-stopped/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“It occurred to her one night that she was one of the vengeful monsters they were scared of: She had killed a white boy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/it-occurred-to-her-one-night-that-she-was-one-of-the-vengeful/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“I wanted to shout down to him, to warn him that he was giving flowers to a monster, but I did not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-wanted-to-shout-down-to-him-to-warn-him-that-he-was-giving-flowers/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [My favorite novel in the world is Frankenstein. I'm going to misquote it horribly, but the monster says, "I have such love in me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/my-favorite-novel-in-the-world-is-frankenstein-i-m-going-to-misquote/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [“Monsters don’t exist. 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Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. 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It's a supernatural thriller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-wood/it-s-not-a-monster-movie-it-s-a-supernatural-thriller/) [Ed Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-wood/) > [“When you’re a monster, she thought, you are thanked and praised for not behaving like a monster. She would like to restrain from cruelty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/when-you-re-a-monster-she-thought-you-are-thanked-and-praised-for-not/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/in-this-business-until-you-re-known-as-a-monster-you-re-not-a-star/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [“Some days I’m more girl than monster. Some days I wonder what the monster has done with the girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-kory/some-days-i-m-more-girl-than-monster-some-days-i-wonder-what-the/) [Kristin Kory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-kory/) > [I bought these pink sticker things... and I would write things on them, and I wrote, 'I will write an international smash,' and shortly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-rexha/i-bought-these-pink-sticker-things-and-i-would-write-things-on-them/) [Bebe Rexha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-rexha/) > [“ But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? the monster said, bending down so it's face was close to Conor's. Who is to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/but-what-is-a-dream-conor-o-malley-the-monster-said-bending-down-so/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [The monster London laugh at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cowley/the-monster-london-laugh-at-me/) [Abraham Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cowley/) > [“Stomach full of jitters, little beasts that were second cousins to guacamolians—little green monsters that wreaked havoc in your stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kely-mcclung/stomach-full-of-jitters-little-beasts-that-were-second-cousins-to/) [William Kely McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kely-mcclung/) > [“Life would be perfect if monster would stop farting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chuka/life-would-be-perfect-if-monster-would-stop-farting/) [David Chuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chuka/) > [“There are many types of monsters that scare me: Monsters who cause trouble without showing themselves, monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lawliet/there-are-many-types-of-monsters-that-scare-me-monsters-who-cause/) [L Lawliet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lawliet/) [Browse all 1,025 Monster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Oh, monsters are scared,\" said Lettie. \"That's why they're monsters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that-s-why-they-re-monsters/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Monster" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that-s-why-they-re-monsters/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/neil-gaiman-29_monster_oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that_710299.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/neil-gaiman-29_monster_oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that_710299.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/neil-gaiman-29_monster_oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that_710299.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oh, monsters are scared,\" said Lettie. \"That's why they're monsters.” — Neil Gaiman", "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 Gaiman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Oh, monsters are scared,\" said Lettie....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that-s-why-they-re-monsters/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/oh-monsters-are-scared-said-lettie-that-s-why-they-re-monsters/#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 } } ] } ```