--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here we are closer to something I am…" description: "\"“Here we are closer to something I am trying to understand: that openness to fear. We are hearts and stingers. We ride the tide. We believe in resistan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/nina-riggs-39958_fear_here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-try_321312.jpg" --- # Here we are closer to something I am trying to understand… ![“Here we are closer to something I am trying to understand: that openness to fear. We are hearts and stingers. We ride the tide. We believe in resistance; we are made both of fight and float.” quote by Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/nina-riggs-39958_fear_here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-try_321312.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/nina-riggs-39958_fear_here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-try_321312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/nina-riggs-39958_fear_here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-try_321312.jpg) > ““Here we are closer to something I am trying to understand: that openness to fear. We are hearts and stingers. We ride the tide. We believe in resistance; we are made both of fight and float.”” [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embracing fear leads to both struggle and fluidity; we are simultaneously fighters and dreamers. **In simple terms:** Facing fear creates both conflict and ease. Key Takeaway Balance courage with surrender. Themes fear resilience duality Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative workshops - team building exercises Key Concepts psychology spirituality self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - How can you harness fear for growth? - What does “fight and float” mean to you? A Different Perspective Fear can paralyze if not integrated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-resistance-1310365/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Openness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/openness/) [Openness Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/openness-fear-3027523/) [Understand Openness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-openness-3027524/) ## Related quotes > [It's a misconception to believe that the resistance ended with the civil rights movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-glover/it-s-a-misconception-to-believe-that-the-resistance-ended-with-the/) [Danny Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-glover/) > [“I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-believe-in-the-resistance-as-i-believe-there-can-be-no-light-2/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-believe-in-the-resistance-as-i-believe-there-can-be-no-light/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The secret of adventure, then, is not to carefully seek it out but to travel in such a way that it finds you. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-potts/the-secret-of-adventure-then-is-not-to-carefully-seek-it-out-but-to/) [Rolf Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-potts/) > [But the higher our standard of living, the higher our levels of education, the further people will look around. And we can see which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xin/but-the-higher-our-standard-of-living-the-higher-our-levels-of/) [Zhang Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-xin/) > [In Hollywood there's a great openness, almost a voracious appetite for new people. In England there's a great suspicion of the new. In cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/in-hollywood-there-s-a-great-openness-almost-a-voracious-appetite-for/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [“There is an important difference between openness and naïveté. Not everyone has good intentions nor means me well. I remind myself I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/there-is-an-important-difference-between-openness-and-na-vet-not/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [ There is something very special about this part of the world \[U.S\], which is the openness and the curiosity and the lack of prejudice… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/there-is-something-very-special-about-this-part-of-the-world-u-s/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [Jesus’ example of fidelity to prayer challenges us to examine the time and effort we devote to our own prayer. While prayer is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/jesus-example-of-fidelity-to-prayer-challenges-us-to-examine-the-time/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [I have a very open mind. I believe that there's a spirit world. I believe that there's a lot of stuff out there that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-head/i-have-a-very-open-mind-i-believe-that-there-s-a-spirit-world-i/) [Anthony Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-head/) > [The clashes of people and the clashes of cultures have assisted me in learning the openness you have to be a part of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kissey/the-clashes-of-people-and-the-clashes-of-cultures-have-assisted-me-in/) [Kissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kissey/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Out in the field I try not to hold expectations. I try to achieve an openness. The senses heighten so that I am totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-lazelle/out-in-the-field-i-try-not-to-hold-expectations-i-try-to-achieve-an/) [Keith Lazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-lazelle/) > [Lucasfilm has always had an openness to technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/lucasfilm-has-always-had-an-openness-to-technology/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) ## More by Nina Riggs > [“I want death to find me planting my cabbages, not concerned about it or—still less—my unfinished garden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/i-want-death-to-find-me-planting-my-cabbages-not-concerned-about-it/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“I am reminded of an image...that living with a terminal disease is like walking on a tightrope over an insanely scary abyss. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/i-am-reminded-of-an-image-that-living-with-a-terminal-disease-is-like/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“The drenched backyard full of runoff, and tiny, slimy, uncertain yard critters who had expected to remain buried in months of hard mud, peeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/the-drenched-backyard-full-of-runoff-and-tiny-slimy-uncertain-yard/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“So many heads held up by hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/so-many-heads-held-up-by-hands/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“She is far from a hole in my life. She is an enormous presence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/she-is-far-from-a-hole-in-my-life-she-is-an-enormous-presence/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“Sometimes I'm sad about everything; the way my grilled cheese sandwich tastes, how nice my socks feel, a song John is playing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/sometimes-i-m-sad-about-everything-the-way-my-grilled-cheese-sandwich/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth, that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/our-life-is-an-apprenticeship-to-the-truth-that-around-every-circle-3/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“My friends ask a new kind of question: How is today? I hope the pain is manageable today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/my-friends-ask-a-new-kind-of-question-how-is-today-i-hope-the-pain-is/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“Sometimes the most important thing is knowing when to quit. Sometimes being heroic is knowing when to say enough is enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-is-knowing-when-to-quit-sometimes/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) > [“For me, faith involves staring into the abyss, seeing that it is dark and full of the unknown—and being okay with that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/for-me-faith-involves-staring-into-the-abyss-seeing-that-it-is-dark/) [Nina Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) [Explore all 11 Nina Riggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Here we are closer to something I am trying to understand: that openness to fear. We are hearts and stingers. We ride the tide. We believe in resistance; we are made both of fight and float.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nina Riggs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-trying-to-understand-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-trying-to-understand-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/nina-riggs-39958_fear_here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-try_321312.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/nina-riggs-39958_fear_here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-try_321312.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/859/nina-riggs-39958_fear_here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-try_321312.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here we are closer to something I am trying to understand: that openness to fear. We are hearts and…” — Nina Riggs", "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": "Nina Riggs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-riggs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Here we are closer to something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-trying-to-understand-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-riggs/here-we-are-closer-to-something-i-am-trying-to-understand-that/#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 } } ] } ```