--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are always prepared to defend…" description: "\"“We are always prepared to defend ourselves, because we all live with the fear and paranoia that other people don't like us.”\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/paulo-coelho-10_fear_we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselv_3115381.jpg" --- # We are always prepared to defend ourselves, because we all… ![“We are always prepared to defend ourselves, because we all live with the fear and paranoia that other people don't like us.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/paulo-coelho-10_fear_we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselv_3115381.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/paulo-coelho-10_fear_we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselv_3115381.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/paulo-coelho-10_fear_we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselv_3115381.jpg) > ““We are always prepared to defend ourselves, because we all live with the fear and paranoia that other people don't like us.”” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It expresses that people constantly feel the need to defend themselves due to fear of rejection, highlighting pervasive insecurity. **In simple terms:** Fear of rejection drives defensive behavior. Key Takeaway Address underlying insecurity to reduce defensiveness. Themes fear defensiveness insecurity Mood anxious reflective Type psychological social When to use this quote - interpersonal relationships - workplace dynamics - online interactions Key Concepts social psychology self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your defensive reactions? - How can you foster acceptance of others? A Different Perspective Not everyone feels this level of paranoia; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Paranoia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoia/) ## Related quotes > [Working under the Soviet system made you very paranoid - people were afraid of everything - and this paranoia is still in people's minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaak-kilmi/working-under-the-soviet-system-made-you-very-paranoid-people-were/) [Jaak Kilmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaak-kilmi/) > [A good leader shares information, even if they don't know the whole story. Without any information, people create their own, which causes fear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/a-good-leader-shares-information-even-if-they-don-t-know-the-whole/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [Your hatred is rooted in your fear, and your paranoia and insecurities, well they don't belong here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/your-hatred-is-rooted-in-your-fear-and-your-paranoia-and-insecurities/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [For paranoia about 'what other people think' : remember that only some hate, a very few love - and almost all just don't care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/for-paranoia-about-what-other-people-think-remember-that-only-some/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [We live in a world dominated by fear and paranoia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wilson/we-live-in-a-world-dominated-by-fear-and-paranoia/) [Steven Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wilson/) > [“I tend to interpret that whole 'everyone's wife is a Mossad agent' thing in a more sort of metaphorical way--that people you're intimate with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/i-tend-to-interpret-that-whole-everyone-s-wife-is-a-mossad-agent/) [Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/) > [We have to make sure that we are a force for peace and stability in the world, and that we're prepared to defend freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thad-cochran/we-have-to-make-sure-that-we-are-a-force-for-peace-and-stability-in/) [Thad Cochran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thad-cochran/) > [“Although trained and prepared, I have not used a gun on anyone and actually do NOT have any desire to use a gun on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/col-ben-findley/although-trained-and-prepared-i-have-not-used-a-gun-on-anyone-and/) [Col Ben Findley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/col-ben-findley/) > [We need to be as well prepared to defend ourselves against public health dangers as we should be to defend ourselves against any foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-need-to-be-as-well-prepared-to-defend-ourselves-against-public/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Great way to fight a war - be prepared to defend yourself for winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/great-way-to-fight-a-war-be-prepared-to-defend-yourself-for-winning/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [When I was a child, my father taught me to put up my fists like a boy and to be prepared to defend myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/when-i-was-a-child-my-father-taught-me-to-put-up-my-fists-like-a-boy/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [We surrounded ourselves with smoke and loud noise. That's the way we chose to live. I'm prepared to defend it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-surrounded-ourselves-with-smoke-and-loud-noise-that-s-the-way-we/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [The law does not expect a man to be prepared to defend every act of his life which may be suddenly and without notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marshall/the-law-does-not-expect-a-man-to-be-prepared-to-defend-every-act-of/) [John Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marshall/) > [You are far less likely to soil your pants and cry for your mother if you’re prepared to defend yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/you-are-far-less-likely-to-soil-your-pants-and-cry-for-your-mother-if/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I also learned that a person was not necessarily bad just because you did not agree with him, and that if you believed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-also-learned-that-a-person-was-not-necessarily-bad-just-because-you/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## 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 are always prepared to defend ourselves, because we all live with the fear and paranoia that other people don't like us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselves-because-we-all-live-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselves-because-we-all-live-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/paulo-coelho-10_fear_we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselv_3115381.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/paulo-coelho-10_fear_we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselv_3115381.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f2/paulo-coelho-10_fear_we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselv_3115381.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are always prepared to defend ourselves, because we all live with the fear and paranoia that other people…” — Paulo Coelho", "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": "Paulo Coelho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We are always prepared to defend...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselves-because-we-all-live-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-always-prepared-to-defend-ourselves-because-we-all-live-with/#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 } } ] } ```