---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let your curiosity be greater than your…"
description: "\"Let your curiosity be greater than your fear.\" — Pema Chodron"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pema-ch-dr-n-327_curiosity_let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your_562843.png"
---

#  Let your curiosity be greater than your fear.

![“Let your curiosity be greater than your fear.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pema-ch-dr-n-327_curiosity_let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your_562843.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pema-ch-dr-n-327_curiosity_let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your_562843.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pema-ch-dr-n-327_curiosity_let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your_562843.png)

> “Let your curiosity be greater than your fear.”

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Curiosity should drive actions more than fear, fostering learning and courage

**In simple terms:** Be curious, not fearful

Key Takeaway

Prioritize inquiry over dread

Themes

courage learning exploration

Mood

inspired thoughtful

Type

spiritual inspirational

When to use this quote

- New skill acquisition
- travel planning
- career change
- creative projects

Key Concepts

Buddhism mindfulness personal development

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance curiosity with safety?
- What fears limit your exploration?

A Different Perspective

Excessive curiosity without caution can be reckless

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

## Related quotes

> [As long as your curiosity is greater than your fear, you will move forward!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-long-as-your-curiosity-is-greater-than-your-fear-you-will-move/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [If we experienced life through the eyes of a child, everything would be magical and extraordinary. Let our curiosity, adventure and wonder of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akiane-kramarik/if-we-experienced-life-through-the-eyes-of-a-child-everything-would/)

[Akiane Kramarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akiane-kramarik/)

> [I can just let my curiosity wander unleashed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/i-can-just-let-my-curiosity-wander-unleashed/)

[James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/)

> [Fear is a negative thought in your mind. Supplant it with a constructive thought. Fear has killed millions. Confidence is greater than fear. Nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/fear-is-a-negative-thought-in-your-mind-supplant-it-with-a/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Free curiosity has greater power to stimulate learning than rigorous coercion. Nevertheless, the free ranging flux of curiosity is channeled by discipline under Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/free-curiosity-has-greater-power-to-stimulate-learning-than-rigorous/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't need glasses, but I've just reached the age where curiosity is greater than vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-skelton/i-don-t-need-glasses-but-i-ve-just-reached-the-age-where-curiosity-is/)

[Red Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-skelton/)

> [I believe that fear of life brings a greater fear of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/i-believe-that-fear-of-life-brings-a-greater-fear-of-death/)

[David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/)

> [... love and fear increase together with a precision almost mathematical: the greater the love is then the greater the fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-winslow-johnson/love-and-fear-increase-together-with-a-precision-almost-mathematical/)

[Josephine Winslow Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-winslow-johnson/)

> [Your courage to do what's right has to be greater than your fear of getting hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/your-courage-to-do-what-s-right-has-to-be-greater-than-your-fear-of/)

[Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/)

> [“Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's the choice that something else is greater than that fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theadore-roosevelt/courage-isn-t-the-absence-of-fear-it-s-the-choice-that-something-else/)

Theadore Roosevelt

> [“Maybe my greater fear should not be fear itself, but what I will lose should I submit to fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/maybe-my-greater-fear-should-not-be-fear-itself-but-what-i-will-lose/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [“It’s not the specter of aging that haunts me. Rather, it’s the far greater fear of having aged and having nothing to show for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-s-not-the-specter-of-aging-that-haunts-me-rather-it-s-the-far/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [“Many times, the thought of fear itself is greater than what it is we fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idowu-koyenikan/many-times-the-thought-of-fear-itself-is-greater-than-what-it-is-we/)

[Idowu Koyenikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idowu-koyenikan/)

> [“If your will to win is greater than fear of failure.. then only you will win.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrmn/if-your-will-to-win-is-greater-than-fear-of-failure-then-only-you/)

Vikrmn

> [To save the people from themselves it would take a greater fear than the earth has ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-manson/to-save-the-people-from-themselves-it-would-take-a-greater-fear-than/)

[Charles Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-manson/)

## More by Pema Chodron

> [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/)

[Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

[Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

## More Curiosity quotes

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [“Metal makes everything magical. Just ask a unicorn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/metal-makes-everything-magical-just-ask-a-unicorn/)

[Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/)

> [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/)

[John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/)

> [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Curiosity Can Kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anison/curiosity-can-kill/)

[Anison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anison/)

> [“So curious you must be. Like little calves poking their heads through the fence with big eyes and a headful of curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carew-papritz/so-curious-you-must-be-like-little-calves-poking-their-heads-through/)

[Carew Papritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carew-papritz/)

> [ “\[T\]he question "What is everything?" has no meaning, even though it seems to be profound. \[...\] The point is, perhaps, that I am not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/t-he-question-what-is-everything-has-no-meaning-even-though-it-seems/)

[Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/)

> [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [How do we know that we have a right to kill creatures that we are so little above, as dogs, for our curiosity or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/how-do-we-know-that-we-have-a-right-to-kill-creatures-that-we-are-so/)

[Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/)

> [Be curious not judge mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/be-curious-not-judge-mental/)

Unknow

> [There is nothing so carking as the pangs of unsatisfied curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/there-is-nothing-so-carking-as-the-pangs-of-unsatisfied-curiosity/)

[Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/)

> [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Sometimes curiosity is a poison, not only for those who drink it but for everyone around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-norman-lippert/sometimes-curiosity-is-a-poison-not-only-for-those-who-drink-it-but/)

[G. Norman Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-norman-lippert/)

> [As long as your curiosity is greater than your fear, you will move forward!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-long-as-your-curiosity-is-greater-than-your-fear-you-will-move/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it sure has earned a lot of people graduate degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-irving/curiosity-may-have-killed-the-cat-but-it-sure-has-earned-a-lot-of/)

Robyn Irving

[Browse all 2,721 Curiosity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Let your curiosity be greater than your fear.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pema Chodron"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your-fear/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Curiosity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your-fear/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pema-ch-dr-n-327_curiosity_let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your_562843.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pema-ch-dr-n-327_curiosity_let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your_562843.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/pema-ch-dr-n-327_curiosity_let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your_562843.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Let your curiosity be greater than your fear.” — Pema Chodron",
                "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": "Pema Chodron",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Let your curiosity be greater than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your-fear/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/let-your-curiosity-be-greater-than-your-fear/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```