--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is how a man looks when he's…" description: "\"This is how a man looks when he's deciding that the risk of death is better than the risk of change.\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/stephen-king-13_change_this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-decidi_773065.jpg" --- # This is how a man looks when he's deciding that the risk… ![“This is how a man looks when he's deciding that the risk of death is better than the risk of change.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/stephen-king-13_change_this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-decidi_773065.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/stephen-king-13_change_this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-decidi_773065.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/stephen-king-13_change_this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-decidi_773065.jpg) > “This is how a man looks when he's deciding that the risk of death is better than the risk of change.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person chooses the certainty of death over the uncertainty of change, implying fear of transformation outweighs fear of mortality. **In simple terms:** Choosing death can feel safer than embracing change. Key Takeaway Confront fear of change directly. Themes risk death change Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career transition - personal reinvention - health decisions Key Concepts existential choice psychology of fear Questions to Reflect On - What change are you avoiding? - How does fear shape your choices? A Different Perspective Change can be managed with incremental steps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) ## Related quotes > [“Better to risk helping someone than regret what you could have done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/better-to-risk-helping-someone-than-regret-what-you-could-have-done/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [It's better to take the risk of standing up for yourself than wait for someone when you know that no one is coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xxemokinwannabexx/it-s-better-to-take-the-risk-of-standing-up-for-yourself-than-wait/) [XxEmoKinWannabexx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xxemokinwannabexx/) > [CEOs are no different than the guy in the mailroom. They all have to learn how to manage better the risk created by our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-schiff/ceos-are-no-different-than-the-guy-in-the-mailroom-they-all-have-to/) [Lewis Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-schiff/) > [It's Better To Risk Everything, Than To Hold On To Nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mzati-zapita/it-s-better-to-risk-everything-than-to-hold-on-to-nothing/) [Mzati Zapita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mzati-zapita/) > [Better to take a risk, than miss a moment...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/better-to-take-a-risk-than-miss-a-moment/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Anyone smart enough to accomplish what they have should know better than to risk everything by talking to the vultures in the media.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/anyone-smart-enough-to-accomplish-what-they-have-should-know-better/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [Sometimes it's better to risk everything than to hold onto anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anmol-andore/sometimes-it-s-better-to-risk-everything-than-to-hold-onto-anything/) [Anmol Andore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anmol-andore/) > [Indeed, better risk management may be the only truly necessary element of success in banking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/indeed-better-risk-management-may-be-the-only-truly-necessary-element/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [To try to write better than you do now is to risk rejection and failure. But not to risk those things in an insult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louanne-johnson/to-try-to-write-better-than-you-do-now-is-to-risk-rejection-and/) [LouAnne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louanne-johnson/) > [“better to risk the time faults.” “No,” Issie shook her head. “It’s not…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-gregg/better-to-risk-the-time-faults-no-issie-shook-her-head-it-s-not/) [Stacy Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-gregg/) > [Is better to risk everything than hold on to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juniorjk/is-better-to-risk-everything-than-hold-on-to-nothing/) Juniorjk > [After I lost my fiance, it seemed like it would be better to always be alone than to risk being hurt again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-grace/after-i-lost-my-fiance-it-seemed-like-it-would-be-better-to-always-be/) [Nancy Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-grace/) > [“It is better to risk your plans rather your whole life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/it-is-better-to-risk-your-plans-rather-your-whole-life/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Who's to say that my light is better than your darkness? Who's to say death is better than your darkness? Who am I to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/who-s-to-say-that-my-light-is-better-than-your-darkness-who-s-to-say/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [I'm waiting for death for better hell than studying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amarjayan/i-m-waiting-for-death-for-better-hell-than-studying/) Amarjayan ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is how a man looks when he's deciding that the risk of death is better than the risk of change.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-deciding-that-the-risk-of-death-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-deciding-that-the-risk-of-death-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/stephen-king-13_change_this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-decidi_773065.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/stephen-king-13_change_this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-decidi_773065.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/stephen-king-13_change_this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-decidi_773065.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is how a man looks when he's deciding that the risk of death is better than the risk of change.” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This is how a man looks...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-deciding-that-the-risk-of-death-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-is-how-a-man-looks-when-he-s-deciding-that-the-risk-of-death-is/#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 } } ] } ```