--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What each man feared would happen to…" description: "\"What each man feared would happen to himself, did not trouble him when he saw that it would ruin another.\" — Virgil" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/virgil-1205_fear_what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-him_464620.jpg" --- # What each man feared would happen to himself, did not… ![“What each man feared would happen to himself, did not trouble him when he saw that it would ruin another.” quote by Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/virgil-1205_fear_what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-him_464620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/virgil-1205_fear_what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-him_464620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/virgil-1205_fear_what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-him_464620.jpg) > “What each man feared would happen to himself, did not trouble him when he saw that it would ruin another.” [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑interest blinds one to personal harm while causing damage to others. **In simple terms:** Selfishness harms both self and others. Key Takeaway Consider broader impact of actions. Themes ethics selfishness consequences empathy human nature Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal decisions - leadership choices - policy making - interpersonal conflicts Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What drives selfish behavior? - How can empathy be cultivated? A Different Perspective Self‑interest can be rationalized, making change hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fears/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Ruin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruin/) ## Related quotes > [“The wise ones called council. We cannot remain passive. The whites must be driven out. Now is the right time, while they are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/the-wise-ones-called-council-we-cannot-remain-passive-the-whites-must-2/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [Now, all that I feared would happen has happened. We are at war all over the world, and we are unprepared for it from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/now-all-that-i-feared-would-happen-has-happened-we-are-at-war-all/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [“A man feared that he might find an assassin; Another that he might find a victim. One was more wise than the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/a-man-feared-that-he-might-find-an-assassin-another-that-he-might/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [The silence of a treacherous man is to be feared even more than his words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greek-proverb/the-silence-of-a-treacherous-man-is-to-be-feared-even-more-than-his/) Greek Proverb > [A MAN FEARED A man feared that he might find an assassin; Another that he might find a victim. One was more wise than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/a-man-feared-a-man-feared-that-he-might-find-an-assassin-another-that/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [Is it him?” Dad asked. “Did he get you into trouble?” “Not me,” Shane said. “I’ve just got that kind of face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/is-it-him-dad-asked-did-he-get-you-into-trouble-not-me-shane-said-i/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [Real relationships - the kind that were supposed to last but never did - were more trouble than they were worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-conrad/real-relationships-the-kind-that-were-supposed-to-last-but-never-did/) [Lauren Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-conrad/) > [If you no longer have any income, you will not be neglected-you will not starve to death. . . . 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He was flailing and terrified and utterly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-c-rosenberg-2/in-that-instant-gogolov-feared-death-he-could-feel-himself-falling/) Joel C Rosenberg > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? 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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": "What each man feared would happen to himself, did not trouble him when he saw that it would ruin another.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Virgil" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-himself-did-not-trouble-him-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-himself-did-not-trouble-him-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/virgil-1205_fear_what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-him_464620.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/virgil-1205_fear_what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-him_464620.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/virgil-1205_fear_what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-him_464620.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What each man feared would happen to himself, did not trouble him when he saw that it would ruin another.” — Virgil", "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": "Virgil", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What each man feared would happen...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-himself-did-not-trouble-him-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/what-each-man-feared-would-happen-to-himself-did-not-trouble-him-when/#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 } } ] } ```