--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fear, born of the stern matron…" description: "\"Fear, born of the stern matron Responsibility, sits on one's shoulders like some heavy imp of darkness, and one is preoccupied and, possibly, cantanker..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/william-mcfee-20867_anxiety_fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibi_3084473.jpg" --- # Fear, born of the stern matron Responsibility, sits on… ![“Fear, born of the stern matron Responsibility, sits on one's shoulders like some heavy imp of darkness, and one is preoccupied and, possibly, cantankerous.” quote by William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/william-mcfee-20867_anxiety_fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibi_3084473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/william-mcfee-20867_anxiety_fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibi_3084473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/william-mcfee-20867_anxiety_fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibi_3084473.jpg) > “Fear, born of the stern matron Responsibility, sits on one's shoulders like some heavy imp of darkness, and one is preoccupied and, possibly, cantankerous.” [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Responsibility feels like a heavy, oppressive presence that can cause irritability and distraction. **In simple terms:** Heavy responsibility can weigh you down. Key Takeaway Balance duty with self‑care to avoid burnout. Themes responsibility stress mental health Mood thoughtful serious Type psychological motivational When to use this quote - workplace - family - personal goals - leadership Key Concepts burden imp anxiety Questions to Reflect On - How do you manage heavy responsibilities? - What helps you stay focused under pressure? A Different Perspective The metaphor may over‑dramatize normal pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [Fear, born of that stern matron, Responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/fear-born-of-that-stern-matron-responsibility/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [The violent have been victorious for most of history because they kindled the fear with which everyone is born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-zeldin/the-violent-have-been-victorious-for-most-of-history-because-they/) [Theodore Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-zeldin/) > [No one's life should be rooted in fear. We are born for wonder, for joy, for hope, for love, to marvel at the mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-s-life-should-be-rooted-in-fear-we-are-born-for-wonder-for-joy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fear is born from ignorance. We think that the other person is trying to take away something from us. But if we look deeply,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/fear-is-born-from-ignorance-we-think-that-the-other-person-is-trying/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [When desire dies, fear is born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/when-desire-dies-fear-is-born/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [I dont understand why most of us chose to play it safe all the time. Whether its travelling to a new place, or taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-abdullah-chowdhury/i-dont-understand-why-most-of-us-chose-to-play-it-safe-all-the-time/) Robin Abdullah Chowdhury > [Do not fear for me, for I was born only once and i shall die only once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-fear-for-me-for-i-was-born-only-once-and-i-shall-die-only-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But the ancient sages of India taught that fear was born of duality; when human beings realized that they were no longer part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/but-the-ancient-sages-of-india-taught-that-fear-was-born-of-duality/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Nobody is born without fear. We are all born into this world screaming and crying, a bloody mess. We're afraid of failing. What differentiates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/nobody-is-born-without-fear-we-are-all-born-into-this-world-screaming/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Fear is born of Satan, and if we would only take time to think a moment we would see that everything Satan says is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-simpson/fear-is-born-of-satan-and-if-we-would-only-take-time-to-think-a/) [A. B. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-simpson/) > [The first thing brought forth by the study of any religion, ancient or modern, is that it is based upon Fear, born of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/the-first-thing-brought-forth-by-the-study-of-any-religion-ancient-or/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Fear is born in uncertainty and nourished by pessimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-wyse/fear-is-born-in-uncertainty-and-nourished-by-pessimism/) [Lois Wyse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-wyse/) > [“Fear is not born in a vacuum. It is born as the slightest…insecurity in your heart is eaten away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/fear-is-not-born-in-a-vacuum-it-is-born-as-the-slightest-insecurity/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [The enemy of creativity... is fear. We're all born creative, it takes a little while to become afraid. A surprising insight: an enemy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-enemy-of-creativity-is-fear-we-re-all-born-creative-it-takes-a/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [... they know little of the passions who seek to argue with that most intractable of them all, the fear that is born of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-russell-mitford/they-know-little-of-the-passions-who-seek-to-argue-with-that-most/) [Mary Russell Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-russell-mitford/) ## More by William McFee > [Responsibility's like a string we can only see the middle of. Both ends are out of sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/responsibility-s-like-a-string-we-can-only-see-the-middle-of-both/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [Woman dwell always in the palace of unpalatable truth and never by any chance is there a magic talisman to save them from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/woman-dwell-always-in-the-palace-of-unpalatable-truth-and-never-by/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [There is far too much talk of love and grief benumbing the faculties, turning the hair gray, and destroying a man's interest in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/there-is-far-too-much-talk-of-love-and-grief-benumbing-the-faculties/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [It is so much easier to tell intimate things in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/it-is-so-much-easier-to-tell-intimate-things-in-the-dark/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [People don't ever seem to realize that doing what's right, writes no guarantee against misfortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/people-don-t-ever-seem-to-realize-that-doing-what-s-right-writes-no/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [“People don't seem to realize that doing what's right is no guarantee against misfortune.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/people-don-t-seem-to-realize-that-doing-what-s-right-is-no-guarantee/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [An Englishman never takes his collar off when he is writing. 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Life comes bursting in all around lis too suddenly, too crudely, too cruelly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/the-artist-in-his-teens-who-is-happy-is-a-charlatan-life-comes/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [Wives invariably flourish when deserted; ... it is the deserting male, the reckless idealist rushing about the world seeking a non-existent felicity, who often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/wives-invariably-flourish-when-deserted-it-is-the-deserting-male-the/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) [Explore all 30 William McFee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“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 > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. 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If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fear, born of the stern matron Responsibility, sits on one's shoulders like some heavy imp of darkness, and one is preoccupied and, possibly, cantankerous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William McFee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibility-sits-on-one-s-shoulders/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anxiety" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibility-sits-on-one-s-shoulders/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/william-mcfee-20867_anxiety_fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibi_3084473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/william-mcfee-20867_anxiety_fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibi_3084473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/william-mcfee-20867_anxiety_fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibi_3084473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Fear, born of the stern matron Responsibility, sits on one's shoulders like some heavy imp of darkness, and…” — William McFee", "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": "William McFee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Fear, born of the stern matron...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibility-sits-on-one-s-shoulders/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/fear-born-of-the-stern-matron-responsibility-sits-on-one-s-shoulders/#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 } } ] } ```