--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peasants were worried about the future…" description: "\"“Peasants were worried about the future not just because they had more cause for worry, but also because they could do something about it.”\" — Yuval No..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/yuval-noah-harari-100_fear_peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-n_316417.jpg" --- # Peasants were worried about the future not just because… ![“Peasants were worried about the future not just because they had more cause for worry, but also because they could do something about it.” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/yuval-noah-harari-100_fear_peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-n_316417.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/yuval-noah-harari-100_fear_peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-n_316417.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/yuval-noah-harari-100_fear_peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-n_316417.jpg) > ““Peasants were worried about the future not just because they had more cause for worry, but also because they could do something about it.”” [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Peasants worry about the future because they have cause and also because they can act, highlighting agency in anxiety. **In simple terms:** Future worries arise from both threats and the ability to influence them. Key Takeaway Empower action to reduce anxiety about the future. Themes future agency anxiety social change Mood thoughtful optimistic Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - community organizing - policy advocacy - education programs - grassroots movements Key Concepts psychology history political theory Questions to Reflect On - How does perceived agency affect collective worry? - What actions best transform concern into empowerment? A Different Perspective Action without resources can feel futile. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Peasants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peasants/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Worried About The Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worried-about-the-future/) ## Related quotes > [Don’t let your thoughts run away with you, don’t start planning to bail out because you’re worried about the future and how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-luttrell/don-t-let-your-thoughts-run-away-with-you-don-t-start-planning-to/) [Marcus Luttrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-luttrell/) > [I have never been worried about the future. I will always be able to drive my own feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-bedi/i-have-never-been-worried-about-the-future-i-will-always-be-able-to/) [Kabir Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-bedi/) > [“I leaned back into my chair, folded my arms together and made like I was pondering. ‘I understand. You’re worried about the future.’ ‘Damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-polansky/i-leaned-back-into-my-chair-folded-my-arms-together-and-made-like-i/) [Daniel Polansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-polansky/) > [I know that many Danes are worried about the future. Worried about jobs, about open borders. About whether we can find a balance in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mette-frederiksen/i-know-that-many-danes-are-worried-about-the-future-worried-about/) [Mette Frederiksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mette-frederiksen/) > [“I'm not worried about the future as much as I'm worried about the past. About keeping my memories real and not sacrificing them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-trope/i-m-not-worried-about-the-future-as-much-as-i-m-worried-about-the/) [Zoe Trope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-trope/) > [It is increasingly hard for young white people to find jobs, and I can understand why white parents are worried about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/it-is-increasingly-hard-for-young-white-people-to-find-jobs-and-i-can/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [I'm very worried about the future for women in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciana-berger/i-m-very-worried-about-the-future-for-women-in-politics/) [Luciana Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciana-berger/) > [If we are worried about the future, then we must look today at the upbringing of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/if-we-are-worried-about-the-future-then-we-must-look-today-at-the/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [I'm worried about the future of America insofar as our academically most promising students are being funneled through the cookie-cutter Ivy League and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-m-worried-about-the-future-of-america-insofar-as-our-academically/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Im not worried about the future I believe in god..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moe-sabra/im-not-worried-about-the-future-i-believe-in-god/) Moe Sabra > [I have been worried about the future of Mumbai. It is the financial capital, an economic powerhouse that earlier had the highest air traffic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/i-have-been-worried-about-the-future-of-mumbai-it-is-the-financial/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [If the mind is allowed to be sadly engaged in the past or to be unduly worried about the future, this mental weight would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-benziger/if-the-mind-is-allowed-to-be-sadly-engaged-in-the-past-or-to-be/) [Joseph Benziger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-benziger/) > [“This is real. This is what's important to me now. I'm not worried about the future, whatever it brings. I have all I need,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/this-is-real-this-is-what-s-important-to-me-now-i-m-not-worried-about/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [“Don’t be worried about the future. Live this moment so totally that the next moment comes out of it golden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagwan-shree-rajneesh/don-t-be-worried-about-the-future-live-this-moment-so-totally-that/) [Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagwan-shree-rajneesh/) > [Life can change in an instant; don't be so worried about the future that you forget to celebrate what you have right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/life-can-change-in-an-instant-don-t-be-so-worried-about-the-future/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Yuval Noah Harari > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-main-source-of-wealth-is-knowledge-and-whereas-you-can/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-do-you-cause-people-to-believe-in-an-imagined-order-such-as/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I think the basic thing that happened is we have lost our story. Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/i-think-the-basic-thing-that-happened-is-we-have-lost-our-story/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food. The advent of cooking enabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-chimpanzees-spend-five-hours-a-day-chewing-raw-food-a-single/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“the Chinese air-purification market is booming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-chinese-air-purification-market-is-booming/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas liberalism merged with the milder versions of nationalism to protect the unique experiences of each human community, evolutionary humanists such as Hitler identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-liberalism-merged-with-the-milder-versions-of-nationalism-to/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Corporations, money and nations exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us; why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/corporations-money-and-nations-exist-only-in-our-imagination-we/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Small children in affluent societies often dislike showering, and it takes them years of education and parental discipline to adopt this supposedly attractive custom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/small-children-in-affluent-societies-often-dislike-showering-and-it/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Ever more scholars see cultures as a kind of mental infection or parasite, with humans as its unwitting host. Organic parasites, such as viruses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/ever-more-scholars-see-cultures-as-a-kind-of-mental-infection-or/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas religion asks us to believe in something, money asks us to believe that other people believe in something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-religion-asks-us-to-believe-in-something-money-asks-us-to/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot budge even a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/terrorists-are-like-a-fly-that-tries-to-destroy-a-china-shop-the-fly/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Yet what happens if the greedy shoemaker increases his profits by paying employees less and increasing their work hours? The standard answer is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-what-happens-if-the-greedy-shoemaker-increases-his-profits-by/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“A natural order is a stable order. There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-natural-order-is-a-stable-order-there-is-no-chance-that-gravity/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) [Explore all 1,200 Yuval Noah Harari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## 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": "“Peasants were worried about the future not just because they had more cause for worry, but also because they could do something about it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yuval Noah Harari" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-not-just-because-they-had-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-not-just-because-they-had-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/yuval-noah-harari-100_fear_peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-n_316417.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/yuval-noah-harari-100_fear_peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-n_316417.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/yuval-noah-harari-100_fear_peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-n_316417.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Peasants were worried about the future not just because they had more cause for worry, but also because they…” — Yuval Noah Harari", "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": "Yuval Noah Harari", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Peasants were worried about the future...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-not-just-because-they-had-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/peasants-were-worried-about-the-future-not-just-because-they-had-more/#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 } } ] } ```