Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
It's alright to feel fear, but sometimes a very bad idea to show it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Acknowledging fear is natural, but displaying it can lead to negative consequences.
This quote by Stephen King highlights the duality of fear—it is a human emotion that everyone experiences, but letting it be visible can undermine one's strength or authority. In many situations, especially those requiring leadership or courage, it is often wiser to manage one's fear internally while maintaining a facade of confidence to navigate challenges successfully.
Themes
FearCourageStrengthLeadershipConfidence
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to encourage employees to face challenges head-on, a leader might say this quote.
More from Stephen King
All quotes →Eddie discovered one of his childhood's great truths. Grownups are the real monsters, he thought.
Stephen KingRead
Hairstyles change, and skirt lengths, and slang, but high school administrations? Never.
Stephen KingRead
Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.
Stephen KingRead
That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
Stephen KingRead
Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
Stephen KingRead
Similar quotes
It's not the violence of the few that scares me, it's the silence of the many
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
People that fel alone or outcast that hurt, kids that feel bullied or lost, remember that you have a voice and you should use that voice to survive and persevere.
Christina AguileraRead
All my life I believed I became an athlete through my own determination, but it's impossible to think that being descended from slaves hasn't left an imprint through the generations.
Michael JohnsonRead
Jump off. You are a protected individual. Do not fear.
Henry MillerRead
Those who criticize, they desire our blood not our pain. But still I must achieve I must seek truth in all things. I must endure for the power I was sent forth, for the world for the children. But have mercy, for I've been bleeding a long time now.
Michael JacksonRead
People with a mental illness aren't mentally weak. In fact, many of them are incredibly strong. And just like everyone else, they possess the ability to create positive change in their lives.
Amy MorinRead