Fear is something everyone experiences, but it doesn’t have to control your life.
These overcoming fear quotes remind us that courage isn’t about eliminating fear, but taking action in spite of it.
Drawn from philosophers, leaders, and modern thinkers, each quote offers a clear reminder that growth begins when fear no longer leads the way.
Overcoming Fear Quotes
• “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.” — Japanese Proverb
• “Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” — Jack Canfield
• “Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” — Joseph Campbell
• “He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.” — Winston S. Churchill
• “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out.” — Karl A. Menninger
• “Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.” — Shirley MacLaine
• “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” — Marie Curie
• “The fears we don’t face become our limits.” — Robin Sharma
• “Do one thing every day that scares you.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Fear is the path to the dark side.” — Yoda
• “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” — Nelson Mandela
• “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” — Les Brown
• “Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” — Franklin P. Jones
• “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” — Rabindranath Tagore
• “Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.” — Aristotle
• “If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” — Dale Carnegie
• “Courage doesn’t always roar.” — Mary Anne Radmacher
• “Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.” — Pema Chödrön
• “The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.” — Mahatma Gandhi
• “We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action.” — Dr. Henry Link
• “The only fear is fear itself.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.” — Helen Keller
• “What you fear is what requires action to overcome.” — Byron Katie
• “Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty.” — Bertrand Russell
• “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” — Babe Ruth
• “Do not be afraid; our fate cannot be taken from us; it is a gift.” — Dante Alighieri
• “Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” — Frank Herbert
• “If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it.” — Marcus Aurelius
• “Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.” — James Stephens
• “The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty.” — Ursula K. Le Guin
• “Fear has its use but cowardice has none.” — Mahatma Gandhi
• “To fear love is to fear life.” — Bertrand Russell
• “Courage is knowing what not to fear.” — Plato
• “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” — German Proverb
• “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” — Nelson Mandela
• “Fear cuts deeper than swords.” — George R.R. Martin
• “Fear doesn’t shut you down; it wakes you up.” — Veronica Roth
• “What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” — Tim Ferriss
• “Fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.” — Dale Carnegie
• “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky
• “Fear is the thief of dreams.” — Brian Krans
• “When you feel fear, do it anyway.” — Susan Jeffers
• “If you let fear control you, you will miss out on life.” — Unknown
• “Fear is only a suggestion.” — Unknown
• “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” — Mark Twain
• “Do the thing you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually fear you will make one.” — Elbert Hubbard
• “Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” — Walter Anderson
• “We are afraid of caring too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “You can’t always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne Dyer
• “The biggest risk is not taking any risk.” — Mark Zuckerberg
• “Don’t let fear decide your future.” — Shalane Flanagan
• “Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.” — Stephen King
• “Face your fears or they will climb over your back.” — Unknown
• “Fear is contagious.” — Unknown
• “Courage starts with showing up.” — Brené Brown
• “Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence.” — Theodore Roosevelt
• “The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire, not things we fear.” — Brian Tracy
• “Action is the antidote to fear.” — Unknown
• “Scared is what you’re feeling. Brave is what you’re doing.” — Emma Donoghue
• “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” — Roy T. Bennett
• “When fear knocks, let faith answer the door.” — Unknown
• “Turn your fear into fuel.” — Unknown
• “Fear shrinks when you move toward it.” — Unknown
• “Everything begins with courage.” — Unknown
• “Fear ends where faith begins.” — Unknown
• “Your fear is a compass pointing to growth.” — Unknown
• “Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.” — Benjamin Franklin
• “Be afraid, and do it anyway.” — Unknown
• “Fear is the tax we pay for imagination.” — Unknown
• “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” — Confucius
Fear is a natural part of growth, but it doesn’t get the final say. Every quote in this collection reflects the same truth: courage is built one choice at a time. When you acknowledge fear and keep moving forward anyway, you create momentum, confidence, and strength.