Christopher Paolini Quotes

Fear is a weakness. It makes a person lose her nerve and her cool. It makes people jumpy and organizations nervous, and when that happens, there is always a chance to take advantage.

Courage is... the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared.

I don't operate on fear, and I don't let fear control me.

I have often been afraid, but I would not give in to it. I made myself act as though I was not afraid and gradually my fear disappeared.

Overcoming fear doesn't have to be skydiving, if you're afraid of heights. Overcoming fear is an everyday thing. We do it all day long.

Remember that all the others are more afraid than you

It's all right to be afraid. You just don't let it stop you from doing your job.

Bravery does not mean being fearless. It means to be full of fear but still not being dominated by it.

You want to be a hero? Learn to create certainty in the face of fear.

We are taught to understand, correctly, that courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity for action despite our fears.

We are always more afraid than we wish to be, but we can always be braver than we expect.

To live with fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity.

As a young man, I yearned for the day when, rooted in the experience that comes only with age, I could do my work fearlessly. But today, in my mid-sixties, I realize that I will feel fear from time to time for the rest of my life. I may never get rid of my fear. But . . . I can learn to walk into it and through it whenever it rises up . . . naming the inner force that triggers . . . fear . . . Naming our fears aloud . . . is the first step toward transcending them.

Living fearlessly is not the same as never being afraid. It's good to be afraid occasionally. Fear is a great teacher.

Don't be afraid of being scared. To be afraid is a sign of common sense. Only complete idiots are not afraid of anything.

I have to keep facing the darkness. If I stand tall and face the thing I fear, I have a chance to conquer it. If I just keep dodging and hiding it will conquer me.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it.

Fear has its uses but cowardice has none.

Fear can infect us early in life until eventually it cuts a deep groove of apprehension in all our thinking. To counteract it, let faith, hope and courage enter your thinking. Fear is strong, but faith is stronger yet.

Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared.

We must stop feeling fear.

Being scared is normal. My technique for erasing it is facing it. Be afraid and brave. Be nervous and courageous. The first few minutes of being scared is your test to see if you're really serious about reaching a goal. Push through anxiety and come out victorious. Fear is just a test. Honor the feeling. Know it's there. Know it's temporary. Face it to erase it.

You don't have to be fearless to do anything, you can be scared out of your mind.

Now, don't be angry after you've been afraid. That's the worst kind of cowardice.

Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision.