Joseph Campbell: "The cave you fear..."

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."

—Joseph Campbell

Nelson Mandela: "I learned that courage..."

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

—Nelson Mandela

Osho: "The greatest fear in..."

The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others, and the moment you are unafraid of the crowd, you are no longer a sheep. You become a lion. A great roar arises in  your heart. The roar of freedom."

—Osho

Graham Hancock: "Fear is the lock..."

"Think for your yourself. Take nothing for granted. Question everything. Reach your own conclusions based on your own experience, intuition and common sense. These are amongst the gifts the bountiful universe bestowed when we were given the opportunity to be born in a human body. We should use those gifts well, and make the most of this precious opportunity, for that is what we are here to do.

Fear is the lock, consciousness is the key, and love is on the other side of the door."

—Graham Hancock

Saul D. Alinsky: "People who profess the..."

"People who profess the democratic faith but yearn for the dark security of dependency where they can be spared the burden of decisions. Reluctant to grow up, or incapable of doing so, they want to remain children and be cared for by others... the fault lies not in the system, but in themselves."

—Saul D. Alinsky, on democracy as an political system. From Rules for Radicals (p xxv)

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "You really think blowing..."

EVEY: You really think blowing up Parliament's going to make this country a better place?
V: There's no certainty, only opportunity.
EVEY: I think you can be pretty certain that if anyone does show up, Creedy will black bag every one of them.
V: People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
EVEY: And you're going to make that happen by blowing up a building?
V: The building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people blowing up a building can change the world.

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V and Evey in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "There is something terribly..."

"There is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object — to think and speak as you saw fit — you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity.

How did this happen? Who's to blame? Certainly there are those who are more responsible than others. And they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you. And in your panic, you turned to the now High Chancellor Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace. And all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent." [Full speech]

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "Allow me first to..."

"Allow me first to apologize. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of everyday routines; the security of the familiar; the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration — whereby those important events of the past, usually associated with someone's death or an end of an awful, bloody struggle, are celebrated with a nice holiday — I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat.

There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning and, for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object — to think and speak as you saw fit — you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity.

How did this happen? Who's to blame? Certainly there are those who are more responsible than others. And they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you. And in your panic, you turned to the now High Chancellor Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace. And all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.

Last night, I sought to end that silence. Last night, I destroyed the Old Bailey to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than 400 years ago, a great citizen wished to embed the 5th of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words — they are perspectives.

So if you've seen nothing. If the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, then I would suggest that you allow the 5th of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight outside the gates of Parliament. And together, we shall give them a 5th of November that shall never, ever be forgot."

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Larry and Andy Wachowski: "People should not be..."

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." [Full speech]

—Larry and Andy Wachowski, V in "V for Vendetta"

Jan-Philipp Sendker: "Must one have seen..."

"Must one have seen the world? In this village, in every house, in every shack, you will find the entire range of human emotions: love and hate, fear and jealousy, envy and joy. You needn't go looking for them."

—Jan-Philipp Sendker, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats

Jan Karon: "Why was fear always..."

"Why was fear always so close upon the heels of joy, overtaking it every time?"

—Jan Karon, A Light in the Window

James Spader as Robert California: "Fear plays an interesting role..."

"Fear plays an interesting role in our lives. How dare we let it motivate us. How dare we let it into our decision-making, into our livelihoods, into our relationships. It's funny, isn't it? We take a day a year to dress up in costumes and celebrate fear."

—James Spader as Robert California on The Office, Season 8, Episode 5 "Spooked"

Elizabeth Gilbert: "The problem, simply put..."

"The problem, simply put, is that we cannot choose everything simultaneously. So we live in danger of becoming paralyzed by indecision, terrified that every choice might be the wrong choice."

—Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed

Elizabeth Gilbert: "It has always been..."

"It had always been my experience in the past that the more I learned about something, the less it frightened me. Some fears can be vanquished, Rumpelstitltskin-like, only by uncovering their hidden, secret names."

—Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed

Elizabeth Gilbert: "I'd learned enough from..."

"I'd learned enough from life's experience to understand that destiny's interventions can sometimes be read as invitation for us to address and even surmount our biggest fears."

—Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed

Matthew Cody: "It's not like I..."

"'It's not like I never get angry,' Eric said. 'Believe me, I do. Sometimes I get so angry, I scare myself. But, you know,  that's what being a hero is all about, right? Overcoming your fears and failures to help other people.'"

—Matthew Cody, Powerless (p172)

Marianne Williamson: "Our deepest fear is..."

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."

—Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"