Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.
In plain words
Scary things get less scary once you understand them.
Where these words come from
- 42% sureLots of sources credit Marie Curie with this, and they agree with each other. The book or the speech it first came from hasn't turned up yet.
- French original ("On ne doit rien craindre dans la vie, il suffit de comprendre") appears posthumously in Laval medical (1951); the commonly-appended second sentence is Glenn Seaborg's own 1968 addition, not Curie's. No primary Curie letter/manuscript located.
More from Marie Curie
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Marie CurieWe must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.Marie CurieOne never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.Marie CurieBe less curious about people and more curious about ideas.Marie CurieI am among those who think that science has great beauty.Marie CurieAll my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.Marie CurieMore on courage
You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Marcus AureliusYou can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.
Rabindranath TagoreStrength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
Mahatma GandhiFor sometimes it is an act of bravery even to live.
SenecaIf you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage.
ConfuciusNever let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.Marcus Aurelius
Marcus AureliusYou can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.Rabindranath TagoreStrength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.Mahatma GandhiFor sometimes it is an act of bravery even to live.SenecaIf you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage.ConfuciusNever let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.Marcus Aurelius