The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

by Gavin de Becker

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” —Antoine De Saint-Exupery

“How much more grievous are the consequences of our anger than the acts which arouse it.” —Marcus Aurelius

It isn’t news that men and women often speak different languages, but when the stakes are the highest, it’s important to remember that men are nice when they pursue, and women are nice when they reject.

Worry is a way to avoid admitting powerlessness over something, since worry feels like we’re doing something. (Prayer also makes us feel like we’re doing something, and even the most committed agnostic will admit that prayer is more productive than worry.)

Though television news would have us think differently, the important question is not how we might die, but rather “How shall we live?” and that is up to us.