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There is a mental fear, which provokes others of us to see the images of witches in a neighbor's yard and stampedes us to burn down this house. And there is a creeping fear of doubt, doubt of what we have been taught, of the validity of so many things we had long since taken for granted to be durable and unchanging. It has become more difficult than ever to distinguish black from white, good from evil, right from wrong.

Edward R. Murrow#25

TruthFearMoralityDoubtPerception

About this quote

What does it mean?
Fear provokes violence and doubt makes distinguishing right from wrong harder.
In plain terms
Fear leads to action, but doubt makes truth hard to see.
What can you take from it?
Fear and doubt distort our view of truth.

Where it applies

  • political crises
  • media consumption
  • personal decisions

Putting it to work

  • question fear-based claims
  • seek clarity
  • stay grounded

Questions to consider

  • How does fear affect my judgment?
  • When do I struggle to see right from wrong?

Another view

Sometimes clarity is impossible even without fear or doubt.

More from Edward R. Murrow

  1. We hardly need to be reminded that we are living in an age of confusion - a lot of us have traded in our beliefs for bitterness and cynicism or for a heavy pac…

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  2. Except for those who think in terms of pious platitudes or dogma or narrow prejudice (and those thoughts we aren't interested in), people don't speak their bel…

    Permalink to quote #26
  3. This I Believe. By that name, we present the personal philosophies of thoughtful men and women in all walks of life. In this brief space, a banker or a butcher…

    Permalink to quote #23

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