Nam veluti pueri trepidant atque omnia caecis in tenebris metuunt, sic nos in luce timemus interdum, nilo quae sunt metuenda magis quam quae pueri in tenebris pavitant finguntque futura. hunc igitur terrorem animi tenebrasque necessest non radii solis neque lucida tela diei discutiant sed naturae species ratioque.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Adults fear imaginary things in daylight just as children fear shadows in the dark; only reason and understanding of nature can dispel these irrational fears.
- In plain terms
- We worry about things that aren't real, but logic can stop us from being scared.
- What can you take from it?
- Use reason to understand nature and overcome unfounded fears.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What fears do you hold that might be imagined?
- How has knowledge changed your view of the world?
Another view
Not all fears are irrational; some are valid survival responses.
More from Lucretius
Quo magis in dubiis hominem spectare periclis convenit adversisque in rebus noscere qui sit; nam verae voces tum demum pectore ab imo eliciuntur et eripitur pe…
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