94 Quotes to Overcome Fear Of Unknown (Out Of Your Comfort Zone!)

Do you often feel the need to know about the future and feel anxious if you don’t know?

The fear of the unknown, uncertainty and ambiguity is becoming increasingly relevant in an unstable, fast-changing world. According to a study, it has become one of the top 10 common fears nowadays. The fear of the unknown is so strong that many people actually prefer to remain in undesirable life situations instead of changing it.

If you want to understand why we are scared of the unknown, why we should overcome the fear and how to overcome it, the quotes below will help you!

Table of Contents

Why are we scared of the unknown?

1. “People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.” Thich Nhat Hanh

2. “Fear of the unknown… They are afraid of new ideas… They are loaded with prejudices, not based upon anything in reality, but based on… “If something is new, I reject it immediately because it’s frightening to me.” What they do instead is just stay with the familiar. You know, to me, the most beautiful things in all the universe, are the most mysterious.” Wayne Dyer

3. “There is always fear of the unknown.” Berhan Ahmed

4. “Fear of the unknown is our greatest fear. Many of us would enter a tigers lair before we would enter a dark cave. While caution is a useful instinct, we lose many opportunities and much of the adventure of life if we fail to support the curious explorer within us.” Joseph Campbell

5. A fear of the unknown keeps a lot of people from leaving bad situations. Kathie Lee Gifford Share on X

6. “The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear – fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable.” H.L Mencken

7. “The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear – fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety.” H. L. Mencken

8. “Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all.” Yvon Chouinard

9. “What you don’t know will hurt you.” Jim Rohn

10. We do not have a fear of the unknown. What we fear is giving up the known. Anthony de Mello Share on X

11. “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” H. P. Lovecraft

12. “When you say fear of the unknown, that is the definition of fear; fear is the unknown, fear is what you do not know, and its genetically within us so that we feel safe. We feel scared of the woods because were not familiar with it, and that keeps you safe.” M. Night Shyamalan

13. “If I have something I want to say that is too difficult for adults to swallow, then I write it in a book for children. Children still haven’t closed themselves off with fear of the unknown, fear of revolution, or the scramble for security. They are still familiar with the inborn vocabulary of myth” Madeleine L’Engle

14. There's always fear of the unknown where there's mystery. David Lynch Share on X

15. “Part of what attracted me to the village was it had a lot of parallels to contemporary issues. Like, fear and the way fear controls us. How the governing body of a town, or a nation, controls us through fear. They might mean well by it, but we are conditioned to be afraid of things. Fear of the unknown. Fear of terrorism. And it’s unfortunate.” Adrien Brody

16. “A distaste for the new is not always fear of the unknown, but sometimes ambition. Some people don’t like the new way simply because they never got a chance to master the old way.” Criss Jami

17. Just as when we come into the world, when we die we are afraid of unknown things. But the fear is something from within us that has nothing to do with reality. Isabel Allende Share on X

18. “It’s a lot easier to understand things once you name them. It’s the unknown that mostly freaks me out. I don’t know the name of that fear, but I know I’ve got it, the fear of the unknown.” Carrie Jones

Why should we overcome the fear of uncertainty?

19. “If you let fear of the unknown stop you from taking chances, you will stifle your true potential.” Steve Rizzo

20. “We all have fear of the unknown what one does with that fear will make all the difference in the world.” Lillian Russell

21. “Fear keeps us rooted in the past. Fear of the unknown, fear of abandonment, fear of rejection, fear of not having enough, fear of not being enough, fear of the future-all these fears and more keep us trapped, repeating the same old patterns and making the same choices over and over again. Fear prevents us from moving outside the comfort-or even the familiar discomfort-of what we know. It’s nearly impossible to achieve our highest vision for our lives as long as we are being guided by our fears.” Debbie Ford

22. “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. Fear of the unknown is our greatest fear. Many of us would enter a tiger’s lair before we would enter a dark cave. While caution is a useful instinct, we lose many opportunities and much of the adventure of life if we fail to support the curious explorer within us.” Joseph Campbell

23. The guy who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed. Gordon Parks Share on X

24. “We tell lies when we are afraid… afraid of what we don’t know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger.” Tad Williams

25. “Your wealth is hiding under the very thing you are afraid to do. It’s time to face your fears and take action. Expect Miracles.” Joe Vitale

26. “Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God. Fear of the unknown path stretching ahead of us destroys childlike trust in the Father’s active goodness and unrestricted love.” Brennan Manning

27. If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living. Seneca the Younger Share on X

28. “Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely, and we’re left with only the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it. Just stand there trembling, not moving. Assuming the worst that can happen. Or we step forward into the unknown, and assume it will be brilliant.” Sandra Oh

29. “I view it as one of the greatest crimes to shadow the minds of the young with these gloomy superstitions, and with fears of the unknown and the unknowable to poison all their joy in life.” Elizabeth Cady Stanton

30. “If you gathered up all the fearful thoughts that exist in the mind of the average person, looked at them objectively, and tried to decide just how much good they provided that person, you would see that not some but all fearful thoughts are useless. They do no good. Zero. They interfere with dreams, hopes, desire and progress.” Richard Carlson

31. What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? #NoFearQuote Share on X

How to overcome fear of the unknown?

32. “By replacing fear of the unknown with curiosity we open ourselves up to an infinite stream of possibility. We can let fear rule our lives or we can become childlike with curiosity, pushing our boundaries, leaping out of our comfort zones, and accepting what life puts before us.” Alan Watts

33. “Fear not the unknown. It is a sea of possibilities.” Tom Althouse

34. “A journey to the unknown shores needs a port, a ship, a wind; but more important than all of them: courage; courage to leave the known for the unknown!” – Mehmet Murat Ildan

35. “When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for you to stand upon or you will be taught to fly.” Patrick Overton

36. “Do not fear to step into the unknown for where there is risk, there is also reward.” Lori Hard

37. Almost all fear is fear of the unknown. Therefore, what's the remedy? To become acquainted with the things you fear. Peace Pilgrim Share on X

37. “Always do what you are afraid to do.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

38. “Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity.” Danny Gokey

39. “Man can earn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown.” Claude Bernard

40. “It’s fear of the unknown. The unknown is what it is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that-it’s all illusion. Unknown is what it is. Accept that it’s unknown and it’s plain sailing. Everything is unknown-then you’re ahead of the game. That’s what it is. Right?” John Lennon

41. You don't fear change. You fear the unknown. If you knew the future would be great, you'd welcome the change to get there. Well, the future IS great. Proceed. Joe Vitale Share on X

42. “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” Sara Blakely

43. “Fear of failure and fear of the unknown are always defeated by faith. Having faith in yourself, in the process of change, and in the new direction that change sets will reveal your own inner core of steel.” Georgette Mosbacher

44. “Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into.” Wendell Berry

45. Step forward into the unknown, and assume it will be brilliant. Sandra Oh Share on X

46. “I believe that the voices of fear, both from without and within, can only be dispelled by trusting the voice that comes from the heart. Be still and listen to it. If it speaks of love and compassion for others, for the world itself, it just might be the voice of God – or a reasonable facsimile. If, however, it snarls with fear of the unknown, fear of losing what you have or of not getting what you want, then it just might be the voice of Rupert Murdoch – or a reasonable facsimile.” Chuck Lorre

47. “I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.” William Allen White

48. “I don’t fear the unknown. I fear that what I do know is all that’s left.” Stephen C. Hogan

Famous quotes about fear of the unknown

49. “Only the unknown frightens men. But once a man has faced the unknown, that terror becomes the known.” Antoine De Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince

50. “Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.” William Golding, Lord of the Flies

51. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

52. “We do not fear the unknown. We fear what we think we know about the unknown.” Teal Swan

53. “Men, believing in myths, will always fear something terrible, everlasting punishment as certain or probable . . . Men base all these fears not on mature opinions, but on irrational fancies, that they are more disturbed by fear of the unknown than by facing facts. Peace of mind lies in being delivered from all these fears.” Epicurus

54. One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end. Jiddu Krishnamurti Share on X

55. “Today, America would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order. Tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told that there were an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by the World Government.” Henry A. Kissinger

56. “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.” Brene Brown

57. “Most people talk about fear of the unknown, but if there is anything to fear, it is the known.” Deepak Chopra

58. When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. Eckhart Tolle Share on X

59. “My head is bursting with the joy of the unknown. My heart is expanding a thousand fold.” Rumi

60. “What some folks call impossible is just stuff they haven’t seen before.” Robin William (More quotes by Robin Williams)

Christian quotes about fear of uncertainty

61. We are not to be anxious about the unknown future or to fret about it. We are to live in a moment-by-moment dependence upon God. James Montgomery Boice Share on X

62. I saw a dream and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. Daniel 4:5, The Bible

63. “When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’” Matthew 14: 26-27

64. “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake.“Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up.” Job 4: 13-15, The Bible

65. ”For they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” Mark 6:50, The Bible

Inspiring Quotes to Embrace Uncertainty in an Unstable World

66. “Being at ease with not knowing is crucial for answers to come to you.” Eckhart Tolle

67. “Leave everything undefined, including yourself. Befriend uncertainty. Fall in love with mystery. Kneel at the altar of Not Knowing. Give your questions time to breathe. And the answers will find you.” Jeff Foster

68. “Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our own light.” Brené Brown

69. “Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.” Bob Goff

70. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path. Pema Chödrön Share on X

71. “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

72. “If uncertainty is unacceptable to you, it turns into fear. If it is perfectly acceptable, it turns into increased aliveness, alertness, and creativity.” Eckhart Tolle

73. “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity. ” Gilda Radner

74. I am learning to trust the journey even when I do not understand it. Mila Bron Share on X

75. “Looking deeper, we could say that the real cause of suffering is not being able to tolerate uncertainty—and thinking that it’s perfectly sane, perfectly normal, to deny the fundamental groundlessness of being human.” Pema Chödrön

76. “If you really want to be alive, you have to accept the possibility of being lost. You have to accept the insecurity of the unknown, the discomfort and the inconvenience of the unfamiliar, the strange.” Osho

Quotes to Motivate You to Leave your Comfort Zone

77. “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” #ComfortZone

78. “As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.” Robin S. Sharma

79. “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Roy T. Bennett

80. “Real change is difficult at the beginning, but gorgeous at the end. Change begins the moment you get the courage and step outside your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Roy T. Bennett

81. The further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun. Benedict Cumberbatch Share on X

82. “Comfort is your biggest trap and coming out of comfort zone your biggest challenge.” Manoj Arora, From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom

83. “You have to be uncomfortable in order to be successful, in some ways. If you stay in your comfort zone! You would never do the things that you need to do.” Lights Poxlietner

84. “If you opt for a safe life, you will never know what it’s like to win.” Richard Branson, Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons In Life

85. “You can choose courage or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.” Brene Brown

86. Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone. Shannon L. Alder Share on X

87. “True self-discovery begins where your comfort zone ends.” Adam Braun

88. “The only thing that is stopping you from where you are to where you want to go is your comfort zone.” Dhaval Gaudier

89. “Do something unfamiliar. Do anything besides rushing off in the same old direction, up to the same old tricks.” Pema Chödrön

90. “Either you have dreams big enough to overcome your fears or you have fears big enough to overcome your dreams.” Orrin Woodward

91. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky

92. “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” Andre Gide

93. “It is foolish to fear what you cannot avoid.” Publius Syrus

94. “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh