"A word does not frighten the man who, in acting, feels no fear"
About this Quote
Threats work best when they can borrow your own imagination. Sophocles is pointing to a brutal psychological economy: words only become weapons when the listener supplies the fear that sharpens them. If you are already moving, already committed to the deed, language loses its leverage. The line isn’t celebrating recklessness so much as exposing how power operates in public life - through intimidation, shame, prophecy, rumor - and how easily it collapses when someone refuses to internalize it.
The phrasing matters. “In acting” is the hinge. Sophocles isn’t praising the stone-faced philosopher who feels nothing; he’s describing a person in motion, a person whose decision has crossed the threshold from debate into action. Once you’ve stepped into the role, fear becomes less persuasive because it arrives too late. Words can warn, plead, or threaten, but they can’t compete with a choice that’s already been embodied.
In the world of Greek tragedy, this reads like an x-ray of hubris and fate. Sophoclean characters aren’t undone by a lack of information; they’re undone by a refusal to be moved by it. Think of Creon dismissing counsel, or Ajax insulating himself from persuasion. The subtext is double-edged: freedom from fear can look like courage, but it can also look like the terrifying calm of someone past the point of listening. Sophocles shows how the most dangerous person in a city isn’t the one with the loudest threats - it’s the one words can’t reach.
The phrasing matters. “In acting” is the hinge. Sophocles isn’t praising the stone-faced philosopher who feels nothing; he’s describing a person in motion, a person whose decision has crossed the threshold from debate into action. Once you’ve stepped into the role, fear becomes less persuasive because it arrives too late. Words can warn, plead, or threaten, but they can’t compete with a choice that’s already been embodied.
In the world of Greek tragedy, this reads like an x-ray of hubris and fate. Sophoclean characters aren’t undone by a lack of information; they’re undone by a refusal to be moved by it. Think of Creon dismissing counsel, or Ajax insulating himself from persuasion. The subtext is double-edged: freedom from fear can look like courage, but it can also look like the terrifying calm of someone past the point of listening. Sophocles shows how the most dangerous person in a city isn’t the one with the loudest threats - it’s the one words can’t reach.
Quote Details
| Topic | Fear |
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