Daily Inspiration Quote by Sellapan Ramanathan

Apprehension, in S.R. Nathan's hands, isn’t a weakness to be purged; it’s a civic weather report. The line turns on a small but consequential pivot: fear is natural, yes, but don’t mistake the feeling for evidence. That distinction matters most in a governing culture built on risk-calculation, where public anxiety can be interpreted as proof that something is already breaking.

Nathan’s phrasing is deliberately institutional. “It must not be concluded” is the language of briefings, inquiries, and Cabinet papers - a reminder that a modern state runs on disciplined inference. He’s warning against a common political error: treating sentiment as intelligence. When societies are jittery - about security, demographic change, economic disruption - apprehension can harden into policy, and policy can harden into prejudice.

The clipped emphasis of “Certainly not” is also telling. It’s not lyrical reassurance; it’s a firm administrative boundary. The subtext is confidence without bravado: we can acknowledge unease without granting it veto power over reason, openness, or social cohesion. For a Singaporean statesman, that carries additional weight. Singapore’s success story is inseparable from managing vulnerability - small size, regional uncertainties, dependence on global trade - without letting perpetual threat-thinking curdle into paranoia.

So the intent isn’t to dismiss fear; it’s to domesticate it. Apprehension can sharpen attention and planning. Treated as a “threat,” it becomes self-fulfilling: it shrinks the imagination, inflates enemies, and licenses overreaction. Nathan is staking a calm, consequential claim: stability begins with how you read your own nerves.