"I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experience behind him"
About this Quote
The subtext is quietly democratic. Coming from a First Lady who remade the role into a platform for labor rights, racial justice, and international human rights, the sentence pushes back against the idea that courage is reserved for the gifted or the heroic. “Anyone can conquer” is less pep talk than political worldview: agency is trainable. Fear isn’t a verdict; it’s a starting condition.
There’s also a subtle rebuke to the culture of sudden transformation. Roosevelt isn’t selling the epiphany; she’s selling repetition. “Provided he keeps doing them” insists on exposure, not avoidance, and on persistence even when early attempts are clumsy. The phrasing anticipates modern behavioral psychology without sounding like a textbook.
Context matters: Roosevelt’s era demanded public stoicism, especially from women whose authority was often questioned. She converts that constraint into strategy. If the world is going to doubt you, fine - build a record it can’t argue with, and in the process, build one you can’t argue with either.
Quote Details
| Topic | Fear |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Roosevelt, Eleanor. (2026, January 18). I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experience behind him. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-believe-that-anyone-can-conquer-fear-by-doing-16892/
Chicago Style
Roosevelt, Eleanor. "I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experience behind him." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-believe-that-anyone-can-conquer-fear-by-doing-16892/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experience behind him." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-believe-that-anyone-can-conquer-fear-by-doing-16892/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.








