Fear is contagious, but so is courage. It’s a simple truth, but one that changes everything once you really see it in action. It’s the secret to shifting any team’s energy.
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Meaning
At its core, this is about emotional leadership. It means you’re never just a passive bystander to the mood in a room—you’re actively spreading one of two things: fear or courage, with every single word and action.
Explanation
Look, I’ve seen this play out a thousand times. In boardrooms, in startups, even in family meetings. Fear spreads like a virus, right? One person hesitates, voices a doubt, and suddenly the whole room is infected with anxiety. It’s a real thing. But here’s the part most people miss. Courage works exactly the same way. One person takes a brave stand, makes a tough call with conviction, and it gives everyone else permission to be brave too. It’s a psychological domino effect. Your energy isn’t just your own—it’s your most powerful tool for shaping your environment.
Summary
| Category | Emotion (11) |
|---|---|
| Topics | courage (14), fear (8), resilience (14) |
| Style | poetic (21), succinct (5) |
| Mood | empowering (9), uplifting (7) |
Origin & Factcheck
This specific phrasing comes from the 2011 book Doctor Chopra Says by Sanjiv Chopra, Alan Lotvin, and David Fisher. You’ll sometimes see similar sentiments attributed to historical figures or other writers, but this concise, powerful parallel structure is directly from their work on medical myths and health truths.
| Author | Sanjiv Chopra (3) |
|---|---|
| Book | Doctor Chopra Says: Medical Facts and Myths Everyone Should Know (3) |
Author Bio
Dr Sanjiv Chopra is an American physician, hepatologist, and professor of medicine (emeritus) at Harvard Medical School. He served as Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard and practiced at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He writes and speaks on wellness, purpose, longevity, and leadership. The Dr Sanjiv Chopra book list features Leadership by Example, Dr. Chopra Says, The Big Five, The Two Most Important Days, and Brotherhood with his brother Deepak Chopra. He continues to mentor clinicians and inspire general readers through keynotes and media.
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Where is this quotation located?
| Fear is contagious, but so is courage |
| Publication Year: 2010; ISBN: 978-0312611742; Last Edition: 1st Edition; Number of Pages: 304. |
| Chapter 11: The Mind-Body Connection, Approximate page from 2010 edition |
Context
In the book, they’re talking about this in a health context—how a doctor’s calm confidence can be as therapeutic as medicine for a patient. But honestly, the principle is universal. It applies just as much to a project manager leading a team through a crisis as it does to a doctor in an exam room.
Usage Examples
So how do you actually use this? It’s about being intentional with your own emotional output.
- For Leaders & Managers: When a project is going sideways, don’t lead with the panic. Acknowledge the challenge, but immediately pivot to a calm, “Okay, here’s how we tackle this” attitude. You’re not ignoring the problem; you’re inoculating the team against the fear of it.
- For Parents & Mentors: Kids and mentors are hyper-sensitive to your emotional state. When they’re facing something scary, your steady, believing-in-them presence is the courage they catch. Your calm becomes their calm.
- For Yourself: This is huge for self-talk. When your own inner voice starts spiraling into fear, you have to consciously feed it a dose of courageous counter-programming. You have to be the one to spread courage to yourself first.
To whom it appeals?
| Audience | leaders (133), motivational speakers (3), patients (12), students (198), therapists (36) |
|---|---|
This quote can be used in following contexts: leadership training,motivational speeches,mental health programs,healing sessions,school workshops
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Common Questions
Question: Does this mean I should just pretend everything is fine when it’s not?
Answer: Not at all. That’s toxic positivity. This is about how you address the problem. You acknowledge the reality without being consumed by the emotion of fear. You lead with a solution-focused mindset, which is the essence of practical courage.
Question: What if I’m the one feeling afraid? How can I spread courage then?
Answer: Great question. It starts with a choice. You can name the fear—”I’m feeling nervous about this launch”—and then immediately follow it with a courageous next step—”but I know we’ve prepared, so let’s focus on the first action we can take.” It’s about the pivot. Action is the antidote to anxiety.
Question: Is this really that powerful? Can one person’s attitude change a whole group’s?
Answer: Absolutely. Think of it like a thermostat. Most people are thermometers—they just reflect the temperature of the room. A leader, a parent, anyone using this principle, acts as the thermostat. They set the temperature. And yes, one person can reset the entire emotional climate.
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