Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is

Meaning: Anxiety and worry magnify threats beyond their actual size.

Origin: German proverb (Die Angst macht den Wolf größer als er ist), widely used across northern Europe.

Translations

• French: La peur fait le loup plus grand qu'il n'est (literally: Fear makes the wolf bigger than it is)
• Spanish: El miedo hace al lobo más grande de lo que es (literally: Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is)
• Japanese: 恐怖は狼を実際より大きく見せる (Kyōfu wa ōkami wo jissai yori ōkiku miseru) (literally: Fear makes the wolf appear larger than it is)

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…