ProverbWisdomEnglish origin

There are more threatened than struck.

Meaning: More people fear danger than actually experience it; anxiety often exceeds real harm.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 2 more languages

  • French: Il y a plus de peur que de mal (literally: There is more fear than harm)
  • Spanish: Más son los amenazados que los heridos (literally: The threatened outnumber the wounded)
  • Japanese: 案ずるより産むが易し (Anzuru yori umu ga yasushi) (literally: Giving birth is easier than worrying about it)
  • German: Es wird nicht so heiß gegessen, wie es gekocht wird (literally: Things are not eaten as hot as they are cooked)
  • Italian: Il diavolo non è così brutto come lo si dipinge (literally: The devil isn't as ugly as he's painted)
  • Russian: Не так страшен чёрт, как его малюют (Ne tak strashen chyort, kak ego malyuyut) (literally: The devil isn't as scary as he's painted)
  • Polish: Nie taki diabeł straszny, jak go malują (literally: The devil isn't as scary as he's painted)

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