I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me. I have accepted fear as a part of life, specifically the fear of change, the fear of the unknown, and I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back, turn back, you’ll die if you venture too far.

Erica Jong (b. 1942) American writer, poet

The Writer on Her Work, ch. 13 (1980)