Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As a member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office. Franklin D. Roosevelt made this expression famous in his 1933 inaugural address: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." We can accomplish great things if we look at problems faced rather than being held back by doubt and fear. In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt used the phrase, "There is nothing to fear but the fear of itself." That speech was filled with words of hope and courage. The phrase, "Fear nothing but fear yourself", refers to the greatest enemy of mankind - fear. It frightens a person and haunts a person's soul. The worst form of fear is a gloomy thought that creates an eerie atmosphere in one's mind. By this phrase, speaker FDR refers to this mental framework that should not be encouraged. Because it has a disastrous effect on the courage of one person and the progress of an entire nation. However, the sentence is rephrased here, and Roosevelt includes this rhetorical phrase in a different way. The speaker refers to the feeling of fear. According to Roosevelt, there is nothing in this world to fear. The only thing to fear is the dark thoughts lurking in the mind. Those thoughts frighten a person, not the object one thinks is the cause of trouble. The meaning of the line, so to speak, makes sense. Otherwise, the speaker seems to be encouraging people to be afraid. But he said the exact opposite. His motivation was to suggest the source of the fear. This phrase has a different meaning for each of us, no matter where or how we hear it. Fear can take many forms - for me, it can be the worst-case scenario. We can get caught up in thought patterns that don't help us or move us forward. When we're focused on something, we're ready to look for evidence that it happened - which is why when you're looking to buy a new car, you'll see the model of car you want everywhere. You never noticed it before, but because it's in your mind now, you see it everywhere. Evidence matters. So when you focus on the negative, your subconscious mind will provide you with evidence that the negative is happening and will ignore any conflicting evidence. That's why it's so important to be solution-centric, to find evidence that we're moving in the right direction, where we want to go. For me, right now, this sentence is an encouragement, reminding me that the biggest obstacles I face are the ones I put in my own way because of my "fear" of the unknown and unknowable future. I can deal with these because I know they are just thoughts, my thoughts. If you can't get rid of your thoughts, then remember "We have nothing to fear except what we choose to fear."