“We are afraid to be radically honest because it will lead us to face many unpleasant things about ourselves. We are afraid to care because we have learned that in caring deeply, we can be hurt deeply. Our fear of failure causes us, as parents, spouses, students, artists to hedge or withdraw from many undertakings—even life itself, because if we really put ourselves into an enterprise that is criticized or fails, then we have been criticized and we fail. We are afraid to love because love really means leaving the safety of our solitary lives and exposing our hearts where they can be hurt and broken and softened. These are the fears that cause us to bury our lives even before we are dead.” - C. FitzSimmons Allison