“Fear has many eyes and can see things underground.”Miguel de Cervantes · Don Quijote · 1615 · Partea a II-a, capitolul 1
Fear is not an organ of truth but an amplifier: it sees dangers that exist nowhere.
The image is ironic: fear does not merely see much, it sees underground, that is, it invents entirely imaginary threats. Cervantes describes perception warped by dread, the central theme of his novel, where the hero sees giants in windmills. A man walking at night through an unfamiliar neighborhood hears footsteps behind him where there is no one. Fear is not an organ of truth but an amplifier.
Why it matters It helps separate real danger from projected anxiety, in decisions ranging from investments to relationships.