“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
The ON / ly THING / we HAVE / to FEAR / is FEAR / it SELF
A perfect iambic hexameter line.
If Shakespeare had written it in blank verse:
The only thing we have to fear is fear
Itself.
The rhythm most natural to the English language.
Repetition. Alliteration.
Short, common words.
Musical.
Easily remembered.
Poetry.
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt, “First Inaugural Address”
Happy National Poetry Month!
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Image of fear by Janusz Walczak from Pixabay
Image of courage by Danny See Chuan Seng from Pixabay
M. K. Waller 