Seneca · Letter XIII
Far more often, we are troubled by our own apprehensions than by anything real. Rumour, that great mocker, can settle wars — yet it settles individuals even more often.
What this means
Seneca's famous observation is that we suffer more in imagination than in reality. Rumour and apprehension torment us before, and often instead of, any actual harm. The remedy is to ask of every fear whether the thing is real or merely anticipated.
On fear, judgment.