In reality, the same line "the only thing to dread is fear" appears in William Walker Atkinson's 1908 book, Thought Vibration; or, the Law of Attraction in the Thought World. The book was first published in Boston by Little, Brown and Company. Atkinson borrowed this phrase from Ralph Waldo Emerson. It can also be found in Henry David Thoreau's 1854 book, Walden; or, Life in the Woods. The original line reads "the only thing to fear is fear itself." Emerson wrote many great essays during his lifetime, one of which is entitled "Self-Reliance". In this essay, he argues that true strength lies within each individual human being and that we should never let other people determine our actions or what kind of person we are. This is why it says that "the only thing to fear is fear itself". If we always did what others wanted us to do, then we would be weak and unable to live independent lives. Thoreau wrote two books while he was working as a surveyor for the Massachusetts government. One of these is called Walden; or, Life in the Woods. In this book, he describes his time living in a small cabin by himself near Walden Pond.