Fear of looking foolish

"Please tell me how people perceive me," Clement asked. "I am not one to mince my words."

Almost everyone fears looking foolish. Everyone has refrained at least once from asking questions out of fear that someone would say, "You mean you don't know that?" We've all held back emotions - whether laughter or tears - for fear of being thought a fool, losing face, being humiliated, losing respect and position.