# The Dangers That Never Happened May Matter Most by Martin Rees > “Those of us fortunate enough to live in the developed world fret too much about minor hazards of everyday life: improbable air crashes, carcinogens in food, and so forth. But we are less secure than we think. We should worry far more about scenarios that have thankfully not yet happened—but which, if they occurred, could cause such worldwide devastation that even once would be too often.” > **— Martin Rees**, *2013: What Should We Be Worried About?, Edge, 2013* ## Sources and Context - **Direct publication and full context:** [2013: What Should We Be Worried About?](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/23864) — The linked publication contains the quoted passage and its surrounding argument. - **Master research record:** [[research/Martin Rees on Machine Succession, Post-Human Intelligence, and the Cosmic Future|Martin Rees on Machine Succession, Post-Human Intelligence, and the Cosmic Future]] — preserves this object inside the open Martin Rees source dossier. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Cannot Un-Strike the Match|We Cannot Un-Strike the Match]] - **Article:** [[articles/Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse|Safety Discourse Is Transition Discourse]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public|The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Existential Risk|Existential Risk]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Existential Risk|Existential Risk]] - [[wiki/Existential Catastrophe|Existential Catastrophe]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Those of us fortunate enough to live in the developed world fret too much about minor hazards of everyday life: improbable air crashes, carcinogens in food, and so forth. But we are less secure than we think. We should worry far more about scenarios that have thankfully not yet happened—but which, if they occurred, could cause such worldwide devastation that even once would be too often.” — Martin Rees, 2013: What Should We Be Worried About?, Edge, 2013 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-martin-rees-dangers-never-happened-matter-most ```