A Saying of Epicurus' in Greek Literature.

A man who causes fear cannot be free from fear.

I might have got completely the wrong idea here but I interpreted this little snippet of Epicurus to be similar to the argument that says bullies are only violent or abusive because it's how they're treated at home and they know no better.  So, because they have fear of being hurt at home, the take it out on other people and cause fear.

Actually, this saying made me think - can we ever be free of fear or is it something like pain, that we need to appreciate pleasure and get used to over time? Do we need fear to understand contentment? Hmm...