--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency…" description: "\"Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs.\" — Ambrose Bierce" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/ambrose-bierce-140_coward_coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-t_1983427.jpg" --- # Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his… ![“Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs.” quote by Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/ambrose-bierce-140_coward_coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-t_1983427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/ambrose-bierce-140_coward_coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-t_1983427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/ambrose-bierce-140_coward_coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-t_1983427.jpg) > “Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs.” [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cowards act with their feet, not their heads, in danger. **In simple terms:** Cowards think with legs, not mind. Key Takeaway Cultivate courage. Themes courage decision making fear Mood wry insightful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - emergencies - personal crises - leadership challenges Key Concepts psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - When is caution appropriate? - How do you differentiate bravery from recklessness? A Different Perspective Fear can also be rational. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coward/) [Coward Perilous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coward-perilous-3398927/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Emergency Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emergency-thinks-3398928/) [Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legs/) [Perilous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perilous/) [Perilous Emergency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perilous-emergency-3398929/) [Thinks Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks-legs-1001826/) ## Related quotes > [A man thinks as well through his legs and arms as this brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-man-thinks-as-well-through-his-legs-and-arms-as-this-brain/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [She has great problems of her own to solve, very grim and perilous problems, and a right solution, if we can attain to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cabot-lodge/she-has-great-problems-of-her-own-to-solve-very-grim-and-perilous/) [Henry Cabot Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cabot-lodge/) > [A woman in such an emotional tempest is as perilous as a blind cobra to any about her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/a-woman-in-such-an-emotional-tempest-is-as-perilous-as-a-blind-cobra/) [Robert E. 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Don't ever stop dancing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/love-is-a-perilous-dance-too-you-see-and-if-we-stop-dancing-we-ll-die/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) > [Fortune's wheel never stands still the highest point is therefore the most perilous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/fortune-s-wheel-never-stands-still-the-highest-point-is-therefore-the/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [By far my most perilous assignment was covering a tank car explosion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-savitch/by-far-my-most-perilous-assignment-was-covering-a-tank-car-explosion/) [Jessica Savitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-savitch/) > [“The fact that pigs were abroad in the night seemed to bring home to me the perilous nature of my enterprise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/the-fact-that-pigs-were-abroad-in-the-night-seemed-to-bring-home-to/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > ["Lawyers Are": Perilous mouths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lawyers-are-perilous-mouths/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## More by Ambrose Bierce > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/obsessed-p-p-vexed-by-an-evil-spirit-like-the-gadarene-swine-and/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [DECIDE, v.i. To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/decide-v-i-to-succumb-to-the-preponderance-of-one-set-of-influences/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [IMMORAL, adj. Inexpedient. Whatever in the long run and with regard to the greater number of instances men find to be generally inexpedient comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/immoral-adj-inexpedient-whatever-in-the-long-run-and-with-regard-to/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/review-v-t-to-set-your-wisdom-holding-not-a-doubt-of-it-although-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RUBBISH, n. Worthless matter, such as the religions, philosophies, literatures, arts and sciences of the tribes infesting the regions lying due south from Boreaplas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/rubbish-n-worthless-matter-such-as-the-religions-philosophies/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There was never a genius who was not thought a fool until he disclosed himself; whereas he is a fool then only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/there-was-never-a-genius-who-was-not-thought-a-fool-until-he/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/telephone-n-an-invention-of-the-devil-which-abrogates-some-of-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Jealous, adj. Unduly concerned about the preservation of that which can be lost only if not worth keeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/jealous-adj-unduly-concerned-about-the-preservation-of-that-which-can/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/ridicule-n-words-designed-to-show-that-the-person-of-whom-they-are/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Think twice before you speak to a friend in need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/think-twice-before-you-speak-to-a-friend-in-need/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [HERMIT, n. A person whose vices and follies are not sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hermit-n-a-person-whose-vices-and-follies-are-not-sociable/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [TARIFF, n. A scale of taxes on imports, designed to protect the domestic producer against the greed of his consumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/tariff-n-a-scale-of-taxes-on-imports-designed-to-protect-the-domestic/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [A bad marriage is like an electrical thrilling machine: it makes you dance, but you can't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-bad-marriage-is-like-an-electrical-thrilling-machine-it-makes-you/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Explore all 1,157 Ambrose Bierce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More Coward quotes > [Only a coward will use a gun to protect and get respect for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/only-a-coward-will-use-a-gun-to-protect-and-get-respect-for-themselves/) [Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/) > [“The Coward will run away from danger, only to strike in the dark. The Heroine will run through the dark, even though she knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-cleinman/the-coward-will-run-away-from-danger-only-to-strike-in-the-dark-the/) [David A. Cleinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-cleinman/) > [“A thousand times a coward and not once a dead man”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suad-amiry/a-thousand-times-a-coward-and-not-once-a-dead-man/) [Suad Amiry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suad-amiry/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [“It is true that only a coward can be brave, as a man who feels no fear has conquered nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conn-david-iggulden/it-is-true-that-only-a-coward-can-be-brave-as-a-man-who-feels-no-fear/) [Conn & David Iggulden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conn-david-iggulden/) > [If you're a generous person, when you get money and fame, you're going to be more generous. If you're a sharer, you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/if-you-re-a-generous-person-when-you-get-money-and-fame-you-re-going/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [Where is the coward that would not dare to fight for such a land as Scotland?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/where-is-the-coward-that-would-not-dare-to-fight-for-such-a-land-as/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [“To stand at the very moment when all seems lost is the point of insanity for the coward, but it is the home of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-stand-at-the-very-moment-when-all-seems-lost-is-the-point-of/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [My advice to you, if you should ever be in a hold up, is to line up with the cowards and save your bravery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/my-advice-to-you-if-you-should-ever-be-in-a-hold-up-is-to-line-up/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [People who keep dogs are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/people-who-keep-dogs-are-cowards-who-haven-t-got-the-guts-to-bite/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Is there cowardice with the acknowledgement of fear?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/is-there-cowardice-with-the-acknowledgement-of-fear/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [It is the disease of cowards, who do not have the courage to speak upfront and so talk behind one's back... Watch out against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/it-is-the-disease-of-cowards-who-do-not-have-the-courage-to-speak/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [If our principles are right, why should we be cowards?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/if-our-principles-are-right-why-should-we-be-cowards/) [Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/) > [I found from working on the film that I am a bigot, at times. And that I am also a coward, at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-howard/i-found-from-working-on-the-film-that-i-am-a-bigot-at-times-and-that/) [Terrence Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-howard/) > [A coward is the kindest animal; 'Tis the most forgiving creature in a fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/a-coward-is-the-kindest-animal-tis-the-most-forgiving-creature-in-a/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) [Browse all 1,331 Coward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coward/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ambrose Bierce" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-thinks-with-his-legs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coward" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-thinks-with-his-legs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/ambrose-bierce-140_coward_coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-t_1983427.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/ambrose-bierce-140_coward_coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-t_1983427.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e09/ambrose-bierce-140_coward_coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-t_1983427.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs.” — Ambrose Bierce", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ambrose Bierce", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Coward: One who, in a perilous...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-thinks-with-his-legs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/coward-one-who-in-a-perilous-emergency-thinks-with-his-legs/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```