--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you take a man by surprise, and behave…" description: "\"If you take a man by surprise, and behave with sufficient arrogance, he will generally do what you ask. -Emerson\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/138/anonymous-1_arrogance_if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave_1314763.jpg" --- # If you take a man by surprise, and behave with sufficient… ![“If you take a man by surprise, and behave with sufficient arrogance, he will generally do what you ask. -Emerson” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/138/anonymous-1_arrogance_if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave_1314763.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/138/anonymous-1_arrogance_if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave_1314763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/138/anonymous-1_arrogance_if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave_1314763.jpg) > “If you take a man by surprise, and behave with sufficient arrogance, he will generally do what you ask. -Emerson” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Surprising someone with confidence can compel them to comply with your request. **In simple terms:** Confidence can manipulate others. Key Takeaway Use confidence wisely, not arrogantly. Themes influence confidence manipulation Mood cautious strategic Type advice psychological When to use this quote - negotiations - leadership - sales - personal interactions Key Concepts psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When is confidence helpful versus harmful? - How do you balance assertiveness with respect? A Different Perspective Overconfidence may backfire and damage trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Arrogance Generally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance-generally-2781138/) [Behave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behave/) [Behave Sufficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behave-sufficient-4361831/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Sufficient Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufficient-arrogance-4361830/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Surprise Behave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise-behave-4361829/) ## Related quotes > [Arrogance generally is a bad thing, but with a band, somehow you have to have this gang mentality or this certain degree of arrogance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d/arrogance-generally-is-a-bad-thing-but-with-a-band-somehow-you-have/) [Mike D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d/) > [Turbulent, discontented men of quality, in proportion as they are puffed up with personal pride and arrogance, generally despise their own order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/turbulent-discontented-men-of-quality-in-proportion-as-they-are/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [People in big empty places are likely to behave very much as the gods did on Olympus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/people-in-big-empty-places-are-likely-to-behave-very-much-as-the-gods/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [What is wrong with us human beings, and has been wrong since time immemorial, is that without ever stating it in so many words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/what-is-wrong-with-us-human-beings-and-has-been-wrong-since-time/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [Obstinacy and contention are common qualities, most appearing in, and best becoming, a mean and illiterate soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/obstinacy-and-contention-are-common-qualities-most-appearing-in-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Arrogance is the art to be proud on his own stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/arrogance-is-the-art-to-be-proud-on-his-own-stupidity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Very thin line between arrogance and confidence...Being humble is that line. No one has ever said that humble guy is really an asshole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/very-thin-line-between-arrogance-and-confidence-being-humble-is-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He’s me, Jaime realized suddenly. I am speaking to myself, as I was, all cocksure arrogance and empty chivalry. This is what it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-s-me-jaime-realized-suddenly-i-am-speaking-to-myself-as-i-was-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“prone to fits of ‘immoderate arrogance’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prone-to-fits-of-immoderate-arrogance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people talk too much and say too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-talk-too-much-and-say-too-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Self confidence is important but without compassion and humility, it's just arrogance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/self-confidence-is-important-but-without-compassion-and-humility-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Progress apart from purpose ends in arrogance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/progress-apart-from-purpose-ends-in-arrogance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's amusing how arrogant people can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amusing-how-arrogant-people-can-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The pride,arrogance or vanity are the roots of sins, source of anger,the door of hypocrisy,strengthening of evil,guardian of sins,creator of evil and the root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-pride-arrogance-or-vanity-are-the-roots-of-sins-source-of-anger/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Arrogance quotes > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/) [Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/) [Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/) > [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/) [Miguel Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cervantes/) > [An increasing number of people are growing uncomfortable with the gulf between the world's rich and the poor. Ostentatiously splashing your money around simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalle-lasn/an-increasing-number-of-people-are-growing-uncomfortable-with-the/) [Kalle Lasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalle-lasn/) [Browse all 1,418 Arrogance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you take a man by surprise, and behave with sufficient arrogance, he will generally do what you ask. -Emerson", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave-with-sufficient-arrogance-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arrogance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave-with-sufficient-arrogance-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/138/anonymous-1_arrogance_if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave_1314763.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/138/anonymous-1_arrogance_if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave_1314763.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/138/anonymous-1_arrogance_if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave_1314763.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you take a man by surprise, and behave with sufficient arrogance, he will generally do what you ask…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you take a man by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave-with-sufficient-arrogance-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-take-a-man-by-surprise-and-behave-with-sufficient-arrogance-he/#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 } } ] } ```