---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Where there are kings, there must be the…"
description: "\"“Where there are kings, there must be the greatest cowards. For men’s souls are enslaved and refuse to run risks readily and recklessly to increase the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/anonymous-1_taking-risks_where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the_1982235.jpg"
---

#  Where there are kings, there must be the greatest cowards…

![“Where there are kings, there must be the greatest cowards. For men’s souls are enslaved and refuse to run risks readily and recklessly to increase the power of somebody else. But independent people, taking risks on their own behalf and not on behalf of others, are willing and eager to go into…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/anonymous-1_taking-risks_where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the_1982235.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/anonymous-1_taking-risks_where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the_1982235.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/anonymous-1_taking-risks_where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the_1982235.jpg)

> ““Where there are kings, there must be the greatest cowards. For men’s souls are enslaved and refuse to run risks readily and recklessly to increase the power of somebody else. But independent people, taking risks on their own behalf and not on behalf of others, are willing and eager to go into danger, for they themselves enjoy the prize of victory.””

[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.

True courage comes from personal risk‑taking, not from serving another’s authority.

**In simple terms:** Independent risk‑taking shows real bravery.

Key Takeaway

Embrace personal challenges for growth.

Themes

courage independence power dynamics

Mood

philosophical motivational

Type

quote reflection

When to use this quote

- entrepreneurship
- activism
- adventure sports

Key Concepts

risk self‑reliance leadership

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it better to follow rather than lead?
- How does risk affect others?

A Different Perspective

May ignore the value of collaborative effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cowards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowards/) [Taking risks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-risks/)

## Related quotes

> [To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-sin-by-silence-when-they-should-protest-makes-cowards-of-men/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Those who are brave, are the greatest cowards of all. For they fear failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-miller/those-who-are-brave-are-the-greatest-cowards-of-all-for-they-fear/)

[James Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-miller/)

> [There is not a more mean, stupid, dastardly, pitiful, selfish, spiteful, envious, ungrateful animal than the Public. It is the greatest of cowards, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/there-is-not-a-more-mean-stupid-dastardly-pitiful-selfish-spiteful/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [“This sight was terrible, more terrible than words can convey, for words are cowards as men are, and hide things as men do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/this-sight-was-terrible-more-terrible-than-words-can-convey-for-words/)

[Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/)

> [To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/to-stand-in-silence-when-they-should-be-protesting-makes-cowards-of/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“To sin by silnce when they should protest makes cowards of men (and women)...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-lincoln/to-sin-by-silnce-when-they-should-protest-makes-cowards-of-men-and/)

[Abe Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-lincoln/)

> [Most Men are Cowards, all Men should be Knaves. The Difference lies, as far as I can see, Not in the thing it self,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilmot/most-men-are-cowards-all-men-should-be-knaves-the-difference-lies-as/)

[John Wilmot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilmot/)

> [To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/to-stand-in-silence-when-they-should-be-protesting-makes-cowards-out/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Think what cowards men would be if they had to bear children. Women are altogether a superior species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/think-what-cowards-men-would-be-if-they-had-to-bear-children-women/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [To sin by silence, when we should protest, Makes cowards out of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/to-sin-by-silence-when-we-should-protest-makes-cowards-out-of-men/)

[Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/)

> [Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/interdependence-is-a-choice-only-independent-people-can-make/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [...even the most independent people sometimes needed help. And if I'd learned nothing else from my life thus far, it was that you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-the-most-independent-people-sometimes-needed-help-and-if-i-d/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There are philosophies which are unendurable not because men are cowards, but because they are men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-lewisohn/there-are-philosophies-which-are-unendurable-not-because-men-are/)

Ludwig Lewisohn

> [Men with discrimination will be viewed as schemers; second, men with deep far-sightedness will be seen as cowards; and third, men with rough behaviour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeda-shingen/men-with-discrimination-will-be-viewed-as-schemers-second-men-with/)

[Takeda Shingen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeda-shingen/)

> [North Carolinians are hard-working common-sense, decent and stubbornly independent people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-cunningham/north-carolinians-are-hard-working-common-sense-decent-and-stubbornly/)

[Cal Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-cunningham/)

## 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 Cowards quotes

> [There will always be people who will first wait for somebody's comment and then attack them. I'll say they are just cowards. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soni-razdan/there-will-always-be-people-who-will-first-wait-for-somebody-s/)

[Soni Razdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soni-razdan/)

> [“The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places. (p 57)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-world-is-not-fair-and-often-fools-cowards-liars-and-the-selfish/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [Artists who say they do not want to mix up in politics are cowards who are not willing to come to terms with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/artists-who-say-they-do-not-want-to-mix-up-in-politics-are-cowards/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/though-this-nation-has-proudly-thought-of-itself-as-an-ethnic-melting/)

[Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/)

> [“Richard had noticed that events were cowards: they didn't occur singly, but instead they would run in packs and leap out at him all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/richard-had-noticed-that-events-were-cowards-they-didn-t-occur-singly/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [No police or military in the world can protect people who are cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-police-or-military-in-the-world-can-protect-people-who-are-cowards/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“I can only miss the true and I can only mourn the brave. Cowards make it easy to let go because you're not losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-can-only-miss-the-true-and-i-can-only-mourn-the-brave-cowards-make/)

[Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/)

> [Of two cowards, the one who finds the other out first has the advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italian-proverb/of-two-cowards-the-one-who-finds-the-other-out-first-has-the-advantage/)

Italian Proverb

> [“People cling to their rotten memories, to all their misfortunes, and you can't pry them loose. These things keep them busy. They avenge themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/people-cling-to-their-rotten-memories-to-all-their-misfortunes-and/)

[Louis-Ferdinand Céline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/)

> [Haters are cowards. When confronted they often back down. We must resist haters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-reno/haters-are-cowards-when-confronted-they-often-back-down-we-must/)

[Janet Reno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-reno/)

> [“Men are such cowards. They outrage every law of the world, and are afraid of the world’s tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-are-such-cowards-they-outrage-every-law-of-the-world-and-are/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“Newspapers are a great place for cowards and malcontents to have their say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shaara/newspapers-are-a-great-place-for-cowards-and-malcontents-to-have/)

[Jeff Shaara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shaara/)

[Browse all 417 Cowards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowards/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Where there are kings, there must be the greatest cowards. For men’s souls are enslaved and refuse to run risks readily and recklessly to increase the power of somebody else. But independent people, taking risks on their own behalf and not on behalf of others, are willing and eager to go into danger, for they themselves enjoy the prize of victory.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the-greatest-cowards-for-men-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cowards"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the-greatest-cowards-for-men-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/anonymous-1_taking-risks_where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the_1982235.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/anonymous-1_taking-risks_where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the_1982235.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/913/anonymous-1_taking-risks_where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the_1982235.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Where there are kings, there must be the greatest cowards. For men’s souls are enslaved and refuse to run…” — 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": "“Where there are kings, there must...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the-greatest-cowards-for-men-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-there-are-kings-there-must-be-the-greatest-cowards-for-men-s/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
