--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Conscience gets a lot of credit that…" description: "\"Conscience gets a lot of credit that really belongs to cowardice.\" — Evan Esar" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/evan-esar-1689_conscience_conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-rea_2662105.jpg" --- # Conscience gets a lot of credit that really belongs to… ![“Conscience gets a lot of credit that really belongs to cowardice.” quote by Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/evan-esar-1689_conscience_conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-rea_2662105.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/evan-esar-1689_conscience_conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-rea_2662105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/evan-esar-1689_conscience_conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-rea_2662105.jpg) > “Conscience gets a lot of credit that really belongs to cowardice.” [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conscience often masks cowardice, granting false moral credit. **In simple terms:** Conscience can hide fear. Key Takeaway Question true motives behind conscience. Themes morality fear cowardice Mood critical analytical Type philosophical skeptical When to use this quote - leadership - politics - personal accountability - social movements Key Concepts psychology ethics self‑deception Questions to Reflect On - When does conscience become an excuse? - How to differentiate courage from fear? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on conscience may stifle action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Cowardice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardice/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) ## Related quotes > [Pay attention to the voice within. . . . Sometimes the voice of your conscience gets drowned out by crowd noise or by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/pay-attention-to-the-voice-within-sometimes-the-voice-of-your/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [It's my own conscience that gets to me more so than anybody thinking about me. I think too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaunie-o-neal/it-s-my-own-conscience-that-gets-to-me-more-so-than-anybody-thinking/) [Shaunie O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaunie-o-neal/) > [Conscience gets expensive, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul/conscience-gets-expensive-doesn-t-it/) [Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul/) > [Anyone who has lost something they thought was theirs forever finally comes to realise that nothing really belongs to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/anyone-who-has-lost-something-they-thought-was-theirs-forever-finally-2/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > ['I don't know why I've born and what for but I really know you really belongs to me otherwise at least I could remove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-singh/i-don-t-know-why-i-ve-born-and-what-for-but-i-really-know-you-really/) [Raj Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-singh/) > [I feel most at home in the United States, not because it is intrinsically a more interesting country, but because no one really belongs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/i-feel-most-at-home-in-the-united-states-not-because-it-is/) [Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/) > [Rock n' roll really belongs to all America. It really doesn't belong to one city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmet-ertegun/rock-n-roll-really-belongs-to-all-america-it-really-doesn-t-belong-to/) [Ahmet Ertegun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmet-ertegun/) > [You can never lose anything that really belongs to you, and you can't keep that which belongs to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/you-can-never-lose-anything-that-really-belongs-to-you-and-you-can-t/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [We must remember that nothing in this world really belongs to us. At best, we are merely borrowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/we-must-remember-that-nothing-in-this-world-really-belongs-to-us-at/) [Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/) > [Conscience and cowardice are really the same things, Basil. Conscience is the trade-name of the firm. That is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/conscience-and-cowardice-are-really-the-same-things-basil-conscience/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) > [A corporation has all the powers and privileges of an individual: all it lacks is a conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/a-corporation-has-all-the-powers-and-privileges-of-an-individual-all/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [God expects from men something more than at such times, and that it were much to be wished for the credit of their religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-south/god-expects-from-men-something-more-than-at-such-times-and-that-it/) [Robert South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-south/) > [The unpreparedness of the educated classes, the lack of practical links between them and the mass of the people, their laziness, and, let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/the-unpreparedness-of-the-educated-classes-the-lack-of-practical/) [Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/) > [“What is cowardice in the young is wisdom in the old, but all the same one can be ashamed of wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/what-is-cowardice-in-the-young-is-wisdom-in-the-old-but-all-the-same/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) ## More by Evan Esar > [Life is a battle of wits, and many people have to fight it unarmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-battle-of-wits-and-many-people-have-to-fight-it-unarmed/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [A vacation is like love - anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/a-vacation-is-like-love-anticipated-with-pleasure-experienced-with/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Las Vegas is a resort whose two chief sources of income are seven and eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/las-vegas-is-a-resort-whose-two-chief-sources-of-income-are-seven-and/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [It's not the loss of life that makes the death bitter -- it's the obituaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/it-s-not-the-loss-of-life-that-makes-the-death-bitter-it-s-the/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [“Let those who want to, arrive Let those who want to, leave Let those who want to, stay With out harm to me or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/let-those-who-want-to-arrive-let-those-who-want-to-leave-let-those/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [The only medicine that needs no prescription, has no unpleasant taste, and costs no money is laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/the-only-medicine-that-needs-no-prescription-has-no-unpleasant-taste/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [The word impossible is peculiar because if you examine it closely, you'll find that most of it is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/the-word-impossible-is-peculiar-because-if-you-examine-it-closely-you/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Walking isn't a lost art: one must, by some means, get to the garage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/walking-isn-t-a-lost-art-one-must-by-some-means-get-to-the-garage/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [There are two kinds of leaders: those who are interested in the flock, and those who are interested in the fleece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/there-are-two-kinds-of-leaders-those-who-are-interested-in-the-flock/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [The man who avoids debt doesn't have to worry about avoiding his creditors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/the-man-who-avoids-debt-doesn-t-have-to-worry-about-avoiding-his/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [The diamond is the hardest stone -- to get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/the-diamond-is-the-hardest-stone-to-get/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [The lecturer who is full of his subject is usually very slow in emptying himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/the-lecturer-who-is-full-of-his-subject-is-usually-very-slow-in/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Etymology: from Latin ad-, "to" + visum, past participle of videre, "to see". Advice is what you get from your parents when you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/etymology-from-latin-ad-to-visum-past-participle-of-videre-to-see/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [A husband may forget where he went on his honeymoon, but he never forgets why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/a-husband-may-forget-where-he-went-on-his-honeymoon-but-he-never/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [You can always tell the golfer who's winning: he's the one who keeps telling his opponent that it's only a game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/you-can-always-tell-the-golfer-who-s-winning-he-s-the-one-who-keeps/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) [Explore all 215 Evan Esar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) ## More Conscience quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) Rabelaise > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [My morals are important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/my-morals-are-important-to-me/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) [Browse all 3,490 Conscience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Conscience gets a lot of credit that really belongs to cowardice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Evan Esar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-really-belongs-to-cowardice/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conscience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-really-belongs-to-cowardice/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/evan-esar-1689_conscience_conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-rea_2662105.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/evan-esar-1689_conscience_conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-rea_2662105.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/evan-esar-1689_conscience_conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-rea_2662105.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Conscience gets a lot of credit that really belongs to cowardice.” — Evan Esar", "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": "Evan Esar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Conscience gets a lot of credit...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-really-belongs-to-cowardice/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/conscience-gets-a-lot-of-credit-that-really-belongs-to-cowardice/#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 } } ] } ```