--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The coward threatens when he is safe." description: "\"The coward threatens when he is safe.\" — Johann Von Goethe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/johann-von-goethe-103947_coward_the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe-800_800427.jpg" --- # The coward threatens when he is safe. ![“The coward threatens when he is safe.” quote by Johann Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/johann-von-goethe-103947_coward_the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe-800_800427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/johann-von-goethe-103947_coward_the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe-800_800427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/johann-von-goethe-103947_coward_the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe-800_800427.jpg) > “The coward threatens when he is safe.” [Johann Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-von-goethe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When someone feels safe, they may act cowardly, using threats as a shield. **In simple terms:** Safety can breed cowardice. Key Takeaway Avoid threats; act bravely. Themes cowardice security threats confidence behavior Mood cautious analytical Type Coward:1 Cowardice:1 Safe:0 Threatens:1 Coward Threatens:0 Threatens Safe:0 When to use this quote - conflict resolution - leadership training - personal growth - team management Key Concepts psychology of fear social dynamics personal integrity Questions to Reflect On - Why do safe people threaten? - How can we foster true confidence? A Different Perspective Threats may be misunderstood as confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coward/) [Coward Threatens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coward-threatens-5709005/) [Cowardice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardice/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Threatens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatens/) [Threatens Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatens-safe-5709006/) ## Related quotes > [The coward only threatens when he is safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-coward-only-threatens-when-he-is-safe/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [True valor lies in the middle between cowardice and rashness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-cowardice-and-rashness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“Cowardice can imitate heroism if given no where to flee”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/cowardice-can-imitate-heroism-if-given-no-where-to-flee/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [No cowardice, no sin, no crime, no weakness - the rest will come of itself. . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/no-cowardice-no-sin-no-crime-no-weakness-the-rest-will-come-of-itself/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [It's praiseworthy to be brave and fearless, but it's sometimes better to be a coward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-praiseworthy-to-be-brave-and-fearless-but-it-s-sometimes-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They say cowardice is infectious; but then argument is, on the other hand, a great emboldener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-cowardice-is-infectious-but-then-argument-is-on-the-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The greatest braggarts are usually the biggest cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-greatest-braggarts-are-usually-the-biggest-cowards/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“Tom's cowardice was as huge as his courage, as it must be in great men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/tom-s-cowardice-was-as-huge-as-his-courage-as-it-must-be-in-great-men/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Cowardice... is almost always simply a lack of ability to suspend functioning of the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/cowardice-is-almost-always-simply-a-lack-of-ability-to-suspend/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I'm a hero wid coward's legs, I'm a hero from the waist up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/i-m-a-hero-wid-coward-s-legs-i-m-a-hero-from-the-waist-up/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) > [The biggest coward is a man who awakens a womans love with no intention of loving her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-coward-is-a-man-who-awakens-a-womans-love-with-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [“People run away from the love game because they know they won't win the race.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/people-run-away-from-the-love-game-because-they-know-they-won-t-win/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [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/) > [“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/) ## More by Johann Von Goethe > [“Everything in the world may be endured except continued prosperity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-von-goethe/everything-in-the-world-may-be-endured-except-continued-prosperity/) [Johann von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-von-goethe/) [Explore all 2 Johann Von Goethe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-von-goethe/) ## 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": "The coward threatens when he is safe.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Johann Von Goethe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-von-goethe/the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coward" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-von-goethe/the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/johann-von-goethe-103947_coward_the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe-800_800427.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/johann-von-goethe-103947_coward_the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe-800_800427.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dba/johann-von-goethe-103947_coward_the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe-800_800427.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The coward threatens when he is safe.” — Johann Von Goethe", "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": "Johann Von Goethe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-von-goethe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The coward threatens when he is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-von-goethe/the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-von-goethe/the-coward-threatens-when-he-is-safe/#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 } } ] } ```