--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man whose fear is greater than his…" description: "\"“A man whose fear is greater than his desire, or a man who has no great, all-consuming passion, or one who has patience and does not oppose, cannot be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/lajos-ecri-255047_desire_a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-des_37247.jpg" --- # A man whose fear is greater than his desire, or a man who… ![“A man whose fear is greater than his desire, or a man who has no great, all-consuming passion, or one who has patience and does not oppose, cannot be a pivotal character.” quote by Lajos Ecri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/lajos-ecri-255047_desire_a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-des_37247.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/lajos-ecri-255047_desire_a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-des_37247.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/lajos-ecri-255047_desire_a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-des_37247.jpg) > ““A man whose fear is greater than his desire, or a man who has no great, all-consuming passion, or one who has patience and does not oppose, cannot be a pivotal character.”” Lajos Ecri ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person lacking desire, passion, or patience cannot become pivotal; fear dominates. **In simple terms:** Fear blocks pivotal roles. Key Takeaway Foster desire and purpose. Themes fear desire passion purpose leadership Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - personal development - creative endeavors Key Concepts existentialism motivation self‑actualization psychology Questions to Reflect On - What drives your core purpose? - How can you manage fear? A Different Perspective Excessive desire may cause recklessness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) ## Related quotes > [“The greater a man's fear, the greater his potential courage”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/the-greater-a-man-s-fear-the-greater-his-potential-courage/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“Mindless fear is greater than mindful fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idowu-koyenikan/mindless-fear-is-greater-than-mindful-fear/) [Idowu Koyenikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idowu-koyenikan/) > [I have now taken a serious task upon myself and I fear a greater one that is in the power of any man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-whitney/i-have-now-taken-a-serious-task-upon-myself-and-i-fear-a-greater-one/) [Eli Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-whitney/) > [“And my fear, too, was different now: not the fear of someone who is still about to go in but the so much greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/and-my-fear-too-was-different-now-not-the-fear-of-someone-who-is/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“I love you' I thought. But I didn't say it. It was not that I feared she would laugh in my face ... My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/i-love-you-i-thought-but-i-didn-t-say-it-it-was-not-that-i-feared-she-2/) [Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/) > [My fear is greater than my faith, but I walk the missionary way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/my-fear-is-greater-than-my-faith-but-i-walk-the-missionary-way/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [The more ups and downs, the more joy I feel. The greater the fear, the greater the happiness I feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-more-ups-and-downs-the-more-joy-i-feel-the-greater-the-fear-the/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“The getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):—this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-getting-that-favour-leads-to-the-apprehension-of-losing-it-and/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [You know what you want. If you're not doing whatever it takes to get it, your fear is greater than your desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-what-you-want-if-you-re-not-doing-whatever-it-takes-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is no greater illusion than fear, no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself, no greater misfortune than having an enemy. Whoever can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/there-is-no-greater-illusion-than-fear-no-greater-wrong-than/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [Fear is a greater evil than evil itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-francis-de-sales/fear-is-a-greater-evil-than-evil-itself/) [Saint Francis de Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-francis-de-sales/) > [“Many times, the thought of fear itself is greater than what it is we fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idowu-koyenikan/many-times-the-thought-of-fear-itself-is-greater-than-what-it-is-we/) [Idowu Koyenikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idowu-koyenikan/) > [“A man who has no fear can do anything he wants, Feliks thought. He had learned that lesson eleven years ago, in a railway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/a-man-who-has-no-fear-can-do-anything-he-wants-feliks-thought-he-had/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [There is the fear that we shan't prove worthy in the eyes of someone who knows us at least as well as we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-the-fear-that-we-shan-t-prove-worthy-in-the-eyes-of-someone/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? Best to live lightly, as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/why-should-man-fear-since-chance-is-all-in-all-for-him-and-he-can/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A man whose fear is greater than his desire, or a man who has no great, all-consuming passion, or one who has patience and does not oppose, cannot be a pivotal character.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lajos Ecri" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-ecri/a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-desire-or-a-man-who-has-no-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-ecri/a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-desire-or-a-man-who-has-no-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/lajos-ecri-255047_desire_a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-des_37247.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/lajos-ecri-255047_desire_a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-des_37247.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/lajos-ecri-255047_desire_a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-des_37247.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man whose fear is greater than his desire, or a man who has no great, all-consuming passion, or one who…” — Lajos Ecri", "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": "Lajos Ecri", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajos-ecri/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A man whose fear is greater...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-ecri/a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-desire-or-a-man-who-has-no-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajos-ecri/a-man-whose-fear-is-greater-than-his-desire-or-a-man-who-has-no-great/#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 } } ] } ```