---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul…"
description: "\"Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling to risk being deceived.\" — Luc de Clapiers"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/luc-de-clapiers-2035_being-deceived_excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul_41801.png"
---

#  Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite…

![“Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling to risk being deceived.” quote by Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/luc-de-clapiers-2035_being-deceived_excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul_41801.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/luc-de-clapiers-2035_being-deceived_excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul_41801.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/luc-de-clapiers-2035_being-deceived_excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul_41801.png)

> “Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling to risk being deceived.”

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Excessive distrust harms more than trust; fear of deception prevents valuable engagement.

**In simple terms:** Distrust limits usefulness.

Key Takeaway

Balance trust and risk.

Themes

trust risk human interaction psychology vulnerability

Mood

cautious reflective thoughtful

Type

aphor advice

When to use this quote

- leadership decisions
- personal relationships
- team collaboration
- negotiations

Key Concepts

trust dynamics social cost

Practical Applications

- risk assessment frameworks
- trust-building workshops

Questions to Reflect On

- When does caution become counterproductive?
- How can one cultivate healthy skepticism?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being deceived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-deceived/) [Deceived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceived/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Distrust Hurtfjul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust-hurtfjul-458341/) [Excessive Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excessive-distrust-458340/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-useless-458343/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Unwilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwilling/) [Unwilling Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwilling-risk-458342/) [Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useless/)

## Related quotes

> [“One of the main reasons people fail to reach their full potential is because they are unwilling to risk anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/one-of-the-main-reasons-people-fail-to-reach-their-full-potential-is/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [“I was messed up when it came to relationships, not happy with what I told myself I wanted, yet unwilling to take the risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-h-kolee/i-was-messed-up-when-it-came-to-relationships-not-happy-with-what-i/)

[S.H. Kolee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-h-kolee/)

> [Where is he who seeing a thousand men useless and unhappy, and making the whole region forlorn by their inaction, and conscious himself of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/where-is-he-who-seeing-a-thousand-men-useless-and-unhappy-and-making/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [One principal reason why men are so often useless is that they neglect their own profession or calling, and divide and shift their attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathanael-emmons/one-principal-reason-why-men-are-so-often-useless-is-that-they/)

[Nathanael Emmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathanael-emmons/)

> [Every industrious man, in every lawful calling, is a useful man. And one principal reason why men are so often useless is that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-industrious-man-in-every-lawful-calling-is-a-useful-man-and-one/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“Discovery is dangerous . . . but so is life. A man unwilling to take risk is doomed never to learn, never to grow, never to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/discovery-is-dangerous-but-so-is-life-a-man-unwilling-to-take-risk-is/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [I was headed for the fantastic lights. No doubt about it. Could it be that I was being deceived? Not likely. I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-was-headed-for-the-fantastic-lights-no-doubt-about-it-could-it-be/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [I never listen to calumnies, because if they are untrue I run the risk of being deceived, and if they be true, of hating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/i-never-listen-to-calumnies-because-if-they-are-untrue-i-run-the-risk/)

[Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/)

> [Men impose deception on women and punish them for being deceived, force them down to the lowest level and punish them for falling so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/men-impose-deception-on-women-and-punish-them-for-being-deceived/)

[Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/)

> [There is no worse mistake in public leadership than to hold out false hopes soon to be swept away. The British people can face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/there-is-no-worse-mistake-in-public-leadership-than-to-hold-out-false/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Dissimulation was his masterpiece; in which he so much excelled that men were not ashamed of being deceived but twice by him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/dissimulation-was-his-masterpiece-in-which-he-so-much-excelled-that/)

[Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/)

> [ The consequence was a positively fanatic \[orgy of\] freethinking coupled with the impression that youth is being deceived by the state through lies; it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-consequence-was-a-positively-fanatic-orgy-of-freethinking-coupled/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-purpose-of-studying-economics-is-not-to-acquire-a-set-of-ready/)

[Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/)

> [People read a lot of stories about witches, fairies, paranormals, and children possessed by evil spirits. They go to films showing rituals featuring pentagrams,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-read-a-lot-of-stories-about-witches-fairies-paranormals-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-sometimes-necessary-to-play-the-fool-to-avoid-being-deceived-by/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

## More by Luc de Clapiers

> [Great men undertake great things because they are great; fools, because they think them easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/great-men-undertake-great-things-because-they-are-great-fools-because/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [You must rouse into people's consciousness their own prudence and strength, if you want to raise their character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/you-must-rouse-into-people-s-consciousness-their-own-prudence-and/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [To achieve great things we must live as though we were never going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/to-achieve-great-things-we-must-live-as-though-we-were-never-going-to/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [There are those who are so scrupulously afraid of doing wrong that they seldom venture to do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/there-are-those-who-are-so-scrupulously-afraid-of-doing-wrong-that/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-most-absurd-and-reckless-aspirations-have-sometimes-led-to/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [We are very wrong to think that some fault or other can exclude virtue, or to consider the alliance of good and evil as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-are-very-wrong-to-think-that-some-fault-or-other-can-exclude/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Men are not to be judged by what they do not know, but by what they know, and by the manner in which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/men-are-not-to-be-judged-by-what-they-do-not-know-but-by-what-they/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Men dissimulate their dearest, most constant, and most virtuous inclination from weakness and a fear of being condemned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/men-dissimulate-their-dearest-most-constant-and-most-virtuous/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [To withdraw ourselves from the law of the strong, we have found ourselves obliged to submit to justice. Justice or might, we must choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/to-withdraw-ourselves-from-the-law-of-the-strong-we-have-found/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [None are more liable to mistakes than those who act only on second thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/none-are-more-liable-to-mistakes-than-those-who-act-only-on-second/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [The mind is the soul's eye, not its source of power. That lies in the heart, in other words, in the passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/the-mind-is-the-soul-s-eye-not-its-source-of-power-that-lies-in-the/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [It is easier to say new things than to reconcile those which have already been said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/it-is-easier-to-say-new-things-than-to-reconcile-those-which-have/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Those who can bear all can dare all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/those-who-can-bear-all-can-dare-all/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [It is of no use to possess a lively wit if it is not of the right proportion: the perfection of a clock is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/it-is-of-no-use-to-possess-a-lively-wit-if-it-is-not-of-the-right/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Magnanimity will not consider the prudence of its motives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/magnanimity-will-not-consider-the-prudence-of-its-motives/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

[Explore all 190 Luc de Clapiers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

## More Being deceived quotes

> [It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-sometimes-necessary-to-play-the-fool-to-avoid-being-deceived-by/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [People read a lot of stories about witches, fairies, paranormals, and children possessed by evil spirits. They go to films showing rituals featuring pentagrams,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-read-a-lot-of-stories-about-witches-fairies-paranormals-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/the-purpose-of-studying-economics-is-not-to-acquire-a-set-of-ready/)

[Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/)

> [ The consequence was a positively fanatic \[orgy of\] freethinking coupled with the impression that youth is being deceived by the state through lies; it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-consequence-was-a-positively-fanatic-orgy-of-freethinking-coupled/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Dissimulation was his masterpiece; in which he so much excelled that men were not ashamed of being deceived but twice by him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/dissimulation-was-his-masterpiece-in-which-he-so-much-excelled-that/)

[Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/)

> [There is no worse mistake in public leadership than to hold out false hopes soon to be swept away. The British people can face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/there-is-no-worse-mistake-in-public-leadership-than-to-hold-out-false/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Men impose deception on women and punish them for being deceived, force them down to the lowest level and punish them for falling so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/men-impose-deception-on-women-and-punish-them-for-being-deceived/)

[Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/)

> [I never listen to calumnies, because if they are untrue I run the risk of being deceived, and if they be true, of hating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-de-montesquieu/i-never-listen-to-calumnies-because-if-they-are-untrue-i-run-the-risk/)

[Baron de Montesquieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-de-montesquieu/)

> [I was headed for the fantastic lights. No doubt about it. Could it be that I was being deceived? Not likely. I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-was-headed-for-the-fantastic-lights-no-doubt-about-it-could-it-be/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-it-sounds-too-good-to-be-true-it-probably-is/)

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

> [It is vain to find fault with those arts of deceiving wherein men find pleasure to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/it-is-vain-to-find-fault-with-those-arts-of-deceiving-wherein-men/)

[John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/)

> [The deeper problems connected with advertising come less from the unscrupulousness of our 'deceivers' than from our pleasure in being deceived, less from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marston-bates/the-deeper-problems-connected-with-advertising-come-less-from-the/)

[Marston Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marston-bates/)

> [There are neither winners nor losers; there are only stages that must be gone through. When the human heart understands this, it is free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/there-are-neither-winners-nor-losers-there-are-only-stages-that-must/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Being deceived into thinking the perks of slavery are a good thing, we can easily aquire a preference for chains and a taste for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-green/being-deceived-into-thinking-the-perks-of-slavery-are-a-good-thing-we/)

[Dennis Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-green/)

> [I hope you become comfortable with the use of logic without being deceived into concluding that logic will inevitably lead you to the correct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/i-hope-you-become-comfortable-with-the-use-of-logic-without-being/)

[Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/)

[Browse all 33 Being deceived quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-deceived/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling to risk being deceived.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Luc de Clapiers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul-than-its-opposite-most-men/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Being deceived"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul-than-its-opposite-most-men/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/luc-de-clapiers-2035_being-deceived_excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul_41801.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/luc-de-clapiers-2035_being-deceived_excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul_41801.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/luc-de-clapiers-2035_being-deceived_excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul_41801.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling…” — Luc de Clapiers",
                "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": "Luc de Clapiers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul-than-its-opposite-most-men/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul-than-its-opposite-most-men/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
