--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cowardice encroaches fast upon such as…" description: "\"Cowardice encroaches fast upon such as spend their lives in company of persons higher than themselves.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/samuel-johnson-50_business_cowardice-encroaches-fast-upon-such-as-s_2633938.png" --- # Cowardice encroaches fast upon such as spend their lives… ![“Cowardice encroaches fast upon such as spend their lives in company of persons higher than themselves.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/samuel-johnson-50_business_cowardice-encroaches-fast-upon-such-as-s_2633938.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/samuel-johnson-50_business_cowardice-encroaches-fast-upon-such-as-s_2633938.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/samuel-johnson-50_business_cowardice-encroaches-fast-upon-such-as-s_2633938.png) > “Cowardice encroaches fast upon such as spend their lives in company of persons higher than themselves.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cowardice spreads quickly among those who surround themselves with superiors. **In simple terms:** Fear grows when you’re always around more powerful people. Key Takeaway Avoid letting fear dictate actions. Themes fear social influence insecurity power dynamics Mood cautious thoughtful Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - workplace - academic settings - social circles - political environments Key Concepts psychology of fear social comparison authority pressure Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your fear in such settings? - How can you turn admiration into motivation? A Different Perspective Being near powerful people can also inspire confidence, not just fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Cowardice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardice/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [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/) > [We know how often in our lives through laziness and cowardice we give up the battle and try to hypnotise our minds into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-know-how-often-in-our-lives-through-laziness-and-cowardice-we-give/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; 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