--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who must needs have company, must…" description: "\"He who must needs have company, must needs have sometimes bad company.\" — Thomas Browne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/thomas-browne-2006_bad-company_he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-need_1489131.png" --- # He who must needs have company, must needs have sometimes… ![“He who must needs have company, must needs have sometimes bad company.” quote by Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/thomas-browne-2006_bad-company_he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-need_1489131.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/thomas-browne-2006_bad-company_he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-need_1489131.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/thomas-browne-2006_bad-company_he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-need_1489131.png) > “He who must needs have company, must needs have sometimes bad company.” [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often seek companionship, but sometimes the company they keep can be detrimental. **In simple terms:** Company can be good or bad. Key Takeaway Choose companions wisely. Themes relationships judgment social influence Mood thoughtful cautious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - network building - career mentorship - personal relationships Key Concepts ethics human behavior friendship Questions to Reflect On - Who influences you positively? - When have you learned from a bad companion? A Different Perspective Not all bad company is harmful; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-company/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [But a man needs company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/but-a-man-needs-company/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Silence, because not everything can be expressed in words, Words, because silence needs company...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minhal-mehdi/silence-because-not-everything-can-be-expressed-in-words-words/) [Minhal Mehdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minhal-mehdi/) > [The NWA has money, it could have enough talent, and it has the resources of TBS. It just needs someone to give the company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cornette/the-nwa-has-money-it-could-have-enough-talent-and-it-has-the/) [Jim Cornette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cornette/) > [The tech company needs to win in the war for talent. This means much greater focus on the employee, not simply as cog in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-edelman/the-tech-company-needs-to-win-in-the-war-for-talent-this-means-much/) [Richard Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-edelman/) > [Just as a company needs a strategy to capture market share, a company needs a strategy to encourage actions that reflect their core values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-blumenthal/just-as-a-company-needs-a-strategy-to-capture-market-share-a-company/) [Neil Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-blumenthal/) > [The leader of a company needs to have a decision tree in his head - if this happens, we go this way, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/the-leader-of-a-company-needs-to-have-a-decision-tree-in-his-head-if/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [Clearly, every company needs a leader. That's an important part of being the CEO of the company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-kumar/clearly-every-company-needs-a-leader-that-s-an-important-part-of/) [Sanjay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-kumar/) > [A company needs to have good business reflexes, to be able to marshal its forces in a crisis or in response to any unplanned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/a-company-needs-to-have-good-business-reflexes-to-be-able-to-marshal/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Every company needs to have a skunkworks, to try things that have a high probability of failing. You try to minimize failure, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/every-company-needs-to-have-a-skunkworks-to-try-things-that-have-a/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [To stay vigorous, a company needs to provide a stimulating and challenging environment for all these types: the dreamer, the entrepreneur, the professional manager,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/to-stay-vigorous-a-company-needs-to-provide-a-stimulating-and/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [“• Besides fixed assets, an industrial company needs to manage working capital efficiently.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-dorsey/besides-fixed-assets-an-industrial-company-needs-to-manage-working/) Pat Dorsey > [“Every company needs an exit strategy and an exit plan. Ideally, the exit strategy should be agreed upon by the founders before the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-peters/every-company-needs-an-exit-strategy-and-an-exit-plan-ideally-the/) [Basil Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-peters/) > [Being alone sometimes is better than being with bad company and still be alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silence/being-alone-sometimes-is-better-than-being-with-bad-company-and-still/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silence/) > [I got the idea for the song 'Bad Company' when I saw a poster for the Jeff Bridges movie, and it reminded of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-got-the-idea-for-the-song-bad-company-when-i-saw-a-poster-for-the/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [“For those people whose association is harmful to the Self (kusangi), there is no better respectful fear (taap) than that of satsang (spiritual company).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/for-those-people-whose-association-is-harmful-to-the-self-kusangi/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) ## More by Thomas Browne > [Be substantially great in thyself, and more than thou appearest unto others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/be-substantially-great-in-thyself-and-more-than-thou-appearest-unto/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Not to be content with Life is the unsatisfactory state of those which destroy themselves; who being afraid to live, run blindly upon their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/not-to-be-content-with-life-is-the-unsatisfactory-state-of-those/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“It is we that are blind, not Fortune: because our eye is too dim to discover the mystery of her effects, we foolishly paint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/it-is-we-that-are-blind-not-fortune-because-our-eye-is-too-dim-to/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“That there must be heresies is true, not onely in our Church, but also in any other; even in Doctrines hereticall there will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/that-there-must-be-heresies-is-true-not-onely-in-our-church-but-also/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Think it more satisfactory to live richly than die rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/think-it-more-satisfactory-to-live-richly-than-die-rich/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Think not thy time short in this world, since the world itself is not long. The created world is but a small parenthesis in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/think-not-thy-time-short-in-this-world-since-the-world-itself-is-not/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Let him have the key of thy heart, who hath the lock of his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/let-him-have-the-key-of-thy-heart-who-hath-the-lock-of-his-own/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“There is a musicke where-ever there is a harmony, order or proportion; and thus farre we may maintain the musick of the spheares; for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/there-is-a-musicke-where-ever-there-is-a-harmony-order-or-proportion/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Death is the cure for all diseases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/death-is-the-cure-for-all-diseases/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Lord deliver me from myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/lord-deliver-me-from-myself/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [The mortalist enemy unto knowledge, and that which hath done the greatest execution unto truth, has been a preemptory adhesion unto authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/the-mortalist-enemy-unto-knowledge-and-that-which-hath-done-the/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [To ruminate upon evils, to make critical notes upon injuries, and be too acute in their apprehensions, is to add unto our own tortures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/to-ruminate-upon-evils-to-make-critical-notes-upon-injuries-and-be/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [That miracles have been, I do believe; that they may yet be wrought by the living, I do not deny; but I have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/that-miracles-have-been-i-do-believe-that-they-may-yet-be-wrought-by/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [We all labour against our own cure, for death is the cure of all diseases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/we-all-labour-against-our-own-cure-for-death-is-the-cure-of-all/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) [Explore all 192 Thomas Browne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) ## More Bad company quotes > [“For those people whose association is harmful to the Self (kusangi), there is no better respectful fear (taap) than that of satsang (spiritual company).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/for-those-people-whose-association-is-harmful-to-the-self-kusangi/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Being alone sometimes is better than being with bad company and still be alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silence/being-alone-sometimes-is-better-than-being-with-bad-company-and-still/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silence/) > [I got the idea for the song 'Bad Company' when I saw a poster for the Jeff Bridges movie, and it reminded of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-got-the-idea-for-the-song-bad-company-when-i-saw-a-poster-for-the/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [Loneliness is better than bad company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loneliness-is-better-than-bad-company/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't hear things that are bad about your company unless you ask. It is easy to hear good tidings, but you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-watson/you-don-t-hear-things-that-are-bad-about-your-company-unless-you-ask/) [Thomas J. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-watson/) > [What would happen to a body that was starved, suffocated and then forced to drink poison? It would first suffer and then die an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/what-would-happen-to-a-body-that-was-starved-suffocated-and-then/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [ “Competition is a bad company \[kusang, the company which will bring our downfall\].” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/competition-is-a-bad-company-kusang-the-company-which-will-bring-our/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“Plantations of good morals are easily captivated, colonized and corrupted by the pests of a bad company. Spray away bad companies and you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/plantations-of-good-morals-are-easily-captivated-colonized-and/) [israelmore ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Sometimes we're better off alone rather than with bad company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-re-better-off-alone-rather-than-with-bad-company/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Much harm may result from bad company and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse rather than what is better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-teresa-of-avila/much-harm-may-result-from-bad-company-and-we-are-inclined-by-nature/) [Saint Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-teresa-of-avila/) > [An honest heart is not to be trusted with itself in bad company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/an-honest-heart-is-not-to-be-trusted-with-itself-in-bad-company/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [When we formed Bad Company, I looked around and asked, 'Who is the biggest rock band in the world?' The answer was undoubtedly Led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/when-we-formed-bad-company-i-looked-around-and-asked-who-is-the/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [To be of good quality, you have to excuse yourself from the presence of shallow and callow minded individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-of-good-quality-you-have-to-excuse-yourself-from-the-presence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Announcing the intended arrival of some people is kind of like issuing a hurricane warning. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/announcing-the-intended-arrival-of-some-people-is-kind-of-like/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/associate-yourself-with-people-of-good-quality-for-it-is-better-to-be/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) [Browse all 78 Bad company quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-company/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He who must needs have company, must needs have sometimes bad company.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Browne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-needs-have-sometimes-bad-company/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad company" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-needs-have-sometimes-bad-company/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/thomas-browne-2006_bad-company_he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-need_1489131.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/thomas-browne-2006_bad-company_he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-need_1489131.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/thomas-browne-2006_bad-company_he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-need_1489131.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who must needs have company, must needs have sometimes bad company.” — Thomas Browne", "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": "Thomas Browne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He who must needs have company,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-needs-have-sometimes-bad-company/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/he-who-must-needs-have-company-must-needs-have-sometimes-bad-company/#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 } } ] } ```