---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those characters wherein fear…"
description: "\"Those characters wherein fear predominates over hope may apprehend too much from...instances of irregularity. They may conclude too hastily that nature..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/thomas-jefferson-43_character_those-characters-wherein-fear-predominat_1768857.jpg"
---

#  Those characters wherein fear predominates over hope may…

![“Those characters wherein fear predominates over hope may apprehend too much from...instances of irregularity. They may conclude too hastily that nature has formed man insusceptible of any other government than that of force, a conclusion not founded in truth nor experience.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/thomas-jefferson-43_character_those-characters-wherein-fear-predominat_1768857.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/thomas-jefferson-43_character_those-characters-wherein-fear-predominat_1768857.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/thomas-jefferson-43_character_those-characters-wherein-fear-predominat_1768857.jpg)

> “Those characters wherein fear predominates over hope may apprehend too much from...instances of irregularity. They may conclude too hastily that nature has formed man insusceptible of any other government than that of force, a conclusion not founded in truth nor experience.”

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## About This Quote

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

When fear dominates hope, people may irrationally assume force is the only government, a mistaken belief lacking truth or experience.

**In simple terms:** Fear can distort views of governance.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about power and fear.

Themes

politics fear hope

Mood

critical analytical

Type

philosophical historical

When to use this quote

- public debate
- civic education
- leadership training
- policy analysis

Key Concepts

social psychology political philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does fear influence political choices today?
- Can hope reshape governance structures?

A Different Perspective

Historical context may limit modern relevance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-fear-1759419/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Predominates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-predominates-1759420/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instance/) [Irregularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irregularity/) [Irregularity Conclude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irregularity-conclude-1759421/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Man is not made better by being degraded; he is seldom restrained from crime by harsh measures, except the principle of fear predominates in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-dix/man-is-not-made-better-by-being-degraded-he-is-seldom-restrained-from/)

[Dorothea Dix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-dix/)

> [I think the characters Nick and Solomon, the characters on Fear Street,' were definitely further from myself. But I think ultimately I do try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-zukerman/i-think-the-characters-nick-and-solomon-the-characters-on-fear-street/)

[Ashley Zukerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-zukerman/)

> [I express things through characters because I have a fear that my own voice is irritating because that's been said to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bamford/i-express-things-through-characters-because-i-have-a-fear-that-my-own/)

[Maria Bamford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bamford/)

> [Regularity, order, desire for perfection destroy art. Irregularity is the basis of all art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/regularity-order-desire-for-perfection-destroy-art-irregularity-is/)

[Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/)

> [We must cultivate and defend particularity, individuality, and irregularity-life. Human beings do not have a future in the collectivism of bureaucratic states or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/we-must-cultivate-and-defend-particularity-individuality-and/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Close investigation will show that the primary cause of oppression and injustice, of unrighteousness, irregularity and disorder, is the people's lack of religious faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/close-investigation-will-show-that-the-primary-cause-of-oppression/)

[Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/)

> [Irregularity and want of method are only supportable in men of great learning or genius, who are often too full to be exact, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/irregularity-and-want-of-method-are-only-supportable-in-men-of-great/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [One can thus state, without fear of being wrong, that every truly artistic production has been conceived and executed according to the principle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/one-can-thus-state-without-fear-of-being-wrong-that-every-truly/)

[Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/)

> [“That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal: from which it follows that irregularity - that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/that-which-is-not-slightly-distorted-lacks-sensible-appeal-from-which/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [I am convinced that we as a body must conduct a formal and legitimate debate about election irregularities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-tubbs-jones/i-am-convinced-that-we-as-a-body-must-conduct-a-formal-and-legitimate/)

[Stephanie Tubbs Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-tubbs-jones/)

> [I suffered most inconvenience from the difficulty of getting news from the civilised world down river, from the irregularity of receipt of letters, parcels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-walter-bates/i-suffered-most-inconvenience-from-the-difficulty-of-getting-news/)

[Henry Walter Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-walter-bates/)

> [The word itself has another color. It’s not a word with any resonance, although the e was once pronounced. There is only the bump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-word-itself-has-another-color-it-s-not-a-word-with-any-resonance/)

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

> [The instability of our tastes is the occasion of the irregularity of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/the-instability-of-our-tastes-is-the-occasion-of-the-irregularity-of/)

[Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/)

> [Languages are something of a mess. They evolve over centuries through an unplanned, democratic process that leaves them teeming with irregularities, quirks, and words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/languages-are-something-of-a-mess-they-evolve-over-centuries-through/)

[Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/)

> [More and more I like to take a train. I understand why the French prefer it to automobiling it is so much more sociable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/more-and-more-i-like-to-take-a-train-i-understand-why-the-french/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

## More by Thomas Jefferson

> [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Perceiving the order of nature to be that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue, I am willing to hope it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/perceiving-the-order-of-nature-to-be-that-individual-happiness-shall/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one-step-what-will-be-the-next/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The two principles on which our conduct towards the Indians should be founded are justice and fear. After the injuries we have done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-two-principles-on-which-our-conduct-towards-the-indians-should-be/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/nothing-but-free-argument-raillery-and-even-ridicule-will-preserve/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-the-people-are-afraid-of-the-government-that-s-tyranny-but-when/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Explore all 2,098 Thomas Jefferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

[David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

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

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Those characters wherein fear predominates over hope may apprehend too much from...instances of irregularity. They may conclude too hastily that nature has formed man insusceptible of any other government than that of force, a conclusion not founded in truth nor experience.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/those-characters-wherein-fear-predominates-over-hope-may-apprehend/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/those-characters-wherein-fear-predominates-over-hope-may-apprehend/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/thomas-jefferson-43_character_those-characters-wherein-fear-predominat_1768857.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/thomas-jefferson-43_character_those-characters-wherein-fear-predominat_1768857.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/thomas-jefferson-43_character_those-characters-wherein-fear-predominat_1768857.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Those characters wherein fear predominates over hope may apprehend too much from...instances of…” — Thomas Jefferson",
                "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 Jefferson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Those characters wherein fear predominates over...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/those-characters-wherein-fear-predominates-over-hope-may-apprehend/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/those-characters-wherein-fear-predominates-over-hope-may-apprehend/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
