--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Credit means that a certain confidence is…" description: "\"Credit means that a certain confidence is given, and a certain trust reposed. Is that trust justified? And is that confidence wise? These are the cardi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/walter-bagehot-3686_cardinals_credit-means-that-a-certain-confidence-i_673757.jpg" --- # Credit means that a certain confidence is given, and a… ![“Credit means that a certain confidence is given, and a certain trust reposed. Is that trust justified? And is that confidence wise? These are the cardinal questions. To put it more simply credit is a set of promises to pay; will those promises be kept?” quote by Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/walter-bagehot-3686_cardinals_credit-means-that-a-certain-confidence-i_673757.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/walter-bagehot-3686_cardinals_credit-means-that-a-certain-confidence-i_673757.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/274/walter-bagehot-3686_cardinals_credit-means-that-a-certain-confidence-i_673757.jpg) > “Credit means that a certain confidence is given, and a certain trust reposed. Is that trust justified? And is that confidence wise? These are the cardinal questions. To put it more simply credit is a set of promises to pay; will those promises be kept?” [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Credit involves promises of repayment; its value depends on the trustworthiness of the borrower and the soundness of the lender's judgment. **In simple terms:** Credit is a promise to pay that relies on trust. Key Takeaway Assess trust and confidence before extending credit. Themes finance trust risk economics Mood cautious analytical Type advisory reflective When to use this quote - lending decisions - investment analysis - personal loans - business financing Key Concepts creditworthiness moral hazard contractual obligation Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate the reliability of a promise to pay? - What safeguards can prevent overconfidence in credit decisions? A Different Perspective Trust can be misplaced if overconfidence blinds assessment of risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cardinals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cardinals/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Credit Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit-means-5343699/) [Credit Set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit-set-5343701/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Justified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justified/) [Justified Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justified-confidence-5343700/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Trust Justified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust-justified-1363269/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [“You run toward things, not away from them. I don’t know who you are, except you’re not Harry Potter. There’s something about you, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/you-run-toward-things-not-away-from-them-i-don-t-know-who-you-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Long term credit means that the less you can pay, the more you pay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coluche/long-term-credit-means-that-the-less-you-can-pay-the-more-you-pay/) [Coluche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coluche/) > [The cardinal maxim is, that any aid to a present bad Bank is the surest mode of preventing the establishment of a future good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-cardinal-maxim-is-that-any-aid-to-a-present-bad-bank-is-the/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/there-are-not-more-than-five-musical-notes-yet-the-combinations-of/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [In life and business, there are two cardinal sins. The first is to act precipitously without thought and the second is to not act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-icahn/in-life-and-business-there-are-two-cardinal-sins-the-first-is-to-act/) [Carl Icahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-icahn/) > [We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-fought-a-military-war-our-opponents-fought-a-political-one-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Jackdaw sat in the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and Abbot and Prior were there, Many a monk and many a friar, Many a knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/the-jackdaw-sat-in-the-cardinal-s-chair-bishop-and-abbot-and-prior/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [You never know what's going to happen the rest of the way. You can't predict. You don't know what Montreal is going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/you-never-know-what-s-going-to-happen-the-rest-of-the-way-you-can-t/) [Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/) > [If self is a location, so is love: Bearings taken, markings, cardinal points, Options, obstinacies, dug heels, and distance, Here and there and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/if-self-is-a-location-so-is-love-bearings-taken-markings-cardinal/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [I was very surprised when I heard that I had been chosen to receive the James Cardinal Gibbons Award.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-neville/i-was-very-surprised-when-i-heard-that-i-had-been-chosen-to-receive/) [Aaron Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-neville/) > [The first thing I would like to tell you about death is that there is no bigger lie than death. And yet, death appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-first-thing-i-would-like-to-tell-you-about-death-is-that-there-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor; This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/these-cardinals-trifle-with-me-i-abhor-this-dilatory-sloth-and-tricks/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A rhododendron bud lavender-tipped. Soon a glory of blooms to clash with the cardinals and gladden the hummingbirds!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-beard/a-rhododendron-bud-lavender-tipped-soon-a-glory-of-blooms-to-clash/) [Dave Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-beard/) > [The cardinal rule for hosting the Miss USA and Miss Universe beauty pageants is to expect the unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/the-cardinal-rule-for-hosting-the-miss-usa-and-miss-universe-beauty/) [Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/) > [In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing and to keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/in-the-casino-the-cardinal-rule-is-to-keep-them-playing-and-to-keep/) [Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/) ## More by Walter Bagehot > [But of all nations in the world the English are perhaps the least a nation of pure philosophers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/but-of-all-nations-in-the-world-the-english-are-perhaps-the-least-a/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights - the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-sovereign-has-under-a-constitutional-monarchy-such-as-ours-three/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The most essential mental quality for a free people, whose liberty is to be progressive, permanent and on a large scale, is much stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-most-essential-mental-quality-for-a-free-people-whose-liberty-is/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Adventure is the life of commerce, but caution is the life of banking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/adventure-is-the-life-of-commerce-but-caution-is-the-life-of-banking/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [A severe though not unfriendly critic of our institutions said that the cure for admiring the House of Lords was to go and look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/a-severe-though-not-unfriendly-critic-of-our-institutions-said-that/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Nothing is more unpleasant than a virtuous person with a mean mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/nothing-is-more-unpleasant-than-a-virtuous-person-with-a-mean-mind/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [What impresses men is not mind, but the result of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/what-impresses-men-is-not-mind-but-the-result-of-mind/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [An inability to stay quiet is one of the conspicuous failings of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/an-inability-to-stay-quiet-is-one-of-the-conspicuous-failings-of/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Most men of business think "Anyhow this system will probably last my time. It has gone on a long time, and is likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/most-men-of-business-think-anyhow-this-system-will-probably-last-my/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Life is a school of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/life-is-a-school-of-probability/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [When great questions end, little parties begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/when-great-questions-end-little-parties-begin/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The peculiar essence of our banking system is an unprecedented trust between man and man. And when that trust is much weakened by hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-peculiar-essence-of-our-banking-system-is-an-unprecedented-trust/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [The habit of common and continuous speech is a symptom of mental deficiency. It proceeds from not knowing what is going on in other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-habit-of-common-and-continuous-speech-is-a-symptom-of-mental/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Not only does a bureaucracy tend to under-government in point of quality; it tends to over-government in point of quantity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/not-only-does-a-bureaucracy-tend-to-under-government-in-point-of/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [In early times every sort of advantage tends to become a military advantage; such is the best way, then, to keep it alive. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/in-early-times-every-sort-of-advantage-tends-to-become-a-military/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) [Explore all 123 Walter Bagehot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) ## More Cardinals quotes > [In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing and to keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/in-the-casino-the-cardinal-rule-is-to-keep-them-playing-and-to-keep/) [Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/) > [The cardinal rule for hosting the Miss USA and Miss Universe beauty pageants is to expect the unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/the-cardinal-rule-for-hosting-the-miss-usa-and-miss-universe-beauty/) [Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/) > [A rhododendron bud lavender-tipped. Soon a glory of blooms to clash with the cardinals and gladden the hummingbirds!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-beard/a-rhododendron-bud-lavender-tipped-soon-a-glory-of-blooms-to-clash/) [Dave Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-beard/) > [These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor; This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/these-cardinals-trifle-with-me-i-abhor-this-dilatory-sloth-and-tricks/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The first thing I would like to tell you about death is that there is no bigger lie than death. And yet, death appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-first-thing-i-would-like-to-tell-you-about-death-is-that-there-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I was very surprised when I heard that I had been chosen to receive the James Cardinal Gibbons Award.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-neville/i-was-very-surprised-when-i-heard-that-i-had-been-chosen-to-receive/) [Aaron Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-neville/) > [If self is a location, so is love: Bearings taken, markings, cardinal points, Options, obstinacies, dug heels, and distance, Here and there and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/if-self-is-a-location-so-is-love-bearings-taken-markings-cardinal/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [You never know what's going to happen the rest of the way. You can't predict. You don't know what Montreal is going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-hernandez/you-never-know-what-s-going-to-happen-the-rest-of-the-way-you-can-t/) [Keith Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-hernandez/) > [The Jackdaw sat in the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and Abbot and Prior were there, Many a monk and many a friar, Many a knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/the-jackdaw-sat-in-the-cardinal-s-chair-bishop-and-abbot-and-prior/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-fought-a-military-war-our-opponents-fought-a-political-one-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In life and business, there are two cardinal sins. The first is to act precipitously without thought and the second is to not act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-icahn/in-life-and-business-there-are-two-cardinal-sins-the-first-is-to-act/) [Carl Icahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-icahn/) > [There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/there-are-not-more-than-five-musical-notes-yet-the-combinations-of/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Buddhism’s cardinal ethical principle is to avoid causing harm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-fronsdal/buddhism-s-cardinal-ethical-principle-is-to-avoid-causing-harm/) [Gil Fronsdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-fronsdal/) > [Here's what I love: when a great writer turns me into a Jew from Chicago, a lesbian out of South Carolina, or a black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/here-s-what-i-love-when-a-great-writer-turns-me-into-a-jew-from/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing — to be clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-made-up-my-mind-long-ago-to-follow-one-cardinal-rule-in-all-my/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Browse all 230 Cardinals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cardinals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Credit means that a certain confidence is given, and a certain trust reposed. 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