---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is something captivating in spirit…"
description: "\"There is something captivating in spirit and intrepidity, to which, we often yield as to a resistless power; nor can he reasonably expect, the confiden..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f08/william-hazlitt-326_captivating_there-is-something-captivating-in-spirit_2570457.jpg"
---

#  There is something captivating in spirit and intrepidity…

![“There is something captivating in spirit and intrepidity, to which, we often yield as to a resistless power; nor can he reasonably expect, the confidence of others who too apparently distrusts himself.” quote by William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f08/william-hazlitt-326_captivating_there-is-something-captivating-in-spirit_2570457.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f08/william-hazlitt-326_captivating_there-is-something-captivating-in-spirit_2570457.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f08/william-hazlitt-326_captivating_there-is-something-captivating-in-spirit_2570457.jpg)

> “There is something captivating in spirit and intrepidity, to which, we often yield as to a resistless power; nor can he reasonably expect, the confidence of others who too apparently distrusts himself.”

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## About This Quote

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

Bold spirit and daring can dominate, yet reliance on others’ confidence is fragile when self‑trust wanes.

**In simple terms:** Boldness can be fragile without self‑trust.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner confidence.

Themes

courage self‑trust leadership

Mood

inspirational cautionary

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- public speaking
- team leadership
- risk taking
- creative projects

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance confidence with humility?
- When does daring become reckless?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on others can undermine autonomy.

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[Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Self confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-confidence/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/)

## Related quotes

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> [A wise man distrusts his neighbor. A wiser man distrusts both his neighbor and himself. The wisest man of all distrusts his government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/a-wise-man-distrusts-his-neighbor-a-wiser-man-distrusts-both-his/)

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[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“I have been corrupted as much as anyone else by the vast number of menial services which our society has grown to expect and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-been-corrupted-as-much-as-anyone-else-by-the-vast-number-of/)

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

> [“The person who distrusts himself has no touchstone for reality - for this touchstone can be only oneself. Such a person interpose between himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-person-who-distrusts-himself-has-no-touchstone-for-reality-for/)

[James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/)

> [He also deeply distrusts vampires, as you had guessed yourself,” Bones added. “Aside from that, all I heard was enough repetitions of ‘how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/he-also-deeply-distrusts-vampires-as-you-had-guessed-yourself-bones/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [The silent majority distrusts people who believe in causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-moore/the-silent-majority-distrusts-people-who-believe-in-causes/)

[Brian Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-moore/)

> [One cannot learn from someone whom one distrusts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/one-cannot-learn-from-someone-whom-one-distrusts/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“The person who distrusts himself has no touchstone for reality—for this touchstone can be only oneself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-person-who-distrusts-himself-has-no-touchstone-for-reality-for-2/)

[James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/)

> [The man who trusts men will make fewer mistakes than he who distrusts them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-man-who-trusts-men-will-make-fewer-mistakes-than-he-who-distrusts/)

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> [I like the idea of democracy. You have to have someone everyone distrusts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-like-the-idea-of-democracy-you-have-to-have-someone-everyone/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Silence is the best tactic for he who distrusts himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/silence-is-the-best-tactic-for-he-who-distrusts-himself/)

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

## More by William Hazlitt

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

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> [We are thankful for good-will rather than for services, for the motive than the quantum of favor received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-thankful-for-good-will-rather-than-for-services-for-the-motive/)

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> [The discussing the characters and foibles of common friends is a great sweetness and cement of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-discussing-the-characters-and-foibles-of-common-friends-is-a/)

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> [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/)

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[Explore all 671 William Hazlitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

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> [A captivating moment was when I realized that people, including myself, were not saying, 'I just bought an item on eBay.' They were saying,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-meeker/a-captivating-moment-was-when-i-realized-that-people-including-myself/)

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