---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fear is a cloak which old men huddle…"
description: "\"Fear is a cloak which old men huddle about their love, as if to keep it warm.\" — William Wordsworth"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/william-wordsworth-403_cloaks_fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-abo_1848743.jpg"
---

#  Fear is a cloak which old men huddle about their love, as…

![“Fear is a cloak which old men huddle about their love, as if to keep it warm.” quote by William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/william-wordsworth-403_cloaks_fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-abo_1848743.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/william-wordsworth-403_cloaks_fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-abo_1848743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/william-wordsworth-403_cloaks_fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-abo_1848743.jpg)

> “Fear is a cloak which old men huddle about their love, as if to keep it warm.”

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

## About This Quote

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

Old men hide behind love, using fear as a protective cover to keep their emotions safe.

**In simple terms:** Fear shields love for the elderly.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge and confront hidden fears.

Themes

fear love age psychology

Mood

melancholic thoughtful

Type

poetic reflective

When to use this quote

- family relationships
- elder care
- personal growth
- mental health

Key Concepts

emotional defense vulnerability

Questions to Reflect On

- What fears are you shielding with love?
- How can you safely express vulnerability?

A Different Perspective

Fear can also motivate positive change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Old men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-men/)

## Related quotes

> [Men huddle in a corner and talk about me, rather than walking up to me and chatting me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-rouass/men-huddle-in-a-corner-and-talk-about-me-rather-than-walking-up-to-me/)

[Laila Rouass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-rouass/)

> [Her hearing was keener than his, and she heard silences he was unaware of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-m-thomas-2/her-hearing-was-keener-than-his-and-she-heard-silences-he-was-unaware/)

D. M. Thomas

> [I’ve always been able to tell a lot about people by whether they ask me about my scar. Most people never ask, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-ve-always-been-able-to-tell-a-lot-about-people-by-whether-they-ask/)

[Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/)

> [If I ever get to go to the moon, I'll probably just stand on the moon and go 'Hmmm, yeah...fair enough...gotta go home now.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/if-i-ever-get-to-go-to-the-moon-i-ll-probably-just-stand-on-the-moon/)

[Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/)

> [I sit at my window gazing The world passes by, nods to me And is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/i-sit-at-my-window-gazing-the-world-passes-by-nods-to-me-and-is-gone/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [Congress is the third branch of government... which makes every one of the 535 members of Congress 1/535th of that important one-third, which works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-pruden/congress-is-the-third-branch-of-government-which-makes-every-one-of/)

[Wesley Pruden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-pruden/)

> [Hmmm, completely a-religious - atheist. I find that people seem to think religion brings morals and appreciation of nature. I actually think it detracts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/hmmm-completely-a-religious-atheist-i-find-that-people-seem-to-think/)

[Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/)

> [The beginning of all wisdom is to look fixedly on clothes, or even with armed eyesight, till they become transparent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-beginning-of-all-wisdom-is-to-look-fixedly-on-clothes-or-even/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [After a few days in hospital, I was thinking, Oh, gee - I raised in a church, Protestant upbringing which I'd rejected as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/after-a-few-days-in-hospital-i-was-thinking-oh-gee-i-raised-in-a/)

[Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/)

> [One night I couldn't sleep and I was up and just Googling random stuff and I'm like, 'Hmmm, PETA.' I saw all the videos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-pickler/one-night-i-couldn-t-sleep-and-i-was-up-and-just-googling-random/)

[Kellie Pickler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-pickler/)

> [What was the best thing before sliced bread?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/what-was-the-best-thing-before-sliced-bread/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [The President? Hmmm, I wonder who that might be? Could it be, perhaps, the sitting two-term incumbent of the same party holding its convention?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fallows/the-president-hmmm-i-wonder-who-that-might-be-could-it-be-perhaps-the/)

[James Fallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fallows/)

> [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [When I cook him dinner and I burn it black, he better say hmmm, I like it like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/when-i-cook-him-dinner-and-i-burn-it-black-he-better-say-hmmm-i-like/)

[Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/)

> [The universe is simmering down, like a giant stew left to cook for four billion years. Sooner or later we won’t be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-bloch/the-universe-is-simmering-down-like-a-giant-stew-left-to-cook-for/)

[Arthur Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-bloch/)

## More by William Wordsworth

> [Spade! Thou art a tool of honor in my hands. I press thee, through a yielding soil, with pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/spade-thou-art-a-tool-of-honor-in-my-hands-i-press-thee-through-a/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Brothers all In honour, as in one community, Scholars and gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/brothers-all-in-honour-as-in-one-community-scholars-and-gentlemen/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [The eye— it cannot choose but see; we cannot bid the ear be still; our bodies feel, where'er they be, against or with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-eye-it-cannot-choose-but-see-we-cannot-bid-the-ear-be-still-our/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“Dreams, books, are each a world; and books, we know, Are a substantial world, both pure and good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/dreams-books-are-each-a-world-and-books-we-know-are-a-substantial/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Now when the primrose makes a splendid show, And lilies face the March-winds in full blow, And humbler growths as moved with one desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/now-when-the-primrose-makes-a-splendid-show-and-lilies-face-the-march/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“Where are your books? - that light bequeathed To beings else forlorn and blind! Up! up! and drink the spirit breathed From dead men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/where-are-your-books-that-light-bequeathed-to-beings-else-forlorn-and/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Knowledge and increase of enduring joy From the great Nature that exists in works Of mighty Poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/knowledge-and-increase-of-enduring-joy-from-the-great-nature-that/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [The common growth of Mother Earth Suffices me,-her tears, her mirth, Her humblest mirth and tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-common-growth-of-mother-earth-suffices-me-her-tears-her-mirth-her/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [And he is oft the wisest manWho is not wise at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/and-he-is-oft-the-wisest-manwho-is-not-wise-at-all/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [The oldest man he seemed that ever wore grey hairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-oldest-man-he-seemed-that-ever-wore-grey-hairs/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“She was a Phantom of delight When first she gleam'd upon my sight; A lovely Apparition, sent To be a moment's ornament: Her eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/she-was-a-phantom-of-delight-when-first-she-gleam-d-upon-my-sight-a/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“If the time should ever come when what is now called science, thus familiarised to men, shall be ready to put on, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/if-the-time-should-ever-come-when-what-is-now-called-science-thus/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Truth takes no account of centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/truth-takes-no-account-of-centuries/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [I have felt a presence that disturbs me with the joy of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime of something far more deeply interfused, whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/i-have-felt-a-presence-that-disturbs-me-with-the-joy-of-elevated/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Like thoughts whose very sweetness yielded proof that they were born for immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/like-thoughts-whose-very-sweetness-yielded-proof-that-they-were-born/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

[Explore all 587 William Wordsworth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

## More Cloaks quotes

> [Life is so full of meaning and of purpose, so full of beauty - beneath its covering - that you will find that earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-giocondo/life-is-so-full-of-meaning-and-of-purpose-so-full-of-beauty-beneath/)

[Giovanni Giocondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-giocondo/)

> [Ambition is all very well, my lad, but you must cloak it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/ambition-is-all-very-well-my-lad-but-you-must-cloak-it/)

[Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/)

> [Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/victory-attained-by-violence-is-tantamount-to-a-defeat-for-it-is/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Good God, man, what is that smell?" He eyed with disgust the doctor's filthy cloak. "Life," answered the doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/good-god-man-what-is-that-smell-he-eyed-with-disgust-the-doctor-s/)

[Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/)

> [“The stars are putting on their glittering belts, They throw around their shoulders cloaks that flash Like a great shadow's last embellishment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-stars-are-putting-on-their-glittering-belts-they-throw-around/)

[wallace stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition, but the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/masters-of-the-bluff-and-masters-of-the-proposition-but-the-enemy-i/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [The craftiest trickery are too short and ragged a cloak to cover a bad heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/the-craftiest-trickery-are-too-short-and-ragged-a-cloak-to-cover-a/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [The night breathed through the apartment like a dark animal. The ticking of a clock. The groan of a floorboard as he slipped out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/the-night-breathed-through-the-apartment-like-a-dark-animal-the/)

[Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/)

> [The purpose of subject matter is to veil technique. The great artist uses the cloak of resemblance to hide the means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-french-sloan/the-purpose-of-subject-matter-is-to-veil-technique-the-great-artist/)

[John French Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-french-sloan/)

> [“First, very little is as striking as a well-worn cloak, billowing lightly about you in the breeze. And second, the best cloaks have innumerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/first-very-little-is-as-striking-as-a-well-worn-cloak-billowing/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [ I was a little jealous of the levitation cloak but I was happy to be comfortable \[on Doctor Strange set\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-was-a-little-jealous-of-the-levitation-cloak-but-i-was-happy-to-be/)

[Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/)

> [The cloak of the past is cut from patches of feeling ,and sewn with rebus threads.Most of the time , the best we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/the-cloak-of-the-past-is-cut-from-patches-of-feeling-and-sewn-with/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [It is only all too easy to understand the requirements contained in God's Word ('Give all your goods to the poor.' 'If anyone strikes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/it-is-only-all-too-easy-to-understand-the-requirements-contained-in/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [Recognize negativism and inferiority attitudes as enemies - do not try to dress them as your friends. you will be tempted to look upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/recognize-negativism-and-inferiority-attitudes-as-enemies-do-not-try/)

[E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/)

> [Book burning is a charming old custom, hallowed by antiquity. It has been practiced for centuries by fascists, communists, atheists, school children, rival authors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armour/book-burning-is-a-charming-old-custom-hallowed-by-antiquity-it-has/)

[Richard Armour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armour/)

Browse all 241 Cloaks quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Fear is a cloak which old men huddle about their love, as if to keep it warm.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Wordsworth"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-about-their-love-as-if-to-keep/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cloaks"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-about-their-love-as-if-to-keep/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/william-wordsworth-403_cloaks_fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-abo_1848743.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/william-wordsworth-403_cloaks_fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-abo_1848743.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60c/william-wordsworth-403_cloaks_fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-abo_1848743.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Fear is a cloak which old men huddle about their love, as if to keep it warm.” — William Wordsworth",
                "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": "William Wordsworth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Fear is a cloak which old...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-about-their-love-as-if-to-keep/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/fear-is-a-cloak-which-old-men-huddle-about-their-love-as-if-to-keep/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
