proverb · Words worth keeping
Conscience makes cowards of us all.
Conscience makes cowards of us all.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes conscience turn everyone into cowards. It depicts moral concern as creating hesitation before action.
What the words are saying
All and cowards make an evaluative claim that deserves scrutiny. A useful reading can examine whether a concern has slowed a decision without treating restraint as weakness. Recognising possible harm may be responsible, and hesitation can have reasons other than conscience.
Everyday example
Someone considers whether a moral concern is a reason to revise an intended action rather than dismissing it as fear.
When to use it
Use it to examine hesitation and moral responsibility critically.
What it does not mean
Conscience does not establish cowardice, and not every delay has the same cause.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 464; PDF page 68
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.