Meaning & Analysis
A certain measure of fear or suspicion is an essential aspect of practical wisdom and careful decision-making.
Insights
Cautious Wisdom
The proverb presents fear or suspicion as necessary components of prudence, highlighting that foresight and wariness can prevent harm or misfortune.
Balance of Trust and Doubt
It suggests that wise living requires balancing openness with a healthy degree of suspicion—trust is valuable, but vigilance ensures safety and security.
Preventive Strategy
Fear, when used judiciously, acts as a safeguard against danger and error. It compels one to anticipate problems and take precautions, turning wariness into a form of proactive self-defense.
Historical Symbolism
Early modern sources, including Dekker, Chapman, and Franklin, repeatedly link suspicion or distrust with safety and wisdom, echoing the long-standing association between cautious fear and prudence in both classical and Renaissance thought.
Cultural and Literary Resonance
Shakespearean drama explores both the virtues and perils of suspicion, reflecting the complexity of prudence: 'Safer than trust too far. Let me still take away the harms I fear.' The motif recurs in proverbs like 'Distrust is the Mother of Safety.'
Psychological Dimensions
Modern psychology acknowledges that appropriate suspicion protects individuals from exploitation or harm, but excessive fear can become debilitating. The proverb enjoins moderation—incorporating fear into wisdom without letting it dominate.
Rhetorical Devices
Parenthesis
The parenthetical 'Suspicion' clarifies the nuance of 'fear,' broadening the proverb’s meaning and inviting interpretive flexibility.
Synecdoche
Fear or suspicion stands for the larger set of prudent behaviors, making the abstract concept concrete and relatable.
Parallelism
The structure 'is one part of prudence' mirrors proverbial constructions that highlight the components of virtue or wisdom, enhancing memorability.
Transcription
Quotations
Wisely to feare, is to be free from feare.
Suspicion is (they say) the first degree Of deepest wisdom.
He that feares, is assured; hee that feares false ground, treads surely.
Feare casteth perils.
Who hath suspition, is seldome in fault.
Distrust is the Mother of Safety, but must keep out of Sight.
He that fears Danger in time, seldome feels it.
Distrust and caution are the parents of security.
Shakespeare Citations
I know not if't be true; Yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety.
Well, you may fear too far. —Safer than trust too far. Let me still take away the harms I fear, Not fear still to be taken.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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