The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.

Sockman’s aphorism contrasts two moral pressures created by power. When we are in the minority, social cost and isolation make it harder to speak or act on conviction; courage is proved by holding to principle without the shelter of consensus. When we are in the majority, the temptation shifts: the dominant group can silence, exclude, or patronize dissenters while feeling “right” simply because it is numerous. Tolerance is tested precisely when one has the ability to be intolerant with little penalty. The line thus warns that virtue is situational: bravery is often required by the powerless, while restraint and generosity are demanded of the powerful.