"When cowardice is made respectable, its followers are without number both from among the weak and the strong; it easily becomes a fashion"

In this quote, Eric Hoffer is alerting about the dangerous repercussions of elevating cowardice as an appropriate quality. He argues that when cowardice is seen as decent, it rapidly gets a big following from both the weak and strong members of society. Cowardice then becomes a stylish pattern that people start to embrace, spreading like wildfire. Hoffer suggests that this trend can grow so powerful that it can weaken the very fabric of society. He is basically saying that when individuals' worry controls their thinking, they become vulnerable to following the course of least resistance, eventually leading to a collapse of stability and morality.