Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.
—Napoleon I (1769–1821) Emperor of France
Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields, or if it beats you sometimes, dare it again and you will succeed.
—William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–63) English Novelist
Courage is required not only in a person’s occasional crucial decision for his own freedom, but in the little hour-to-hour decisions which place the bricks in the structure of his building of himself into a person who acts with freedom and responsibility.
—Rollo May (1909–94) American Philosopher
To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
I teach you the Overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? … The time has come for man to set himself a goal. The time has come to plant the seed to his highest hope.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
He who is brave is free.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
The first step in handling anything is gaining the ability to face it.
—L. Ron Hubbard (1911–86) American Scientologist Religious Leader, Novelist, Author
How, then, find the courage for action? By slipping a little into unconsciousness, spontaneity, instinct which holds one to the earth and dictates the relatively good and useful … By accepting the human condition more simply, and candidly, by dreading troubles less, calculating less, hoping more.
—Henri Frederic Amiel (1821–81) Swiss Moral Philosopher, Poet, Critic
Courage is, on all hands, considered as an essential of high character.
—James Anthony Froude (1818–94) British Historian, Novelist, Biographer, Editor
There is a courage of happiness as well as a courage of sorrow.
—Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949) Belgian Poet, Playwright, Essayist
There is no security on this earth. Only opportunity.
—Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) American Military Leader
Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, “This is what I need”. It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find the strength there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures, followed by wreckage, were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.
—Joseph Campbell (1904–87) American Mythologist, Writer, Lecturer
A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war: wide-awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. Going to knowledge or going to war in any other manner is a mistake, and whoever makes it might never live to regret it.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
We cannot solve life’s problems except by solving them.
—M. Scott Peck (1936–2005) American Psychiatrist, Author
You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
And truly it demands something godlike in him who cast off the common motives of humanity and ventured to trust himself for a taskmaster.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Don’t wait for moods. You’ll accomplish nothing.
—Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) American Novelist, Human Rights Activist
Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
No man can be brave who considers pain the greatest evil of life; or temperate, who regards pleasure as the highest good.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
If you live according to the dictates of nature, you will never be poor; if according to the notions of man, you will never be rich.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Necessity does the work of courage.
—Nicholas Murray Butler (1862–1947) American Philosopher, Diplomat, Educator
Because of a great love, one is courageous.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.
—G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) English Journalist, Novelist, Essayist, Poet
True courage is more a matter of intellect than of feeling.
—Steve Pavlina (b.1971) American Motivational Speaker
A brave arm makes a short sword long.
—Unknown
Little by little, wean yourself.This is the gist of what I have to say.
—Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207–73) Persian Muslim Mystic
Men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith