Courage is the lovely virtue – the rib of Himself that God sent down to His children.
—J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) Scottish Novelist, Dramatist
One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
—Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American Poet
Away with the world’s opinion of you—it’s always unsettled and divided.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
As for courage and will—we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.
—Andre Norton (1912–2005) American Author of Science Fiction, Fantasy
To say a person is a coward has no more meaning than to say he is lazy: It simply tells us that some vital potentiality is unrealized or blocked.
—Rollo May (1909–94) American Philosopher
Facing it, always facing it, that’s the way to get through. Face it.
—Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) Polish-born British Novelist
A coward’s fear can make a coward valiant.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
It is the perpetual dread of fear, the fear of fear, that shapes the face of a brave man.
—Georges Bernanos (1888–1948) French Novelist, Polemicist
Freedom lies in being bold.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
Courage is spelled I-N-T-E-G-R-I-T-Y.
—Robert H. Schuller (1926–2015) American Christian Televangelist, Author
Bravery never goes out of style.
—William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–63) English Novelist
Fortune and love favor the brave.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (c.43 BCE–c.18 CE) Roman Poet
Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.
—John F. Kennedy (1917–63) American Head of State, Journalist
A rule of thumb for a warrior is that he makes his decisions so carefully that nothing that may happen as a result of them can surprise him, much less drain his power.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
What you RESIST, PERSISTS. If you take ownership and deal with things that are bothering you, then, in the very process of dealing with them they very often will go away.
—Indian Proverb
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
None are so blind as those who will not see.
—Unknown
Tender-handed stroke a nettle, and it stings you for your pains; Grasp it like a man of mettle, and it soft as silk remains.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he who loses his courage loses all.
—Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) Spanish Novelist
That’s a valiant flea that dares eat his breakfast on the lip of a lion.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
No mirror ever became iron again; No bread ever became wheat; No ripened grape ever became sour fruit. Mature yourself and be secure from a change for the worse. Become the light.
—Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207–73) Persian Muslim Mystic
Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul.
—Anonymous
There is, in addition to a courage with which men die, a courage by which men must live.
—John F. Kennedy (1917–63) American Head of State, Journalist
If you care about something, you have to protect it—if you’re lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.
—John Irving (b.1942) American Modern Novelist
He that handles a nettle tenderly is soonest stung.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s heaven on earth.
—William Watson Purkey (1929–2024) American Educator, Advocate
Courage is not limited to the battlefield or the Indianapolis 500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody’s looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you’re misunderstood.
—Unknown
Write on your doors the saying wise and old. “Be bold!” and everywhere—“Be bold; Be not too bold!” Yet better the excess Than the defect; better the more than less sustaineth him and the steadiness of his mind beareth him out.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) American Poet, Educator, Academic
We must constantly build dykes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–68) American Civil Rights Leader, Clergyman
Hatred and fear blind us. We no longer see each other. We see only the faces of monsters, and that gives us the courage to destroy each other.
—Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022) Vietnamese Buddhist Leader, Teacher, Peace Activist
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