quotations about courage
Without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men … have lived. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must--in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures--and that is the basis of all human morality…. In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience--the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men--each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient--they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul.
JOHN F. KENNEDY
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Profiles in Courage
It is easier to die bravely than to live so.
CHRISTIAN NESTELL BOVEE
Intuitions and Summaries of Thought
You shout because it makes you brave or you want to announce your recklessness.
DON DELILLO
Underworld
Courage charms us, because it indicates that a man loves an idea better than all things in the world, that he is thinking neither of his bed, nor his dinner, nor his money, but will venture all to put in act the invisible thought of his mind.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
journal entry, 1859
Courage, the footstool of the Virtues, upon which they stand.
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
The Great North Road
Courage, like cowardice, is undoubtedly contagious, but some persons are not liable to catch it.
ARCHIBALD PRENTICE
Prenticeana
Courage is the only asset
That will conquer in the fight
If you have the will to mass it
On the lines of truth and right.
JACK CRAWFORD
"The Harvest"
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
MUHAMMAD ALI
Woman's Day, Apr. 1, 2009
Courage is a terribly important value. It means you don't run away when things are tough. It means you don't turn away from a friend when he or she is in trouble. It means standing up against the majority opinion.... There's a lot of people who won't wear it on their sleeve, or display it through some heroic act. But courage is having the strength to do what's honorable and decent.
GEORGE H. W. BUSH
Academy of Achievement interview, Jun. 2, 1995
Our hearts must have the courage
To keep on marching on and on
THE ALARM
"Declaration"
Once you have explored a fear, it becomes less terrifying. Part of courage comes from extending our knowledge.
BRIAN HERBERT & KEVEN J. ANDERSON
Dune: House Corrino
The more keenly we are awake to the perils of life, the higher and grander is the possibility of being truly brave.
HENRY VAN DYKE
"Courage,", Counsels by the Way
The only kind of courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next.
MIGNON MCLAUGHLIN
The Second Neurotic's Notebook
There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid.
L. FRANK BAUM
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
It is easy to be brave at a safe distance.
AESOP
"The Wolf and the Kid,", Aesop's Fables
The shortest route to courage is absolute ignorance.
DAN SIMMONS
Endymion
The difference between a mongrel and a thoroughbred, whether brute or man, is not in swiftness, beauty, or endurance, but in courage.
AUSTIN O'MALLEY
Keystones of Thought
Everyone became brave from excess of terror.
GUSTAVE FLAUBERT
Salammbo
The courage with which we have met past dangers is often our best security in the present.
MADAME SWETCHINE
"Airelles,", The Writings of Madame Swetchine
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.
MARY ANNE RADMACHER
attributed, Never Take No for an Answer: One Woman, One Life, and The Money Mystique