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Courage

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“Don’t mourn your luck that’s failing now, work gone wrong, your plans all proving deceptive — don’t mourn them uselessly. As one long prepared, and graced with courage, say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving. Above all, don’t fool yourself, don’t say it was a dream, your ears deceived you: don’t degrade yourself with empty hopes like these.”
Constantine P. Cavafy (1863–1933) first seen 1911 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The God Abandons Antony (1911).
“How are you, doctor, that is what we say when we do not wish to play the weakling, we say Fine, even though we may be dying, and this is commonly known as taking one's courage in both hands, a phenomenon that has only been observed in the human species.”
José Saramago (1922–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People know what they love … Even those whose lives are floundering. If they're directionless, it's not because they lack knowledge of what they want. It's because they lack the courage to acknowledge that they want it.”
Andrew Bernstein (born 1959) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Heart of a Pagan (2002).
“The courage to press on regardless—regardless of whether we face calm seas or rough seas, and especially when the market storms howl around us—is the quintessential attribute of the successful investor.”
John Bogle (1929–2019) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at the Trinity University Policymaker Breakfast Series, April 16, 2001 ()
“We are not people apart; there is no reason in the world why we shouldn't fight for the preservation of a chance to live freely; no reason why we shouldn't suffer to uphold that which we want to endure than it is anyone else. And it is a matter of self-preservation right this very minute...May God give me courage to do my duty and not falter.”
Nile Kinnick (1918–1943) first seen 1941 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to his parents regarding World War II (April 25, 1941)
“A man is not independent unless he has the courage to stand alone.”
Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) said by 1998 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The parable of January 6th reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care. And we must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections and who respect the peaceful transfer of power. [...] The choice couldn't be clearer. Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.”
Nancy Pelosi (born 1940) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: At the Democratic National Convention (21 August 2024), cited by Josephine Rozzelle in "Nancy Pelosi lauds Harris’ political skill in securing nomination with ‘dignity and grace’", CNBC (21 August 2024)
“I must honor those who fight of their own free willl, he said to himself. And I must try to imitate their courage by following my path as a pacifist, wherever it takes me.”
Christopher Isherwood (1904–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“White: You give up the world line by line. Stoically. And then one day you realize that your courage is farcical. It doesnt mean anything. You've become an accomplice in your own annihilation and there is nothing you can do about it. Everything you do closes a door somewhere ahead of you. And finally there is only one door left.”
Cormac McCarthy (1933–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What courage! There is not a man on the Tory benches around him but doesn't disapprove of every word he says.”
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792–1878) said by 1878 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On a speech by Benjamin Disraeli in support of Jewish rights, quoted in J. H. Morgan, John Viscount Morley An Appreciation and Some Reminiscences, 1924, p. 88
“The feeling he'd had, that he was about to get himself killed, swelled into an overwhelming premonition of doom. Ganner's knees went weak, and a very large part of him wanted to bolt down the corridor and get away-but though he hadn't been much of a hero, the one virtue he'd never had to fake was courage.”
Matthew Stover (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think that you are a very brilliant man. I think that you have more courage than you have ever guessed. I think that you truly care about this city, and the people in it. I think your cynicism is a fraud." "What-what-really, this is astonishing-" "I think that if you were truly as corrupt and venal as you pretend, you would be in the Senate.”
Matthew Stover (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The rightness of a thing isn't determined by the amount of courage it takes.”
Mary Renault (1905–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thanks to the Internet, words can travel at the speed of light, and no amount of censorship can stop the flow of information. ... Thanks to Malala’s courage, no militant can silence her. Thanks to the Internet, the pen is mightier than the sword.”
Newton Lee wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“3366. Many would be Cowards if they had Courage enough.”
Thomas Fuller (writer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's a strange courage you give me ancient star:Shine alone in the sunrise toward which you lend no part!”
William Carlos Williams (1883–1963) said by 1963 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The cries of a dying dog are to be blotted out as best I can. René Char you are a poet who believes in the power of beauty to right all wrongs. I believe it also. With invention and courage we shall surpass the pitiful dumb beasts, let all men believe it, as you have taught me also to believe it.”
William Carlos Williams (1883–1963) said by 1963 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This art [riding] brings, besides other advantages, courage to the heart.”
Bem Cavalgar (1391–1438) said by 1438 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Gertrude Stein, all courage and will, is a soldier of minimalism. Her work, unlike the resonating silences in the art of Samuel Beckett, embodies in its loquacity and verbosity the curious paradox of the minimalist form. This art of the nuance in repetition and placement she shares with the orchestral compositions of Philip Glass.”
Elizabeth Hardwick (1916–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We must bring home to the people the seriousness of the country's present plight and the future problems that we face. We must convince them of their power to overcome all difficulties by common effort. We must draw out from people that courage and determination which have always been the hallmarks of the British character.”
Stafford Cripps (1889–1952) first seen 1947 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the House of Commons (7 August 1947)
“I would guess it didn't exactly represent a profile in courage for the vice president to wander over there to the F-word network for a sit down with Brit Hume. I mean, that's a little like Bonnie interviewing Clyde, ain't it?”
Jack Cafferty (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And the eyes of all look upward seeing sign-word drawing nigh, The stony wings of Egypt coming back across the sky;We hear the clinking tamborine of Miriam anew; We believe in every miracle since Lindbergh flew the blue — The wonder of the long draw when the bowstring is a thread — The beauty of a courage that can raise the wings of lead.”
Nathalia Crane (1913–1998) said by 1998 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The first people a dictator puts in jail after a coup are the writers, the teachers, the librarians — because these people are dangerous. They have enough vocabulary to recognize injustice and to speak out loudly about it. Let us have the courage to go on being dangerous people.”
Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Dare to be Creative! A Lecture Presented at the Library of Congress (November 16, 1983)
“If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather, it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession but participation.”
Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The noble simplicity of sentiment in McCain’s tweets is a world removed from Trump’s gaudy and boastful displays. And McCain’s demonstration of character and courage is a far more reliable guide to American greatness than the pronouncements of a president who speaks of it nonstop and embodies it not at all.”
Bill Kristol (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“With the courage which only comes of justified self-confidence, he dared to rest his case upon its strongest point, and so avoided that appearance of weakness and uncertainty which comes of a clutter of arguments. Few lawyers are willing to do this; it is the mark of the most distinguished talent.”
Learned Hand (1872–1961) first seen 1938 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In Memory of Charles Neave" (1938).
“I was thinking of preparing my palette and my brushes to resume work, but relapses and further bouts of pain prevented it. I'm not giving up that hope and am occupying myself with some major alterations in my studios and plans to perfect the garden [in Giverny ]. All this to show you that, with courage, I'm getting the upper hand. [three months before Monet died]”
Claude Monet (1840–1926) first seen 1926 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from Monet's letter to Georges Clemenceau, Sept. 1926; as cited in: K.E. Sullivan. Monet: Discovering Art, Brockhampton press, London (2004), p. 79
“I heard the comments of the crowd in front of the painting of Burial at Ornans, I had the courage to read the nonsense that was printed regarding this picture and I wrote this article.. [in Le Messager de l'Assemblée]”
Gustave Courbet (1819–1877) first seen 1851 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from an article in 'Le Messager de l'Assemblée' (25 & 26 February 1851); as cited in 'Posterity', Musée-d'Orsay
“If you have the courage to touch life for the first time, you will never know what hit you. Everything man has thought, felt and experienced is gone, and nothing is put in its place.”
U. G. Krishnamurti (1918–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Moving forward will not be for the faint of heart. But if the next century witnesses failure, let it be because our science is not yet up to the job, not because we don't have the courage to make less random the sometimes most unfair courses of human evolution.”
James D. Watson (1928–2025) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: All for the Good: Why genetic engineering must soldier on" TIME magazine, Vol. 153, No. 1 (11 January 1999)
“Serenity is the first thing people with addiction issues are instructed to request: God, grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.”
Russell Brand (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“..wherever you are, you find the sun, a blade of grass, the spirals of the dragonfly. Courage consists of staying at home, close to nature, which could not care less about our disasters. Each grain of dust contains the soul of something marvellous. [Miró admonished art-critic w:Georges Duthuit ]”
Joan Miró (1893–1983) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In: 'Où allez-vous Miró?' (Where do you go, Miró), Georges Duthuit in Cahiers d'Art 11, nos. 8-10, 1936
“Remember the day The first signs of trouble The dust and the rubble Unspeakable loss And remember the day The courage and valor That ran to the towers At such a great cost Remember the day How we were shaken And our hearts awakened To what matters most.”
Steven Curtis Chapman (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We bow our heads in respect for those Soviet women who displayed exceptional courage in the severe time of war. Never before but during the days of the war the grandeur of spirit and the invincible will of our Soviet women, their selfless dedication, loyalty and affection to their Homeland, their boundless persistence in work and their heroism on the front manifested themselves with such strength.”
Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982) first seen 1979 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in V karǐni zdiǐsnenoǐ mriǐ (1979) by IE IU Kastelli, p. 54
“It is not enough to say he was a revered civil rights icon. He was a man of impeccable integrity who dedicated his life to fighting against racism, discrimination & injustice. John was a true leader who inspired us all to have the courage to fight.”
John Lewis (1940–2020) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Rep. John Lewis remembered for legacy of ‘good trouble’, United Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, (18 July 2020)
Also quoted by: Maxine Waters
“What doesn't slumber under the shells of us all? One just needs courage to uncover it and be oneself. Or at least to discuss it. There isn't enough discussion in the world.”
Cesare Pavese (1908–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The courage to stand alone as if others didn't exist and think only of what you're doing. Not to get scared if people ignore you. You have to wait for years, have to die. Then after you're dead, if you're lucky, you become somebody.”
Cesare Pavese (1908–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Did it ever occur to you that everybody is more or less afraid of nearly everything, and that courage isn't a damn thing but a habit of not dodging things because you're afraid of them?”
Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961) said by 1961 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Cure" (unpublished story, first printed in The Hunter and Other Stories in 2013)
“England has not had such an escape since the Spanish Armada, and that expedition, like ours, was defeated by the weather; the elements fight against us, and courage is here of no avail. Well, let me think no more about it; it is lost, and let it go. I am now a Frenchman and must regulate my future plans accordingly.”
Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763–1798) first seen 1763 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Diary entry recording the failure of the French expedition to Ireland (26 December 1796), quoted in T. W. Moody, R. B. McDowell and C. J. Woods (eds.), The Writings of Theobald Wolfe Tone, 1763–98, Volume II: America, F…
“The people who are opposing the policy of apartheid have not the courage of their convictions. They do not marry non-Europeans.”
P. W. Botha (1916–2006) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As MP of George, House of Assembly, 7 September 1948, as quoted in Dictionary of South African Quotations, Jennifer Crwys-Williams, Penguin Books, 1994, p. 251
“I am completely opposed to increasing the debt ceiling without basic tax reform. What we need in this country today is leadership which has the courage to call for income tax reform to put the burden where it must be placed, on those who can afford to pay.”
Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Most of people talk, we do things. They plan, we achieve. They hesitate, we move ahead. We are living proof that when human beings have the courage and commitment to transform a dream into reality, there is nothing that can stop them. Dubai is a living example of that”
Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You want to shut up every Negro who has the courage to stand up and fight for the rights of his people, for the rights of workers, and I have been on many a picket line for the steelworkers too.”
Paul Robeson (1898–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We joined long wagon trains moving south; we met hundreds of wagons going north; the roads east and west were crawling lines of families traveling under canvas, looking for work, for another foothold somewhere on the land.... The country was ruined, the whole world was ruined; nothing like this had ever happened before. There was no hope, but everyone felt the courage of despair.”
Rose Wilder Lane (1886–1968) first seen 1894 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Written in 1935, recalling her family’s migration from drought-stricken South Dakota to the Missouri Ozarks in 1894; the 650-mile trip had taken them six weeks.
“That way of life against which my generation rebelled had given us grim courage, fortitude, self-discipline, a sense of individual responsibility, and a capacity for relentless hard work.”
Rose Wilder Lane (1886–1968) first seen 1935 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Written in 1935, as quoted in The Ghost in the Little House, ch. 2, by William V. Holtz (1993).
“The heroism of our soldiers is especially inspiring because most of them were in their 20s, inexperienced in the art of warfare, who answered the call of the motherland with unflinching courage - so very much like the revolutionaries who won freedom and founded Asia's First Republic.”
Francis Escudero (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I believe Love is the most courageous act of which a human being is capable. The word courage even stems from the root word “heart” (coeur). Scientifically speaking, it is quantifiable only by recognition of its quality.”
Vanna Bonta (1958–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When we love, we are courageous; and courage has nothing to do with being fearless, it’s about being willing to experience fear, even dread, to do what we must, without guarantee of outcome.”
Vanna Bonta (1958–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is almost certain that we will fail. But how will future history judge the German people, if not even a handful of men had the courage to put an end to that criminal?”
Henning von Tresckow (1901–1944) first seen 1944 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: June 1944. Marcel Stein, Field Marshal Von Manstein, a Portrait, p. 247.
“Now remember courage, go to the door, Open it and see whether coiled on the bed Or cringing by the wall, a savage beast Maybe with golden hair, with deep eyes Like a bearded spider on a sunlit floor Will snarl—and man can never be alone.”
Allen Tate (1899–1979) first seen 1970 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Wolves", from Collected Poems (1970)