Ever since I was a little boy I have loved reading quotes. They provide inspiration without manhandling the mind. The other day I came across the following quote about courage:
“A lot of things can happen if you have the will and courage to do it.”
So many people have had the courage to stand together and help me create Mount Soma. Without their courage to stand beside me and face the wind together, Mount Soma would have remained only a dream. I am eternally grateful for their stepping forward and facing any fear to support what we believe in. May none of us ever give in to cowardice. May we always move forward, forward, alway forward.
I understand the quote above was said by a Macedonian resistance fighter during WWII. While unsuccessfully trying to find the source of this quote, I came across many quotes about courage. Perhaps it is somehow more fitting that i could not find his name. If anyone knows, please provide it in a comment. Here are several quotes about courage I found in my search:
- We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
- Courage is fear holding on a minute longer. ~ George Patton
- Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. ~ Winston Churchill
- Valor grows by daring; fear by holding back. ~ Publilius Syrus
- Courage is the capacity to confront what can be imagined. ~ Leo Rosten
- The only true measure of courage is perseverance under pressure. ~ K.H. LeMoyne
- Courage is an angel which makes the difference between a good life and a great life. ~ Kate Reed
- Courage results when one’s convictions are bigger than one’s fears.~ Orrin Woodward
- All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. ~ Walt Disney
- Have the courage to act instead of react. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes
- Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. ~ T. S. Eliot
- Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. ~ John F. Kennedy
- Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. ~ Winston Churchill
- Trying and getting hurt can’t possibly be worse for you than being stuck. ~ Eliezer Yudkowsky
- Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. ~ Nora Ephron
Beautiful and inspiring. Thank you! What you share with the world has been my biggest inspiration and what has put me in touch with my courage.❤️
I recall you once defining courage as 50% determination and 50% fear.
That’s my favorite!
Especially love this quote: “…provide inspiration without manhandling the mind.”
Amazing how many quotes there are out there… some do not seem to really speak of courage.
That Macedonian quote seems to have several sources – who knows the original.
One of my all time favorites that seems to speak of courage, perhaps less directly:
“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”
— Henry David Thoreau
Some of these quotes seem to be reflections on courage..somewhat detached from the gut-wrenching visceral moments when one begins to jump on the untamed stallion of courage…
Or that momentary lapse of reality (as we have come to know it) when we take a deep breath and go for it…
Kinda sorta like when the landing gear of a jet meets the tarmac…
Thank you. The quotes are a great inspiration, especially in the middle of winter.
I remember seeing Mount Soma for the first time and realizing what a miracle it was for it to be built. It makes sense to me that it took a lot of courage.
Holmes, Churchill and Elliot my long favorites and suppose I trust Churchill the most. This is a really cool quote however:
“They provide inspiration without manhandling the mind.”
Courage is an essential ingredient, maybe the most essential, in accomplishing goals. Great blog.
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we’ll not fail.
– Macbeth
I feel the same way as Gail. Mount Soma is built on the courage of its founder, Dr. Mamas, and a group of people who are dedicated to bring peace and prosperity to the world. Many challenges along the way demanded courage and perseverance. I’m proud to be part of the team.
Fall seven times, stand up eight. Unknown
“There is not such a word spoken in Scotland as this term of fear.”
—Shakespeare, Henry IV
I really enjoy quotes, the following is one of my favorites: “Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting in spite of it.” This has been attributed to Mark Twain.