“Courage is the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other.”
Samuel Johnson
VirtueCharacter
Courage Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · COURAGE
Courage Quotes
Read 200 of the best courage quotes about bravery, facing fear, standing up for what's right and never giving up, from Shakespeare, Emerson, the Bible and more.
“The man who faces and who fears the right things and from the right motive, in the right way and at the right time, and who feels confidence under the corresponding conditions, is brave.”
Aristotle
WisdomBravery
“Courage is a sort of endurance of the soul.”
Plato
EnduranceSoul
“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.”
Thucydides
BraveryFacing Fear
“Make up your minds that happiness depends upon being free, and freedom upon being courageous.”
Thucydides
FreedomHappiness
“Sometimes even to live is an act of bravery.”
Seneca
LifeEndurance
“The pain which is intolerable carries us off; but that which lasts a long time is tolerable.”
Marcus Aurelius
PainEndurance
“It is difficulties that show what men are.”
Epictetus
AdversityCharacter
“A man of courage is also full of faith.”
Cicero
FaithBravery
“To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.”
Confucius
Moral CourageAction
“He whose boldness appears in his daring to do wrong is put to death; he whose boldness appears in his not daring to do so lives on.”
Lao Tzu
WisdomRestraint
“Silently shall I endure abuse as the elephant in battle endures the arrow sent from the bow.”
Buddha (Dhammapada)
EndurancePatience
“Yield not to impotence! It doth not befit thee. Shake off this paltry faint-heartedness! Stand up!”
Bhagavad Gita
ActionFacing Fear
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee.”
The Bible (Deuteronomy 31:6)
FaithStrength
“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.”
The Bible (Psalm 27:14)
PatienceFaith
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
The Bible (Psalm 27:1)
FaithFearlessness
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
The Bible (Proverbs 28:1)
BoldnessIntegrity
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
The Bible (1 Corinthians 16:13)
StrengthFaith
“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods.”
The Bible (Daniel 3:17-18)
ConvictionFaith
“And so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”
The Bible (Esther 4:16)
RiskBravery
“Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts.”
The Bible (1 Samuel 17:45)
UnderdogFaith
“Here am I; send me.”
The Bible (Isaiah 6:8)
VolunteeringBravery
“Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”
The Bible (Matthew 14:27)
FaithFearlessness
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.”
William Shakespeare
BraveryFear
“But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we'll not fail.”
William Shakespeare
DeterminationSuccess
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About Courage Quotes
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is choosing to act even when you are afraid. It can look like a soldier on a battlefield, but just as often it looks like someone speaking the truth, starting over after failure, standing up for a friend or simply getting through a hard day.
This collection brings together 200 of the best courage quotes from warriors, philosophers, poets and heroes of history, including William Shakespeare, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, Thucydides, Victor Hugo, Amelia Earhart and the Bible. Read them when you need strength, share them with someone facing a challenge, or use them as a daily reminder to be brave.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Courage quotes.
What is the best quote about courage?
Mark Twain's "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear" is one of the most loved courage quotes, because it reminds us that brave people still feel afraid. Shakespeare's "Cowards die many times before their deaths" is another timeless classic.
What is true courage?
Most wise thinkers agree that true courage means acting rightly despite fear. Aristotle said the brave person fears the right things in the right way, and Confucius taught that seeing what is right and not doing it is a lack of courage.
What does the Bible say about courage?
Deuteronomy 31:6 says "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not," and Psalm 27:1 asks "whom shall I fear?" The stories of Esther ("if I perish, I perish") and David facing Goliath are two of the Bible's most famous examples of bravery.
What is moral courage?
Moral courage is the bravery to do what is right when it is unpopular, risky or uncomfortable. Mark Twain observed that physical courage is common, but moral courage is rare.
What are short courage quotes for Instagram captions?
Try "Here am I; send me," "No coward soul is mine," "Courage mounteth with occasion," or "Do the thing you fear." They work well for posts about new challenges, fitness goals and big life changes.
How can I be more courageous?
Start by facing small fears and building up. As Emerson wrote, "Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain," and learning more about what scares you often reduces the fear, since "knowledge is the antidote to fear."