Courage Quotes

"I contend that fortitude in war has its roots in morality; that selection is a search for character and that war itself is but one more test— the supreme and final test if you will—of character. Courage can be judged apart from danger only if the social significance and meaning of courage is known to us; namely that a man of character in peace becomes a man of courage in war. He cannot be selfish in peace and yet be unselfish in war. Character, as Aristotle taught, is a habit, the daily choice of right and wrong; it is a moral quality which grows to maturity in peace and is not suddenly developed on the outbreak of war. For war, in spite of what we have heard to the contrary, has no power to transform, it merely exaggerates the good and evil that are in us, till it is plain for all to read; it cannot change; it exposes."

- Lord Moran, in The Anatomy of Courage (1945)

"I knew that if I failed, I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying."

- Jeff Bezos

"I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams."

- Oprah Winfrey

"From caring comes courage."

- Lao Tzu

"You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy."

- Colin Powell

"September 11, 2001, revealed heroism in ordinary people who might have gone through their lives never called upon to demonstrate the extent of their courage."

- Geraldine Brooks

"Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend—even a friend whose name it never knew."

- George W. Bush

"One of the worst days in America’s history saw some of the bravest acts in Americans’ history. We’ll always honor the heroes of 9/11. And here at this hallowed place, we pledge that we will never forget their sacrifice."

- Former President George W. Bush

"With almost no time to decide, [your loved ones] gave the entire country an incalculable gift. They saved the Capitol from attack. They saved God knows how many lives. They saved the terrorists from claiming the symbolic victory of smashing the center of American government. … They allowed us to survive as a country that could fight terror and still maintain liberty and still welcome people from all over the world from every religion and race and culture as long as they shared our values, because ordinary people given no time at all to decide did the right thing."

- Former President Bill Clinton

"We will win this struggle — not for glory, nor wealth, nor power, but for justice, for freedom, and for peace… so help us God."

- John Madden

"Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end."

- Field Marshal Douglas Haig

"Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking."

- Ferdinand Foch

"The good lawyer is not the man who has an eye to every side and angle of contingency, and qualifies all his qualifications, but who throws himself on your part so heartily, that he can get you out of a scrape."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Lawyers are the foot soldiers of our Constitution."

- Rennard Strickland and Frank T. Read

"Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for."

- Clarence Darrow

""The best protection any woman can have is courage.""

- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

""Courage calls to courage everywhere, and its voice cannot be denied.""

- Millicent Fawcett

""There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.""

- Elie Wiesel

""The choice between law and justice is an easy one for courageous minds""

- Rebecca West

""Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.""

- Robert Kennedy

"When it gets the darkest, you’ll see who your true friends are. They’ll be the ones carrying the light."

- Katherine Stano

"You have to carry on as a mother, no matter what, and that’s what I’ve always done."

- Madonna

"The strength of my mother is something I didn’t pay attention to for so long. Here she was, this single mom, who was part of the Great Migration, who was part of a Jim Crow south, who said, ‘I’m getting my kids out of here. I’m creating opportunities for these young people by any means necessary.'"

- Jacqueline Woodson

"A single mom tries when things are hard. She never gives up. She believes in her family, even when things are tough. She knows that above all things, a mother's love is more than enough."

- Deniece Williams

"The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because stuff worked out. They got that way because stuff went wrong, and they handled it."

- Elizabeth Gilbert

"Motherhood is the ultimate call to sacrifice."

- Wangechi Mutu

"Nursing is not for everyone. It takes a special person with a unique blend of compassion, resilience, and dedication."

"The bravery of the heroes of 9/11 reminds us that we are stronger together."

"One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you can’t change."

"Sometimes you have to be your own hero."