Courage Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old courage quotes, courage sayings, and courage proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

A man's got to do what a man's got to do. unknown
A turtle travels only when it sticks its neck out. Korean (on journeys)
Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the conquest of it. William Danforth
Courage is the complement of fear. Lazarus Long
Cowards die many times before their death. William Shakespeare
Don't be led around by the nose. unknown
Faint heart never won fair lady. W. S. Gilbert
Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. German Proverb
Fear the person who fears you. Middle Eastern (on courage and fear)
Given a challenge, rise to the occasion. unknown
Have the courage of your convictions. unknown
Heroism consists of hanging on one minute longer. Norwegian (on courage and fear)
If you are afraid of something, you give it power over you. Moroccan (on courage and fear)
It is easy to be brave from a distance. Aesop
Keep a stiff upper lip. unknown
Keep your chin up. unknown
Like a fish, one should look for holes in the net. Samoan (on freedom and slavery)
One with the courage to laugh is master of the world. Italian (on courage and fear)
Our fears always outnumber our dangers. Latin (on courage and fear)
The blind person is not afraid of ghosts. Burmese (on courage and fear)
The brave person regards dying as going home. Chinese (on courage and fear)
The longest journey begins with the first step. unknown
The person afraid of bad luck will never know good. Russian (on luck)
What cannot be cured must be endured. Edmund Spenser
With a stout heart, a mouse can lift an elephant. Tibetan (on attitude)
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. Swedish (on courage and fear)
Courage is the hallmark of spirituality. Courage comes when you love yourself for who you are. Amit Ray
The opposite for courage is not cowardice, it is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow. Jim Hightower
Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you. Bethany Hamilton
Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you. Bethany Hamilton
My definition of courage is never letting anyone define you. Jenna Jameson
Courage is on display every day, and only the courageous wring the most out of life. Zig Ziglar
Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use. Ruth Gordon
Courage originally meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’ Brene Brown
Courage is not the absence of fear or despair; it is the capacity to continue on despite them, no matter how great or overwhelming they become. Robert Fanney
Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities . . . because it is the quality which guarantees all others. Winston Churchill
courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. Eddie Rickenbacker Eddie Rickenbacker
Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. Winston Churchill
All happiness depends on courage and work. Honoré de Balzac
Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality. C.S. Lewis
Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness. Brene Brown
Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage. Thucydides
Courage doesn’t happen when you have all the answers. It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding your whole life Shannon L. Adler
Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength Napoleon Bonaparte
Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone. Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own. Adam Lindsay Gordon
Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others. Aristotle
The courage to imagine the otherwise is our greatest resource, adding color and suspense to all our life. Daniel J. Boorstin
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Nelson Mandela
People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest. Hermann Hesse
Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through the tough times and you discover they aren’t so tough after all. Malcolm Gladwell
Conscience is the root of all true courage; if a man would be brave let him obey his conscience. James Freeman Clarke
It is only necessary to have courage, for strength without self-confidence is useless. Giacamo Casanova
With enough courage, you can do without a reputation. Margaret Mitchell
Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened. Billy Graham
How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them Benjamin Franklin
Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’ Brene Brown
True courage is not the brutal force of vulgar heroes, but the firm resolve of virtue and reason. Alfred North Whitehead
Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Courage consists not in hazarding without fear; but being resolutely minded in a just cause. Plutarch
Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die G.K. Chesterton
Courage is risking the known for the unknown, the familiar for the unfamiliar. Osho
Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway. John Wayne
All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination. Earl Nightingale
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
It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity. Horace
Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time. Maya Angelou
The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. Coco Chanel
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill
Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Steve Jobs
Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision. Winston Churchill
It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else. Erma Bombeck
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. Robert Louis Stevenson
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. Franklin D. Roosevelt
God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless. Chester W. Nimitz
It takes a great deal of courage to stand alone even if you believe in something very strongly Reginald Rose
Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen. Brene Brown
The strongest people find the courage and caring to help others, even if they are going through their own storm. Roy T. Bennett
Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision. E.E. Cummings