There are no brave men and cowardly men in the world, my son. There are only brave men. To be born, to live, to die—that takes courage enough in itself, and more than enough. We are all brave men and we are all afraid, and what the world calls a brave man, he too is brave and afraid like the all rest of us. Only he is brave for five minutes longer.
Interpretation
Courage exists in everyone, and bravery is not the absence of fear but the ability to persevere despite it.
This quote emphasizes that bravery is a universal trait found in all individuals and that every person experiences fear. It argues that what sets someone considered brave apart is their capacity to continue to act positively in the face of that fear, highlighting that bravery is a matter of endurance rather than the absence of fear. Thus, it inspires us to recognize our own courage in daily life, no matter how small the moments may seem.
In practice
This quote can be used during motivational talks to inspire audiences facing challenges.
Heroism is latent in every human soul - However humble or unknown, they (the veterans) have renounced what are accounted pleasures and cheerfully undertaken all the self-denials - privations, toils, dangers, sufferings, sicknesses, mutilations, life-long hurts and losses, death itself - for some great good, dimly seen but dearly held.
Thy soul is by vile fear assailed, which oft so overcasts a man, that he recoils from noblest resolution, like a beast at some false semblance in the twilight gloom.
I grant men the land, the government, the wealth, all the chances. I accept that you have to hold all the cards, since that's the only way you know how to play; but I refuse to swallow your disrespect.
Strength is one of those things you're supposed to have. You don't feel that you have it at the time you're going through it.
You have two options when you approach a hostile checkpoint in a war zone, and each is a gamble. The first is to stop and identify yourself as a journalist and hope that you are respected as a neutral observer. The second is to blow past the checkpoint and hope the soldiers guarding it don't open fire on you.
I am dying not just to attempt to end the barbarity of H-blocks or to gain the rightful recognition of political prisoners, but primarily because what is lost here is lost for the Republic.
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