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Inspirational Quotes on Courage

In the book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis writes, “Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already….Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

The same can be said about courage. By behaving as though you’re brave when you’re afraid, you’ll come to actually have the courage necessary to overcome your fear. As Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, wrote in his autobiography, “There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first, ranging from grizzly bears to ‘mean’ horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid.”

Here are inspirational quotes about bravery and courage:

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13 (ESV)

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” — Psalm 31:24 (ESV)

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?” — Psalm 56:3-4 (NLT)

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

“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. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful till it became risky.” — C.S. Lewis

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one’s fear.” — James Neil Hollingworth

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” — Winston Churchill

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others.” — Winston Churchill

“This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.” — Winston Churchill

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Desmond T. Doss: Example of Stalwart Character

Buy the book Desmond Doss Conscientious Objector: The Story of an Unlikely Hero through this affiliate link with AmazonDesmond Doss (#LiveLikeDoss) was the only man to win the US Congressional Medal of Honor while serving under conscientious objector status. A devoted Seventh-Day Adventist, Doss asked for non-combatant status when he was drafted in 1942, but he was told that he could only serve as a C.O.

Doss trained as a military medic and proved himself a selfless hero during the fierce battle for Okinawa. When 75 wounded GIs were stranded atop the Maeda Escarpment, Doss personally made sure each one was lowered to safety, all of this taking place under heavy enemy fire. During his military service, Doss also received the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, all without harming another human being.

“He was one of the bravest persons alive, and then to have him end up saving my life was the irony of the whole thing,” said Capt. Jack Glover in a documentary about Doss’ life. Glover had wanted Doss out of the unit when he first joined up.

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Leadership Lessons From the Allied Invasion of Normandy

Buy the book Desmond Doss Conscientious Objector: The Story of an Unlikely Hero through this affiliate link with AmazonThe book Agility: How to Navigate the Unknown and Seize Opportunity in a World of Disruption by Leo M. Tilman and Charles Jacoby (Missionday, 2019) includes a chapter examining what the World War II Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy demonstrates about the power and utility of organizational agility (and by extension, SemperVerus living). The authors define agility as “the organizational capacity to effectively detect, assess, and respond to environmental changes in ways that are purposeful, decisive, and grounded in the will to win.” Agile organizations possess both strategic and tactical strengths. The authors identify the three essential competencies that constitute the pillars of agility as

  • risk intelligence
  • decisiveness
  • execution dexterity.

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Important US Dates to Commemorate

[ Read the SemperVerus article, US Presidential Messages on Important Birthdays and Anniversaries ]

January 14th:  Ratification Day
Annually recognizes the ratification of the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784, at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland by the Confederation Congress that officially ended the American Revolution and established the United States as a sovereign entity.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Celebrating 250 Years: Learn About the American Revolution ]

January 16th:  National Religious Freedom Day
Since 1993, the President of the United States has proclaimed January 16 as National Religious Freedom Day, commemorating the Virginia General Assembly’s adoption of Thomas Jefferson‘s landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786.

February 1st:  National Freedom Day
Celebrates freedom from slavery and recognizes that America is a symbol of liberty. The day honors the signing by Abraham Lincoln on February 1, 1865 of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution.

March 3rd:  National Anthem Day
Commemorates the day in 1931 the United States adopted The Star Spangled Banner (written September 14, 1814 by Francis Scott Key) as its National Anthem.

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