121 Courage Quotes

In our journey through life, courage often plays an indispensable and transformative role. It's the quiet voice that encourages us to keep moving even when fear looms large, and it's the unwavering resolve that pushes us toward our dreams despite the odds. Whether we're facing personal challenges, pursuing ambitious goals, or navigating uncertain times, a dose of courage can make all the difference. To inspire and empower you, we've curated a collection of the top 121 courage quotes that capture the essence of bravery, resilience, and the human spirit. Dive in and let these powerful words ignite your inner strength.

1. “This is what I believe: That I am I. That my soul is a dark forest. That my known self will never be more than a little clearing in the forest. That gods, strange gods, come forth from the forest into the clearing of my known self, and then go back. That I must have the courage to let them come and go. That I will never let mankind put anything over me, but that I will try always to recognize and submit to the gods in me and the gods in other men and women. There is my creed.” - D.H. Lawrence

2. “I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.” - Maya Angelou

3. “One cannot answer for his courage when he has never been in danger.” - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

4. “Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” - Walt Disney

5. “Do anything, save to lie down and die!” - Nathaniel Hawthorne

6. “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

7. “it takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to have tried and succeded.” - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

8. “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

9. “Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” - Rumi

10. “The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within me. And even though I have to face the prospect of being a minority of one, I humbly believe I have the courage to be in such a hopeless minority.” - Mahatma Gandhi

11. “We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversations with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion, but it involves courage and risk.” - Thomas Moore

12. “Keep in mind that many people have died for their beliefs; it's actually quite common. The real courage is in living and suffering for what you believe.” - Christopher Paolini

13. “The greatest thing a man can do in this world, is to make the most possible out of the stuff that has been given him. This is success, and there is no other.” - Orison Swett Marden

14. “It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners. It was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted their [the communists' ] terms. It was a deal; we preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching. They were happy beating us, so everyone was happy.” - Richard Wurmbrand

15. “Very few beings really seek knowledge in this world. Mortal or immortal, few really ask. On the contrary, they try to wring from the unknown the answers they have already shaped in their own minds -- justifications, confirmations, forms of consolation without which they can't go on. To really ask is to open the door to the whirlwind. The answer may annihilate the question and the questioner.” - Anne Rice

16. “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” - Nancy D. Solomon

17. “I am not a courageous person by nature. I have simply discovered that, at certain key moments in this life, you must find courage in yourself, in order to move forward and live. It is like a muscle and it must be exercised, first a little, and then more and more. All the really exciting things possible during the course of a lifetime require a little more courage than we currently have. A deep breath and a leap.” - John Patrick Shanley

18. “It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half of the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what might happen.” - Herodotus

19. “Sometimes, making the wrong choice is better than making no choice. You have the courage to go forward, that is rare. A person who stands at the fork, unable to pick, will never get anywhere.” - Terry Goodkind

20. “Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.” - August Wilson

21. “We must substitute courage for caution.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

22. “One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” - Andre Gide

23. “Nothing but courage can guide life.” - Vauvenargues

24. “Courage isn't having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don't have strength.” - Napoleon Bonaparte

25. “There is a heady sense of manhood that comes from advancing from apathy to commitment, from timidity to courage, from passivity to aggressiveness. There is an intoxication that comes from standing up to the police at last.” - David T. Dellinger

26. “To live with fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity.” - Edward Weeks

27. “Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things--childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves--that go on slipping , like sand, through our fingers.” - Salman Rushdie

28. “The most important experiences a man can have are those that take him to the very limit; that is the only way we learn, because it requires all our courage.” - Paulo Coelho

29. “Even in the mud and scum of things, something always, always sings.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

30. “I was afraid, sheer afraid, and wondered at myself. You see, I've no more pluck than any man of my inches but I'd been about a good bit. I'd seen adventure and heard other fellows talk it over, and I knew you're pretty sure to get out of everything with a whole skin till that last particular time that you don't - so what's the use of grizzling? ("Golden Baby")” - Alice Brown

31. “The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage.” - Carrie Jones

32. “Sometimes, the things They say, the laws They make, the way the world spins doesn't make any sense at all...Which is exactly why you have to ask "Why?" and keep on asking until you get the TRUTH...” - Joe Kelly

33. “Kill me then,' panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. 'Kill me like you killed him, you coward-'DON'T-' screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the house behind them- 'CALL ME A COWARD!” - J. K. Rowling

34. “But think of how much worse it would be to sit here, not knowing. Until the Dead choke the Ratterlin and Hedge walks across the dry bed of the river to batter down the door.” - Garth Nix

35. “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” - Brené Brown

36. “‎"You shouldn't feel so bad about being afraid of so many things." "Why not?" "Because if you weren't afraid never ever, then you couldn't be brave never ever.” - C. JoyBell C.

37. “Let our voices be heard. I hope they will not be shrill voices, but, I hope we shall speak with such conviction that those to whom we speak shall know of the strength of our feeling and the sincerity of our efforts. ” - Gordon B. Hinckley

38. “We have to endure the discordance between imagination and fact. It is better to say, “I am suffering,” than to say, “This landscape is ugly.” - Simone Weil

39. “Giving style” to one’s character - a great and rare art! It is exercised by those who see all the strengths and weaknesses of their own natures and then comprehend them in an artistic plan until everything appears as art and reason and even weakness delights the eye.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

40. “The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.” - Pema Chodron

41. “Nearly all men have weak hearts, in one way or another.” - Steven J. Carroll

42. “When you SEE into the invisible, you will DARE to do the impossible!” - John Paul warren

43. “There is no magic herb that makes a brave man. Courage is knowing that what you do is necessary. Don't doubt yourself, Shadow. There is more valor in your heart than you realize.” - Elizabeth Alder

44. “We were still at the age when girls are years older than guy, and the guys grow up by doing their best when the girls need them to.” - Tana French

45. “Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.” - R.J. Palacio

46. “It’s not unpatriotic to denounce an injustice committed on our behalf, perhaps it’s the most patriotic thing we can do.” - E.A. Bucchianeri

47. “Lincoln grew immeasurably as he came to think of himself as an “instrument of God’s will.” - Joe Wheeler

48. “Aristocracy's only an admission that certain traits which we call fine - courage and honor and beauty and all that sort of thing - can best be developed in a favorable environment, where you don't have the warpings of ignorance and necessity.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

49. “There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself.” - Anthony Rapp

50. “I stand in Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun; and behold! the Shadow has departed! I will be a Shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

51. “I wouldn't give a tinker's damn for a man who isn't sometimes afraid. Fear's the spice that makes it interesting to go ahead.” - Daniel Boone

52. “I was very timid, and bound as with chains in a man-fearing spirit. When I arose to testify I trembled like a leaf, and began to make excuses - O God, send someone else! Then the Lord in a vision caused me to see the bottomless pit open in all its horror and woe. There was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. It was surrounded by a great multitude of people who seemed unconscious of their danger, and without a moments warning they would tumble into this awful place. I was above the people on a narrow plank-walk, which wound up toward heaven; and I was exhorting and pleading with the people to come upon the plank and escape that awful place. Several started.There was a beautiful bright light above me, and I was encouraging them to follow that light and they would go straight to heaven."In all these trials God was preparing me and opening the way for the great battle against the enemy of souls and now the great desire of my heart was to work for Jesus. I longed to win a star for the Savior's crown.” - Maria Woodworth-Etter

53. “Let nothing human be foreign to me” - Kate Christensen

54. “Fear is the lack of faith in one's ability to create powerful solutions.” - T.F. Hodge

55. “Life has no victims. There are no victims in this life.No one has the right to point fingers at his/her past and blame it for what he/she is today. We do not have the right to point our finger at someone else and blame that person for how we treat others, today.Don’t hide in the corner, pointing fingers at your past. Don’t sit under the table, talking about someone who has hurt you. Instead, stand up and face your past! Face your fears! Face your pain! And stomach it all! You may have to do so kicking and screaming and throwing fits and crying- but by all means- face it!This life makes no room for cowards.” - C. JoyBell C.

56. “We must have courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act. Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.” - Maxwell Maltz

57. “We have to show these men and women freedom by enslaving them, and show them courage by frightening them.” - Chuck Palahniuk

58. “If you build the guts to do something, anything, then you better save enough to face the consequences.” - Criss Jami

59. “No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens.” - Veronica Roth

60. “A lack of common sense usually ends in some heroic feat, much like the soldier who dives onto the grenade so that others may live.” - Criss Jami

61. “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” - Shannon L. Alder

62. “It wasn't who a person believed himself to be or what he pretended he would do in a given situation. It was what he did when he got there that defined him.” - Robert Kurson

63. “Something did happen to me somewhere that robbed me of confidence and courage and left me with a fear of discovery and change and a positive dread of everything unknown that may occur.” - Joseph Heller

64. “May your dreams be larger than mountains and may you have the courage to scale their summits.” - Harley King

65. “La lectura es un sintoma de los incredulos. Cuando dudas investigas y si investigas descubres lo inimaginable. A mucha gente le la miedo leer porque no esta de moda.” - Antonio Guadarrama

66. “Today I am someone different. Today I have finally become who I really am.” - C. JoyBell C.

67. “She looked at him, his soft brown eyes and tall form, and contemplated raising herself on her toes and kissing his ear, or his cheek...Instead, impulsively before leaving, she reached up and smoothed his mussed hair.Mr. Bradford beamed.” - Heather Dixon

68. “There is no avoidance in delay.” - Aeschylus

69. “You are all soldiers of Christ," he said, "and now is an opportunity given to you to show that you are worthy soldiers. When the troops of a worldly monarch go into battle they do so with head erect, with proud and resolute bearing, with flashing eye, and with high courage, determined to bear aloft his banner and to crown it with victory, even though it cost them their lives. Such is the mien that soldiers of Christ should bear in the mortal strife now raging round us. Let them show the same fearlessness of death, the same high courage, the same unlimited confidence in their Leader. What matter if they die in His service? He has told them what their work should be. He has bidden them visit the sick and comfort the sorrowing. What if there be danger in the work? Did He shrink from the Cross which was to end His work of love, and is it for His followers to do so? 'Though you go down into the pit,' He has said, 'I am there also'; and with His companionship one must be craven indeed to tremble. This is a noble opportunity for holding high the banner of Christ. There is work to be done for all, and as the work is done, men should see by the calm courage, the cheerfulness, and the patience of those that do it, that they know that they are doing His work, and that they are content to leave the issue, whatever it be, in His hands.” - G. A. Henty

70. “How reprehensible it is when those blessed with commodities insist on ignoring the poor. Better to torment them, force them into indentured servitude, inflict compulsion and blows—this at least produces a connection, fury and a pounding heart, and these too constitute a form of relationship. But to cower in elegant homes behind golden garden gates, fearful lest the breath of warm humankind touch you, unable to indulge in extravagances for fear they might be glimpsed by the embittered oppressed, to oppress and yet lack the courage to show yourself as an oppressor, even to fear the ones you are oppressing, feeling ill at ease in your own wealth and begrudging others their ease, to resort to disagreeable weapons that require neither true audacity nor manly courage, to have money, but only money, without splendor: That’s what things look like in our cities at present” - Robert Walser

71. “Courage is to walk hand in hand with the fear!” - Mehmet Murat ildan

72. “Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it.” - Albert Camus

73. “If ever you feel like an animal among men, be a lion.” - Criss Jami

74. “As a man begins to understand the sacrifices he must make to live the life he dreams of, he often loses his courage for such a life.” - Josie Sigler

75. “Creation groans, awaiting the revelation of the sons of God. It remembers, I think, in dreams, the wonders of the sinless, perfect world. You can hear it in the wild tinkle of the wind through the beech leaves, the splashing of water through cold, crystal streams, the beauty of a hind poised against the sky on a hilltop, and al through heartbreaking, beautiful things that surround us each day. They are memories, dear Indi, memories of long-lost days when God walked with man and all was well [...]But all these beauties we see are but dreams in the night, whispers of a hope to come beyond the end of this Age, that wonderful Other Thing. [...] God will not settle for imperfection, but He works His own ways in His own time. That is what we are living for, that is what stirs our sweet dreams each night, both us and the world, and that is what keeps us going through the dark: knowing that a morning is coming. And while we love the beauty of our world, we must remember that it is only a type, a shadow thing, very faintly resembling what is to come.” - Jennifer Freitag

76. “When clouds of pain loom in the skyWhen a shadow of sadness flickers byWhen a tear finds its way to the eyeWhen fear keeps the loneliness aliveI try and console my heartWhy is it that you cry? I askThis is only what life impartsThese deep silences withinHave been handed out to all by timeEveryone’s story has a little sorrowEveryone’s share has a little sunshineNo need for water in your eyesEvery moment can be a new lifeWhy do you let them pass you by?Oh heart, why is it that you cry?” - Javed Akhtar

77. “You get that one chance; and damn it, you’ve got to take it! If there’s one lesson I know I will take with me for eternity, its that there are those things that might happen only once, those chances that come walking down the street, strolling out of a café; if you don’t let go and take them, they really could get away! We can get so washed out with a mindset of entitlement– the universe will do everything for us to ensure our happiness– that we forget why we came here! We came here to grab, to take, to give, to have! Not to wait! Nobody came here to wait! So, what makes anyone think that destiny will keep on knocking over and over again? It could, but what if it doesn’t? You go and you take the chance that you get; even if it makes you look stupid, insane, or whorish! Because it just might not come back again. You could wait a lifetime to see if it will...but I don’t think you should.” - C. JoyBell C.

78. “Se hai paura di fare una cosa, pensa che sicuramente un idiota la farà al posto tuo.” - Helenio Herrera

79. “At least three times every day take a moment and ask yourself what is really important. Have the wisdom and the courage to build your life around your answer.” - Lee L. Jampolsky

80. “You might, from your appearance, be the wife of Lucifer,” said Miss Pross, in her breathing. “Nevertheless, you shall not get the better of me. I am an Englishwoman.” - Charles Dickens

81. “If there was no fear, how could there be comfort? Or courage?” - Veronica Rossi

82. “Courage is about learning how to function despite the fear, to put aside your instincts to run or give in completely to the anger born from fear. Courage is about using your brain and your heart when every cell of your body is screaming at your to fight or flee - and then following through on what you believe is the right thing to do.” - Jim Butcher

83. “You want to live?Yes!Then quit thinking you're gonna die!” - Laurel Dewey

84. “What a tremendous power one needs to become his own master!” - Mihail Drumeş

85. “To love someone with all of your heart requires reaching them where they are with the only words they can understand.” - Shannon L. Alder

86. “Courage follows action.” - Mack R. Douglas

87. “Lena, listen to me, okay? We don't have much more time here. You are in love. I've never seen anything like this before. You have to be brave, okay? You have to go and tell Kostos how you feel. I swear to God if you don't, you will regret it for the rest of your cowardly life.''What if he doesn't like me back?''That's what I mean about being brave.” - Ann Brashares

88. “E foi a seca que me deu coragem. Porque saber sofrer, moço, isso é que ter coragem.” - José Americo de Almeida

89. “Courage was no that hard to come by for children. No matter the hardships they faced, given a little love and encouragement, their spirits rebounded and thrived. Adults were different. Their habits and experiences made them inflexible, welding their routines into place, cementing their joys and hurts to create expectations of life that were not in line with the new realities. All around her, Cass saw the dazed expressions and the blank weariness.” - Sophie Littlefield

90. “Legacy is not what's left tomorrow when you're gone. It's what you give, create, impact and contribute today while you're here that then happens to live on.” - Rasheed Ogunlaru

91. “I’ve learned that sometimes, when you’re afraid but you keep on moving forward, that’s the biggest kind of courage there is.” - Cynthia Hand

92. “How many more of us are faking the facade? How many more of us are pretending to be something we're not? Even better, how many of us will have the courage to be ourselves regardless of what others think?” - Katie McGarry

93. “Trying and getting hurt can't possibly be worse for you than being... stuck.” - Eliezer Yudkowsky

94. “Mindfulness allows you to face the past with courage, whether it is scarred with pain or caressed with joy, and it gently holds you in the safe haven of the present without allowing you to become overwhelmed with what may or may not be waiting in the future.” - Deborah A. Beasley

95. “To me, empathy and compassion are among the bravest of emotions ... and faith, the bravest of convictions.” - Gerard de Marigny

96. “There is little faith involved in setting out on a journey where the destination is certain and every step in between has been mapped in detail. Bravery, trust, is about leaving camp in the dark, when we do not know the route ahead and cannot be certain we will ever return.” - Bear Grylls

97. “And why should it not be terrifying? A little terror, in my view, is good for the soul, when it is terror in the face of a noble object.” - Robertson Davies

98. “High expectations I have. In hardness I labor that, fuller joy at the top I may partake. Nevertheless, in vain I toil. And then, friends'and people's reproach I become, because of my drowning hopes that keeps me out of the circle of richies and honor. I'm the distance they keep like plague, because I have no physical wealth and glamour like them. But in all my stony falls and griefs, the word of restoration in the blood given to me upon the altar of salvation, I cling. For in the end, mercy will attend my situation and see to my hard labor with crown of great success.” - Darmie Orem

99. “To be able to live each day with honor, respect and dignity is the greatest achievement of all.” - Dr Roopleen

100. “Fearful as reality is, it is less fearful than evasions of reality.” - Caitlin Thomas

101. “Every man needs his Siren To check his courage and strength When he hears her song In his travels through the unknown.” - Dejan Stojanovic

102. “​Courage is a virtue appreciated in a male but considered a defect in our gender. Bold women are a threat to a world that is badly out of balance, in favor of men.” - Isabel Allende

103. “We fear to trust our wings. We plume and feather them, but dare not throw our weight upon them. We cling too often to the perch.” - Charles Newcomb Baxter

104. “You should holistically build yourself to be the best you. The evidence of your glorious life should be an inspiration to many . You create your world yourself in your own positive way. You are stronger than ever and bolder than you think. Brave the odds and initiate new imprints for all to aspire and follow your footprints.” - Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha

105. “They looked at each other. They weren't thinking anymore. The time for that had come and gone. Smashed smiles lay ahead of them. But that would be later. Lay Ter.” - Arundhati Roy

106. “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. Alder

107. “You can't do what you want to, so just do what you have to.” - Moveena Rasheed

108. “You don’t walk with your feet; you walk with your courage! No courage, no walking!” - Mehmet Murat ildan

109. “Grant me the wisdom to know when to keep trying and when to stop wasting time, the patience to keep going with the 1st, and the courage & serenity to let go of the 2nd.” - jay woodman

110. “When the fear of failure triumphs over the repugnance of mediocrity, we must resign ourselves to the status quo. Every change, every opportunity to do something different will send us running to hide beneath a cover of excuses and complacency. Those few courageous souls who delve into the lands where they risk failure, will be soundly ridiculed. They will be condemned not because they dream, but rather for making their dreams real and destroying the illusion that all that can be thought has been thought, all that can be done has been done, and all that can be felt has been felt. In their enthusiastic insolence, they see life filled with infinite possibilities and they know they must chart their own course, even if they must go alone.” - D.A. Blankinship

111. “Act as if it were impossible to fail.” - Dorthea Brande

112. “I’m sick of hearing it. I don’t think it’s right to stand by while innocent people are being tortured. I feel like that’s how most horrible things continue to happen. It’s because other people don’t step in to stop it.” - Kris Noel

113. “Pulling through is what people do around here. There is a kind of bravery in their lives that isn’t bravery at all. It is automatic, unflinching, a mix of man and machine, consuming and unquestionable obligation meeting illness move for move in a giant even-steven game of chess – an unending round of something that looks like shadowboxing, though between love and death, which is the shadow? “Everyone admires us for our courage,” says one man. “They have no idea what they’re talking about.”“Courage requires options,” the man adds.“There are options,” says a woman with a thick suede headband. “You could give up. You could fall apart.”“No you can’t. Nobody does. I’ve never seen it,” says the man. “Well, not really fall apart.” - Lorrie Moore

114. “Look upstream. Just simply turn around; have you no will?” - Annie Dillard

115. “Courage is vulnerability. Vulnerability is courage. Like shadow and light, neither one can exist without the other.” - Wai Lan Yuen

116. “... a true friend has your best interests at heart and the pluck to tell you what you need to hear.” - E.A. Bucchianeri

117. “There is more beauty than our eyes can bear, precious things have been put into our hands and to do nothing to honor them is to do great harm.” - Marilynne Robinson

118. “How I wish you could have known me in my strength.” - Marilynne Robinson

119. “We give up our power to the very people who took it away from us in the first place.” - Patti Digh

120. “The death rate for people who play it safe and for those who live boldly is the same.” - Patti Digh

121. “We're never alone. As soon as we step outside the campfire glow, our Muse lights on our shoulder like a butterfly. The act of courage calls for infallibly that deeper part of ourselves that supports and sustains us.” - Steven Pressfield