30 Courage Quotes To Help You Build Confidence and Inner Strength
We are all brave in dealing with our daily struggles, we just don't always realize it. Here are 30 courage quotes that prove youre braver than you thought you were.
We are often tempted to think that a courageous person is a fearless one. Someone who is able to face danger all the time, who is always prepared for it and even laughs in its face. Someone who will not only protect themselves, but others around them too.
Sure, such an individual is definitely brave and deserves all the praise and appreciation. But no man is fearless. Courage means taking action in spite of being afraid. Also, bravery is not a synonym for (super)hero, it’s just one of their many virtues.
The truth is, we are all brave in dealing with our daily struggles. We just don't always realize it. Whether you’re standing up for yourself, leave a bad relationship or start fresh in a new field -- these are all courageous acts.
Sometimes your courage won’t be loud and you will probably not get an actual medal for it. However, it will do so much more for you as a person -- it will help you build confidence and inner strength.
Here are 30 courage quotes that prove
you’re braver than you thought you were:
I learned that courage was 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 (more Nelson Mandela quotes)
It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit.
J.R.R. TOLKIEN
Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE (more Napoleon Bonaparte quotes)
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
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.
JOHN WAYNE
A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.
JOHN A. SHEDD
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
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.
VICTOR HUGO
Pride is holding your head up when everyone around you has theirs bowed. Courage is what makes you do it.
BRYCE COURTENAY
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
ANAIS NIN (more Anais Nin quotes)
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
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
You have to really be courageous about your instincts and your ideas. Otherwise you'll just knuckle under, and things that might have been memorable will be lost.
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.
J.K. ROWLING (more J. K. Rowling quotes)
Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON (more Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes)
You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.
WILLIAM FAULKNER
Keep your fears to yourself but share your courage with others.
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.
SOREN KIERKEGAARD
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
E.E. CUMMINGS
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
MARIE CURIE
The greatest test of courage on the earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.
R. G. INGERSOLL
Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that’s what makes you strong.
SARAH DESSEN
Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.
WINSTON CHURCHILL (more Winston Churchill quotes)
There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.
JANE AUSTEN
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
MARK TWAIN
You need to have faith in yourself. Be brave and take risks. You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.
ROY T. BENNETT
Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.
NORA EPHRON (more Nora Ephron quotes)
Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.
MAYA ANGELOU
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
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
DALE CARNEGIE (more Dale Carnegie quotes)
Military Dad Defends His 4 Little Daughters When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Military Dad of 4 Daughters Defends His Girls When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Austin von Letkemann is the military officer strangers feel "sorry" for — and the reason is infuriating.
Whenever the devoted father leaves the house with his four children, strangers can't help but notice the officer in uniform is holding hands with 4 adorable little girls. They will tell the traditionally "masculine" and "all American" dad they feel sorry for him, because he has no sons. This dad makes one thing very clear: They are his daughters, they aren't a burden.
In a passionate video, von Letkemann took to Instagram to share with his followers that the only thing that's "difficult" about being a girl dad — is clapping back to these sexist remarks over and over again.
They Mock His Daughters To Their Face
When strangers approach Austin von Letkemann and his four daughters, they don't always realize that their comments are being overheard. They seem oblivious to the fact that his girls understand every word. Von Letkemann describes how people will approach him and, without thinking, make remarks like "I'm sorry" or even joke about his lack of sons. What they don't realize is that these comments, intended to be light-hearted or humorous, can be deeply hurtful to his daughters. These strangers are not just disrespecting von Letkemann's choices as a father; they're also sending a message to his daughters that their presence is something to be pitied. It’s a message that von Letkemann won't stand for, and he's speaking out to defend his girls from these insensitive remarksSaying "Get Your Shotgun" Isn't Funny — It's Sexist
Another common comment that Austin von Letkemann encounters is the old "better get your shotgun ready" trope, often delivered with a smirk or a wink. This line is typically intended to suggest that a father with daughters should be on high alert to protect them from potential "suitors," implying that they are objects to be guarded rather than individuals with agency.
Von Letkemann finds this line of thinking outdated and sexist. In his viral Instagram video, he points out that these jokes are not just stale — they're damaging.
By suggesting that his daughters require armed protection, the joke reinforces the idea that women are inherently vulnerable and need to be shielded from men. Von Letkemann argues that instead of promoting this narrative, society should focus on teaching respect and consent, challenging these sexist tropes at their source.
Watch Austin von Letkemann's Video:
"If I Had A Fifth Child, I'd HOPE It Was A Girl" — One Dad's Message For Other Parents
Despite the constant remarks about his lack of sons, Austin von Letkemann is clear: He wouldn't trade his daughters for anything.
In fact, he told his Instagram followers that if he were to have a fifth child, he would hope for another girl. This declaration isn't just about doubling down on his pride in his family — it's a pointed response to those who see fathering daughters as a misfortune.
Von Letkemann's stance is a powerful one, rejecting the notion that a family is incomplete without sons. He encourages others to question the assumptions behind these comments and to appreciate the joy and fulfillment that his daughters bring. By sharing his story, von Letkemann hopes to create a more inclusive perspective on fatherhood, one that values daughters just as much as sons.