What philosophers, CEOs, and creatives across the ages can teach us about choosing courage over fear
At Be Courageous, we see courage as a verb, not just a noun (and yes, we are attempting to get Webster to update this in the dictionary).
We believe that courage lives in each of us, can be fostered and developed, and that it is an action you can take repeatedly to build an extraordinary life and business.
What we know about courage
In our work with leaders and teams at Fortune 1000 companies worldwide, we’ve seen that adding courage to any thinking will automatically unlock ideas and creativity you didn’t know were possible.
To add to our real-world experience and individual research, this extensive academic study shows that courage goes along with certain personality traits (like open-mindedness) and adding the element of risk-taking unlocks the most courageous actions.
Before your next big decision, group brainstorming meeting, or problem-solving session, try sharing some of our favorite quotes below to bring courage, not fear, to the forefront.
We can guarantee the perspectives in the room will change.
20 quotes about courage to inspire you and your team
“If you fight for your limitations, you get to keep them. Fight for courage instead.” — Kyle Hermans
“Success is having the courage to take risks and follow your passion.” — Jay Smith, CIO of TracFone Wireless
“Courage is making the unknown known.” — Georgia O’Keeffe, Artist
“Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose.” — Tom Krause, American author known for his contributions to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” — Nelson Mandela, South African president and freedom fighter
“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” — Aristotle
“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, American author
“Courage is knowing that it might hurt, and doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. And that’s why life is hard.” — Jeremy Goldberg, American writer, speaker, and behavioral scientist
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.” — Dale Carnegie, American author and lecturer
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — Poet E.E. Cummings
“Courage is grace under pressure.” — Ernest Hemingway, American novelist and journalist
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” — Muhammad Ali, Legendary American boxer
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” — Maya Angelou, American author and activist
“You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.” — Dr Brené Brown, American researcher, author, and professor
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” — Mark Twain, American author
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” — Joseph Campbell, American mythologist, writer, and lecturer
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”— Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” — Vincent Van Gogh, Dutch painter
What inspires your courage?
Every quote about courage here points to one core truth: Courage is not something you either have or don’t have—it’s something you practice. Whether you’re stepping into a leadership role, launching a bold idea, or simply speaking your truth in a tough conversation, courage is the lever that lifts possibility.
Let these quotes be more than inspiration—let them be a catalyst for action.
Reach out; we’re here to guide you.
Editor: Shannon Geher | Research: Fin
