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Winston Churchill viewed courage as the foundational virtue. 'Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities,' he said, 'because it is the quality which guarantees all others. ' He demonstrated this physically in the trenches of WWI and politically in the House of Commons. He teaches that without the courage to stand by your convictions, your other virtues—intelligence, kindness, honesty—are useless when the pressure mounts.
"Without courage, all other virtues lose their value."
"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
"The first quality that is needed is audacity."
"Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others."
"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others."
"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."
"A man does what he must — in spite of personal consequences."
"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it."
"Fear is a reaction. Courage is a decision."
"Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning."
"This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure."
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
"If you’re going through hell, keep going."
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense."
"There is only one duty, only one safe course, and that is to try to be right and not to fear to do or say what you believe to be right."
Seeing how Winston Churchill approaches Courage helps you apply the idea with more precision.
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