A collection of inspirational wisdom, sayings and quotes on the subject of fear and courage.
Fear is something we all deal with - whether it is something as seemingly small as fearing not being liked to fear for our very lives. Acting in the face of fear builds character and strength. Shrinking in the face of fear leaves us paralyzed and power-less.
Courage is not lack of fear, but rather it is taking action in the face of, and despite, fear - Feel the fear and do it anyway!
It is not because things are difficult
that we do not dare.
It is because we do not dare
that they are difficult.
~ Seneca ~
The human emotional system can be broken down into roughly two elements:
fear and love.
Love is of the soul.
Fear is of the personality.
~ Gary Zukav - from "Seat Of The Soul" ~
Whatever course you decide upon,
there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.
There are always difficulties arising
which tempt you to believe that your critics are right.
To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
(American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist, 1803-1882) ~
And the day came
when the risk to remain tight in a bud
became more painful
than the risk it took to blossom.
~ Anais Nin ~
Love is what we were born with.
Fear is what we learned here.
The spiritual journey is the relinquishment - or unlearning - of fear
and the acceptance of love back into our hearts.
~ Marianne Williamson from "A Return to Love ~
If you deliberately plan on
being less than you are capable of being,
then I warn you
that you'll be unhappy for the rest of your life.
~ Abraham H Maslow (1908-1970) - Psychologist & Author ~
People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
but when the darkness sets in,
their true beauty is revealed
only if there is a light from within.
~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross ~
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak.
Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
~ Winston Churchill ~
Fear is an acronym for:
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
~ Author Unknown ~The only way past fear
is to go through.~ Author Unknown ~I have not ceased being fearful,
but I have ceased to let fear control me.
I have accepted fear as a part of life -
specifically the fear of change, the fear of the unknown;
and I have gone ahead despite the pounding in my heart that says:
turn back, turn back, you'll die if you venture too far.~ Erica Jong ~Life shrinks or expands
in proportion to one's courage. ~ Anais Nin ~Leap,
and the net will appear. ~ John Burroughs, Naturalist (1837-1921)
~
If there were ever a time to dare, to make
a difference,
to embark on something worth doing,
it is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily,
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that's your aspiration,
something that's your dream.
You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig deep.
Stretch.
Dream big.~ Macintosh computer ad, 1991 ~Feel the fear
And do it anyway!~ Book Title by Susan Jeffers ~When we speak. we are afraid our words will
not be heard or welcomed.
But when we are silent, we are still afraid.
So it is better to speak. ~ Audre Lorde ~
Don’t compromise yourself.
You are all you’ve got.
~ Janis Joplin ~
The courage of life
is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final
moment,
but it is no less than a magnificent mixture of triumph and
tragedy.
People do what they must - in spite of personal consequences,
in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures -
and that is the basis of all human morality.
~ John F. Kennedy ~
The Serenity Prayer
God, grant me:
Serenity - to accept the things I cannot change
Courage - to change the things I can, and
Wisdom - to know the difference.
~ Reinhold Neibuhr, theologian,
1934 ~