Maxim

Do what is right, even when you are afraid.

Courage is not the absence of fear but the choice to act well in its presence. Most of the good we do asks a little bravery of us.

Related expressions

• “To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.”

  — Confucius, Analects 2.24, tr. James Legge
  ConfucianismAncient (before 200 BCE)relation: expressesVerifiedsourceTranslation: public-domain translation (Legge)

• “the Brave man chooses his line and withstands danger either because to do so is honourable, or because not to do so is base.”

  — Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book III, tr. D. P. Chase
  Greek philosophyAncient (before 200 BCE)relation: expressesVerifiedsourceTranslation: public-domain translation (Chase)

• “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

  — Paul the Apostle, 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
  ChristianityClassical (200 BCE – 600 CE)relation: similarVerifiedsourceTranslation: King James Version (public domain)

• “The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you are looking for.”

  — Joseph Campbell, A Joseph Campbell Companion (1991), ed. Diane K. Osbon, 'In the Field', from her notes of his talk; checked in the Internet Archive scan of the HarperCollins 1991 edition. The popular form "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek" is not found in his works; Quote Investigator's earliest print instance is 2004
  Watch on YouTube: Jocko Willink's advice on facing challenges ↗Jocko Willink on moving toward the challenge (fan compilation)
  Comparative mythologyContemporary (1950 – today)relation: partialVerifiedsource

• “vulnerability is not weakness. … vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage.”

  — Brené Brown, Interview on NPR's TED Radio Hour, “Can We Gain Strength From Shame?”, 11 March 2013 (NPR transcript)
  Echoes Joseph Campbell: “The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source…”
  Watch on YouTube: The Power of Vulnerability (TED) ↗Brené Brown discusses this idea
  Modern psychology & self-helpContemporary (1950 – today)relation: similarVerifiedsource

• “What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.”

  — Tim Ferriss, “Fear-Setting”, tim.blog (2017), adapted from The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans
  Echoes Confucius, Analects 2.24: “To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage”
  Watch on YouTube: Tim Ferriss: Define your fears, not your goals ↗Tim Ferriss discusses this idea
  Modern psychology & self-helpContemporary (1950 – today)relation: similarVerifiedsource

Score

Moral Rank 86.8 · Evidence E = 19.45

E = ln(1+4.48) + √4.48 + 3·3.71 + 1.5·3 = 19.45

How this is scored

Further reading

• Brené Brown, Daring Greatly (Open Library)