Inspirational Quotes on Courage

In the book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis writes, “Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already….Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

The same can be said about courage. By behaving as though you’re brave when you’re afraid, you’ll come to actually have the courage necessary to overcome your fear. As Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, wrote in his autobiography, “There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first, ranging from grizzly bears to ‘mean’ horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid.”

Here are inspirational quotes about bravery and courage:

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13 (ESV)

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” — Psalm 31:24 (ESV)

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?” — Psalm 56:3-4 (NLT)

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” — Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

“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. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful till it became risky.” — C.S. Lewis

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one’s fear.” — James Neil Hollingworth

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” — Winston Churchill

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others.” — Winston Churchill

“This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.” — Winston Churchill

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Questions to Ask Yourself

Thinking that you have an answer for everything may be evidence that you’re part of the problem.

Asking intelligent, probing questions is among the foundation characteristics of effective leadership. By observing current conditions and asking “what if…” and “why not…,” your thinking is expanded, your horizons are opened, and you generate better solutions to solve intricate challenges. That’s true both professionally as well as personally (self-assessment). Asking questions moves you out of the judgmental, status-quo realm into the learning, improvement realm.

The following is a partial list from ZeroHedge.com of suggested questions to ask yourself to assist you in creating a working inventory of mind, body, and equipment for living in dangerous or uncertain times. SemperVerus has added questions for soul development.

Soul

  • What am I doing to intentionally strengthen my soul?
  • Am I obeying the greatest commandment (love God) and the second greatest commandment (love people)?
  • Do I believe Jesus—whom historians have proven to actually have lived—was a liar, lunatic, or Lord? (see the SemperVerus Good News page)
  • What am I doing to regularly read and understand the Bible?
  • How often do I pray?
  • Are my prayers big enough? Are they others-focused?
  • How often do I meditate?
  • Am I quick to confess and repent of my sins?
  • What am I doing to feed my faith?
  • Am I being sensitive to daily count my blessings and show gratitude?
  • Do I live for a higher purpose than merely myself?
  • Am I being generous enough?
  • Am I quick to forgive?
  • Is my leadership vision spiritually oriented?
  • What books are on my reading list to spiritually grow?

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The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety

An image of the four gun safety rules

Col. Jeff Cooper (1920–2006) was a US Marine, the creator of the modern technique of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. He introduced the concept of the mental alertness color code which indicates the degree of peril a person is willing to act upon and which facilitates a person to move from one level of mindset to another (situational awareness) to enable the person to properly handle a given situation.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Matters to Consider When Deciding on a Handgun ]

As a way of encouraging universal firearm safety, Col. Cooper also advocated a simple 4-point set of rules anyone can understand:

  1. EVERY gun is loaded until proven otherwise.
  2. Point the muzzle ONLY at what you want to destroy.
  3. Put your finger on the trigger ONLY when you’re ready to fire.
  4. KNOW your target and what’s behind and around it.

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Spiritual Fitness in the USA Military

The US Air Force defines spiritual fitness as “the ability to adhere to beliefs, principles, or values needed to persevere and prevail in accomplishing missions,” according to Air Force Instruction (AFI) 90-5001.

Spiritual fitness is one of the four pillars of Comprehensive Airman Fitness, which focuses on building a thriving US Air Force comprised of comprehensively balanced individuals who strive to be mentally, physically, socially and spiritually fit.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Concealed Carry Daily Prayer ]

According to a 2013 RAND Corporation study commissioned by the Air Force, spiritual fitness “can affect an individual’s resilience and readiness to perform military duties” and “influence resilience and well-being by buffering stress.”

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