#brave

Pulling through is what people do around here. There is a kind of bravery in their lives that isn’t bravery at all. It is automatic, unflinching, a mix of man and machine, consuming and unquestionable obligation meeting illness move for move in a giant even-steven game of chess – an unending round of something that looks like shadowboxing, though between love and death, which is the shadow? “Everyone admires us for our courage,” says one man. “They have no idea what they’re talking about.” “Courage requires options,” the man adds. “There are options,” says a woman with a thick suede headband. “You could give up. You could fall apart.” “No you can’t. Nobody does. I’ve never seen it,” says the man. “Well, not really fall apart. ↗

— Lorrie Moore

#courage #death #death-and-love #death-and-sickness #death-of-a-loved-one

i never thought about how i would die, but dying in the place of someone i love seems like a pretty good way to go ↗

— Stephenie Meyer

#compassionate #truthful #love

But unless we determine to take action,' said the old man querulously, as if struggling against something deeply insouciant in his nature, 'then we shall all be destroyed, we shall all die. Surely we care about that?' 'Not enough to want to get killed over it,' said Ford. ↗

— Douglas Adams

#death #humorous #death

All those religions--they contradict each other on every point but every one of them is filled with ways to help people to be brave enough to laugh even though they know they are dying. ↗

— Robert A. Heinlein

#contradictions #life-and-death #religions #death

It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly. ↗

— Isaac Asimov

#business #challenge #inspirational #motivation #strength

She hadn't chosen the brave life. She'd chosen the small, fearful one. ↗

— Ann Brashares

#fearful #life #small #life

Master, I'm afraid. I am, truly. This place scares me. At home, I know who I am, what to do. I'm the Warden's daughter, I know where I stand. But this is a dangerous place, full of pitfalls. All my life, I've known it was waiting for me, but now I'm not sure I can face it. They'll want to absorb me, make me one of them, and I won't change. I won't! I want to stay me." Jared sighed and she saw his dark gaze was fixed on the veiled window. "Claudia, you're the bravest person I know. And no one will change you. You will rule here, though it won't be easy... ↗

— Catherine Fisher

#brave #change

A chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy. ↗

— Veronica Roth

#dauntless #four #tris #bravery

Curiosity will conquer fear more than bravery will. ↗

— James Stephens

#bravery

I am an ordinary sort of fellow, not braver than other people, but I hate to see a good man downed, and that long knife would not be the end of Scudder if I could play the game in his place. ↗

— John Buchan

#fortitude #knives #loyalty #men #murder