“Far better is it to have a stout heart always, and suffer one's share of evils, than to be ever fearing what may happen.”
Book 7, Ch. 50 (trans. George Rawlinson)
Variant translation: It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half of the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what might happen.
The Histories
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Herodotus 42
ancient Greek historian, often considered as the first hist… -484–-425 BCRelated quotes
Source: The Alchemist (1988), p. 130
Cassandra (1860)
Context: Give us back our suffering, we cry to Heaven in our hearts — suffering rather than indifferentism; for out of nothing comes nothing. But out of suffering may come the cure. Better have pain than paralysis! A hundred struggle and drown in the breakers. One discovers the new world. But rather, ten times rather, die in the surf, heralding the way to that new world, than stand idly on the shore!
“To my mind losing is always better than never trying, because you can never tell what may happen.”
Source: Straight From The Heart (1985), Chapter Nine, Main Street...Bay Street, p. 195
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.”
Source: The Alchemist (1988), p. 130 <!-- also p. 156 -->
Context: Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.
“God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist.”
Enchiridion (c. 420 ), Ch. 27
“Better is art, than evil strength; for with art men may hold what strength may not obtain.”
Source: Brut, Line 8590; vol. 2, p. 297.
Il vaut mieux employer notre esprit à supporter les infortunes qui nous arrivent qu'à prévoir celles qui nous peuvent arriver.
Maxim 174.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)
“It is far better to put away fear than to be driven by it.”
Source: The Riddle