“You are braver and more courageous than you realize; but fail to act or speak out, for fear of displeasing others; the anguish one lives for not acting instinctively, hurts more than if you acted.”

1998

Last update Oct. 14, 2023. History

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Confucius photo

“To worship to other than one's own ancestral spirits is brown-nosing. If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage.”

Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher

(zh-TW) 非其鬼而祭之,諂也。見義不為,無勇也。
The Analects, Chapter I, Chapter II

Moon So-ri photo

“Directing takes more courage than acting.”

Moon So-ri (1974) South Korean actress

As quoted in "Moon So-ri interview: “I wasn’t relaxed enough for us to improvise!”" in Eastern Kicks (6 June 2018) https://www.easternkicks.com/features/moon-so-ri-interview-2

Chinmayananda Saraswati photo

“More important than What is Behind you and what is Ahead of you is what is In you. Seek it. Centred in it, act and live.”

Chinmayananda Saraswati (1916–1993) Indian spiritual teacher

Quotations from Gurudev’s teachings, Chinmya Mission Chicago

Confucius photo

“If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage.”

Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher

The Analects, Chapter I, Chapter II
Context: To worship to other than one's own ancestral spirits is brown-nosing. If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage.
Variant To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle.

William Saroyan photo

“You act as if you know more than I'll ever know, but I've forgotten more than you'll ever know.”

William Saroyan (1908–1981) American writer

Jim Dandy : Fat Man in a Famine (1947)
Context: You act as if you know more than I'll ever know, but I've forgotten more than you'll ever know. You're snobs, too. Every man I've ever met has been a snob. You don't have to be a snob, too, do you? Please sign this piece of paper, so I can be a member of the public library and read books and find out about people. I don't want to hate you, I just can't help it.

Norman Vincent Peale photo
Mike Krzyzewski photo
Ai Weiwei photo
Mitch Albom photo

“There are no random acts… We are all connected… You can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind…”

Variant: That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate on life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind.
Source: The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2003)
Context: "All the people you meet here have one thing to teach you." Eddie was skeptical. His fists stayed clenched. "What?" he said. "That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind."

Paulo Coelho photo

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