Courage in the Face of Fear

Courage isn't the absence of fear — it's being scared and doing the thing anyway. Whether it's speaking in class, standing up to a bully, or trying something new, this week's quotes come from leaders who chose action over fear, from an American president to a teenage Nobel laureate.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

> The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

32nd U.S. President, led America through the Great Depression and WWII, 1882–1945

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Nelson Mandela

> I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

South African anti-apartheid leader and president, 1918–2013

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Eleanor Roosevelt

> You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

American First Lady and human rights advocate, 1884–1962

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Malala Yousafzai

> When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.

Youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, born 1997

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C.S. Lewis

> Courage, dear heart.

Author of The Chronicles of Narnia, 1898–1963

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Try This at Home or in the Classroom

Ask: "What's one thing that scares you a little?" Read Eleanor Roosevelt's line together. Talk about the difference between danger and fear.

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