--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bravery is a mean state concerned with…" description: "\"Bravery is a mean state concerned with things that inspire confidence and with things fearful ... and leading us to choose danger and to face it, eithe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/aristotle-78_bravery_bravery-is-a-mean-state-concerned-with-t_1898174.jpg" --- # Bravery is a mean state concerned with things that inspire… ![“Bravery is a mean state concerned with things that inspire confidence and with things fearful ... and leading us to choose danger and to face it, either because to do so is noble, or because not to do so is base. But to court death as an escape from poverty, or from love, or from some grievous…” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/aristotle-78_bravery_bravery-is-a-mean-state-concerned-with-t_1898174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/aristotle-78_bravery_bravery-is-a-mean-state-concerned-with-t_1898174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf0/aristotle-78_bravery_bravery-is-a-mean-state-concerned-with-t_1898174.jpg) > “Bravery is a mean state concerned with things that inspire confidence and with things fearful ... and leading us to choose danger and to face it, either because to do so is noble, or because not to do so is base. But to court death as an escape from poverty, or from love, or from some grievous pain, is no proof of bravery, but rather of cowardice.” [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bravery is a balanced state, not reckless; true courage faces danger for noble reasons, not as escape from hardship. **In simple terms:** Courage is noble, not fleeing from problems. Key Takeaway Choose noble risks, avoid cowardly escapes. Themes courage ethics virtue Mood inspirational reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - military service - personal challenges - social activism Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology heroism Questions to Reflect On - What noble cause drives your courage? - When does risk become reckless? A Different Perspective Bravery can be confused with foolhardiness or desperation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bravery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery/) [Bravery Cowardice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery-cowardice-2783667/) [Bravery Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery-mean-2783666/) [Concerned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerned/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Cowardice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardice/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fearful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fearful/) [Inspire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspire/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Proof Bravery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof-bravery-2783668/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) ## Related quotes > [“Point is, you gotta be scared. Fear protects you. You gotta be scared right down to your bones" - he touched his fingertips to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-sutherland/point-is-you-gotta-be-scared-fear-protects-you-you-gotta-be-scared/) [Krystal Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-sutherland/) > [The opposite of bravery is not cowardice but conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anthony/the-opposite-of-bravery-is-not-cowardice-but-conformity/) [Robert Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anthony/) > [“Most firefights go by so fast that acts of bravery or cowardice are more or less spontaneous. Soldiers might live the rest of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/most-firefights-go-by-so-fast-that-acts-of-bravery-or-cowardice-are/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but one?' 'Of course. Who said it?' 'I don't know.' 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You water down the standards which would lead to bravery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/most-civilisation-is-based-on-cowardice-it-s-so-easy-to-civilize-by/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“All that blood and...stuff. Me, I'll take intelligent cowardice over foolhardy bravery any day”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-crispin-2/all-that-blood-and-stuff-me-i-ll-take-intelligent-cowardice-over/) [A. C. Crispin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-crispin-2/) > [Cowardice, when done correctly, can be its own kind of bravery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/cowardice-when-done-correctly-can-be-its-own-kind-of-bravery/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [Retreat itself is often a plan of resistance and may be a precursor of great bravery and sacrifice. Every retreat is not cowardice which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/retreat-itself-is-often-a-plan-of-resistance-and-may-be-a-precursor/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Even a dog mocks a lion when the lion is inside a cage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/even-a-dog-mocks-a-lion-when-the-lion-is-inside-a-cage/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“The problem about cutting out the best of your heart and giving it to people, is that 1. It hurts to do that; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/the-problem-about-cutting-out-the-best-of-your-heart-and-giving-it-to/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“I once knew a man who was heir to the throne of a great kingdom, he lived as a ranger and fought his destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-once-knew-a-man-who-was-heir-to-the-throne-of-a-great-kingdom-he/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“To stand at the very moment when all seems lost is the point of insanity for the coward, but it is the home of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-stand-at-the-very-moment-when-all-seems-lost-is-the-point-of/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) ## More by Aristotle > [The knowledge of the soul admittedly contributes greatly to the advance of truth in general, and, above all, to our understanding of Nature, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-knowledge-of-the-soul-admittedly-contributes-greatly-to-the/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The body is at its best between the ages of thirty and thirty-five; the mind is at its best about the age of forty-nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-body-is-at-its-best-between-the-ages-of-thirty-and-thirty-five/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The ensouled is distinguished from the unsouled by its being alive. Now since being alive is spoken of in many ways, even if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ensouled-is-distinguished-from-the-unsouled-by-its-being-alive/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Although it may be difficult in theory to know what is just and equal, the practical difficulty of inducing those to forbear who can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/although-it-may-be-difficult-in-theory-to-know-what-is-just-and-equal/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The true forms of government, therefore, are those in which the one, or the few, or the many, govern with a view to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-forms-of-government-therefore-are-those-in-which-the-one-or/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [All men by nature desire to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-men-by-nature-desire-to-know/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-persons-ought-to-endeavor-to-follow-what-is-right-and-not-what-is/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Give a man a poisoned fish, you feed him for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/give-a-man-a-fish-you-feed-him-for-a-day-give-a-man-a-poisoned-fish/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The man who confers a favour would rather not be repaid in the same coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-man-who-confers-a-favour-would-rather-not-be-repaid-in-the-same/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The mother of revolution and crime is poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-mother-of-revolution-and-crime-is-poverty/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-does-not-consist-in-pastimes-and-amusements-but-in-virtuous/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [To learn is a natural pleasure, not confined to philosophers, but common to all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-learn-is-a-natural-pleasure-not-confined-to-philosophers-but/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/every-virtue-is-a-mean-between-two-extremes-each-of-which-is-a-vice/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) [Explore all 1,545 Aristotle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## More Bravery quotes > [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [“How could we explain that standing on a stage and speaking someone else's words as if they are your own is less an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-rio/how-could-we-explain-that-standing-on-a-stage-and-speaking-someone/) [M.L. Rio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-rio/) > [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Courage is the skill of being the only one who knows your scared to death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-the-skill-of-being-the-only-one-who-knows-your-scared-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Fearing our confrontations is one thing... facing them unarmed is a completely different matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-w-boyer-2/fearing-our-confrontations-is-one-thing-facing-them-unarmed-is-a/) [Mark W. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-w-boyer-2/) > [Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bravery-is-the-capacity-to-perform-properly-even-when-scared-half-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To be able to live and train in Iraq under these circumstances you need to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-able-to-live-and-train-in-iraq-under-these-circumstances-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-garber/every-person-has-the-power-to-change-their-fate-if-they-are-brave/) [Stephanie Garber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-garber/) > [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [All the world's bravery that delights our eyes is but thy several liveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cowley/all-the-world-s-bravery-that-delights-our-eyes-is-but-thy-several/) [Abraham Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cowley/) > [“We were taught to be good, and we were taught to be careful. But in this world, sometimes, I do not think we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-bennett/we-were-taught-to-be-good-and-we-were-taught-to-be-careful-but-in/) [Marguerite Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-bennett/) > [Fortune helps the brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence/fortune-helps-the-brave/) [Terence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence/) > [“A ‘good’ father will tenderly cultivate his children. But a ‘good’ father who is also a ‘brave’ father will let the children without cultivate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/a-good-father-will-tenderly-cultivate-his-children-but-a-good-father/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [These are the men who, without virtue, labour, or hazard, are growing rich, as their country is impoverished; they rejoice, when obstinacy or ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/these-are-the-men-who-without-virtue-labour-or-hazard-are-growing/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Now I have the bravery to do fine things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriela-sabatini/now-i-have-the-bravery-to-do-fine-things/) [Gabriela Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriela-sabatini/) [Browse all 1,663 Bravery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bravery is a mean state concerned with things that inspire confidence and with things fearful ... and leading us to choose danger and to face it, either because to do so is noble, or because not to do so is base. 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