--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The courage we need is not the fortitude…" description: "\"The courage we need is not the fortitude to be obedient in the service of an unjust war, to help conceal lies, to do our job for a boss who has usurped..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/daniel-ellsberg-11718_acting_the-courage-we-need-is-not-the-fortitude_2898044.jpg" --- # The courage we need is not the fortitude to be obedient in… ![“The courage we need is not the fortitude to be obedient in the service of an unjust war, to help conceal lies, to do our job for a boss who has usurped power and is acting as an outlaw government. It is the courage at last to face honestly the truth and reality of what we are doing in the world…” quote by Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/daniel-ellsberg-11718_acting_the-courage-we-need-is-not-the-fortitude_2898044.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/daniel-ellsberg-11718_acting_the-courage-we-need-is-not-the-fortitude_2898044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/daniel-ellsberg-11718_acting_the-courage-we-need-is-not-the-fortitude_2898044.jpg) > “The courage we need is not the fortitude to be obedient in the service of an unjust war, to help conceal lies, to do our job for a boss who has usurped power and is acting as an outlaw government. It is the courage at last to face honestly the truth and reality of what we are doing in the world and act responsibly to change it.” [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True courage involves confronting uncomfortable truths about unjust wars and acting responsibly to change them, rather than merely obeying authority. **In simple terms:** Courage is facing truth, not blind obedience. Key Takeaway Act responsibly against injustice. Themes ethics political activism war truth courage Mood determined serious Type activist political When to use this quote - protest movements - policy advocacy - whistleblowing - public discourse Key Concepts philosophy political theory Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you avoiding? - How can you responsibly act on that truth? A Different Perspective Changing systems often meets strong resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Boss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boss/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fortitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortitude/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Outlaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlaw/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth and reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-and-reality/) [Unjust war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unjust-war/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [We need the courage to face the truth about what we are doing in the world and act responsibly to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/we-need-the-courage-to-face-the-truth-about-what-we-are-doing-in-the/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [You dont need to say a word; your eyes hold all the warmth and courage I need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiny-dreams/you-dont-need-to-say-a-word-your-eyes-hold-all-the-warmth-and-courage/) [Destiny Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destiny-dreams/) > [Should we feel at times disheartened and discouraged, a simple movement of heart toward God will renew our powers. 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It takes courage to take this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-shorter/the-arts-can-open-the-door-to-the-imagination-pushing-the-envelope-of/) [Wayne Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-shorter/) > [We've all got to look at ourselves, start with yourself, that's all you can do. I believe that we can act responsibly as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/we-ve-all-got-to-look-at-ourselves-start-with-yourself-that-s-all-you/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) ## More by Daniel Ellsberg > [If monarchy is corrupting - and it is - wait till you see what overt empire does to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/if-monarchy-is-corrupting-and-it-is-wait-till-you-see-what-overt/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [There are some things that should not be leaked without authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/there-are-some-things-that-should-not-be-leaked-without-authorization/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“The cliché that “everything leaks; it all comes out in the New York Times eventually” is emphatically not true, above all for sensitive compartmented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/the-clich-that-everything-leaks-it-all-comes-out-in-the-new-york/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“The fact is that the estimate of fatalities, in terms of what was calculable at that time—even before the discovery of nuclear winter—was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/the-fact-is-that-the-estimate-of-fatalities-in-terms-of-what-was/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [It is a tribute to the American people that our leaders perceived that they had to lie to us, it is not a tribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/it-is-a-tribute-to-the-american-people-that-our-leaders-perceived/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“Khrushchev told Norman Cousins, a few months after the crisis, his reaction at the time: When I asked the military advisors if they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/khrushchev-told-norman-cousins-a-few-months-after-the-crisis-his/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [I agree that there are things that should be kept secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/i-agree-that-there-are-things-that-should-be-kept-secret/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [If there's another 9/11 or a major war in the Middle-East involving a U.S. attack on Iran, I have no doubt that there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/if-there-s-another-9-11-or-a-major-war-in-the-middle-east-involving-a/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“Dwight Eisenhower had secretly endorsed the blueprints of this multi-genocide machine. He had furthermore demanded, largely for budgetary reasons, that there be no other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/dwight-eisenhower-had-secretly-endorsed-the-blueprints-of-this-multi/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [My feelings of revulsion and foreboding about nuclear weapons had not changed an iota since 1945, and they have never left me. Since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/my-feelings-of-revulsion-and-foreboding-about-nuclear-weapons-had-not/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [We need the courage to face the truth about what we are doing in the world and act responsibly to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/we-need-the-courage-to-face-the-truth-about-what-we-are-doing-in-the/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [It is urgent to prevent new U.S. aggression. The time is now for the world to say 'no' to U.S. threats of air attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/it-is-urgent-to-prevent-new-u-s-aggression-the-time-is-now-for-the/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“Whether rightly or wrongly, we are the only country in the world that believes it won a war by bombing—specifically by bombing cities with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/whether-rightly-or-wrongly-we-are-the-only-country-in-the-world-that/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“Throughout the Cold War such priorities reflected a command environment in which —it was regarded as overwhelmingly more important to assure a Go response…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/throughout-the-cold-war-such-priorities-reflected-a-command/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [There should be at least one leak like the Pentagon Papers every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/there-should-be-at-least-one-leak-like-the-pentagon-papers-every-year/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) [Explore all 58 Daniel Ellsberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. 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Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. 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