--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I find my greatest strength in wanting to…" description: "\"I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave. I don't know if I've ever realized it before,[..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/david-levithan-67_be-brave_i-find-my-greatest-strength-in-wanting-t_2616801.jpg" --- # I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I… ![“I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave. I don't know if I've ever realized it before,[...] I think we both realize it now. If there's no feeling of fear, then there's no need for courage.” quote by David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/david-levithan-67_be-brave_i-find-my-greatest-strength-in-wanting-t_2616801.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/david-levithan-67_be-brave_i-find-my-greatest-strength-in-wanting-t_2616801.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b86/david-levithan-67_be-brave_i-find-my-greatest-strength-in-wanting-t_2616801.jpg) > “I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave. I don't know if I've ever realized it before,\[...\] I think we both realize it now. If there's no feeling of fear, then there's no need for courage.” [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Strength and bravery stem from desire; without fear, courage is unnecessary, linking bravery to confronting fear. **In simple terms:** Desire creates strength; no fear means no need for courage. Key Takeaway Embrace fear to discover true courage. Themes courage strength fear self‑discovery psychology Mood reflective encouraging Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - personal growth - mental health - leadership - adversity coping Key Concepts existentialism heroic archetype motivation Questions to Reflect On - What fears could you face today? - How does desire shape your bravery? A Different Perspective Ignoring fear may lead to complacency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-brave/) [Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) [Bravery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery/) [Bravery Deciding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery-deciding-2074488/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Deciding Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deciding-brave-2074489/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Greatest strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-strength/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Strength Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength-wanting-1474773/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong and my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave…If there's no feeling of fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-find-my-greatest-strength-in-wanting-to-be-strong-and-my-greatest/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I find my greatest strengths in wanting ti be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-find-my-greatest-strengths-in-wanting-ti-be-strong-i-find-my/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Though strength be wanting, the will to action Merits praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/though-strength-be-wanting-the-will-to-action-merits-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [I guess I thought the strength of my wanting would be enough to make him appear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-guess-i-thought-the-strength-of-my-wanting-would-be-enough-to-make/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [I get my strength from wanting to teach other women that everything about you is OK, and you shouldn't take any crap from anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iliza-shlesinger/i-get-my-strength-from-wanting-to-teach-other-women-that-everything/) [Iliza Shlesinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iliza-shlesinger/) > [“It is brave to believe that you are a unique, precious young lady no matter what your feelings might be saying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofi-benitez/it-is-brave-to-believe-that-you-are-a-unique-precious-young-lady-no/) [Sofi Benitez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofi-benitez/) > [No man can be brave who thinks pain the greatest evil; nor temperate, who considers pleasure the highest good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/no-man-can-be-brave-who-thinks-pain-the-greatest-evil-nor-temperate/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [ Brave men are brave from the very first. \[Fr., Les hommes valeureux le sont au premier coup.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/brave-men-are-brave-from-the-very-first-fr-les-hommes-valeureux-le/) [Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/) > [He told me once to be brave, and though I have stood still while knives spun toward my face and jumped off a roof,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-told-me-once-to-be-brave-and-though-i-have-stood-still-while/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [You don't have to fight to be brave. Millions of good, fine, decent folks show more bravery than heavyweight champs just by getting out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/you-don-t-have-to-fight-to-be-brave-millions-of-good-fine-decent/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [Tis not too late to-morrow to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/tis-not-too-late-to-morrow-to-be-brave/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [It is hard to be brave, when you're only a Very Small Animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-hard-to-be-brave-when-you-re-only-a-very-small-animal/) [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/) > [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/) > [Being funny is one of my greatest strengths. I can make girls smile when they're down, and when they're having a good time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/being-funny-is-one-of-my-greatest-strengths-i-can-make-girls-smile/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) ## More by David Levithan > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Patrick: Is she worth the trouble? Cameron: I thought she was- Patrick: Either she is, or she isn't. 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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/) > [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“When you break someone's heart, you also break yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-break-someone-s-heart-you-also-break-yours/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Because toward the end all the words started leaving. Except for the ones that had to lock up at the end of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/because-toward-the-end-all-the-words-started-leaving-except-for-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) [Explore all 1,648 David Levithan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More Be brave quotes > [If You Love Someone, Be Brave Enough To Tell Them., Otherwise Be Brave Enough To Watch Them To Be Loved By Someone Else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal-zahoor/if-you-love-someone-be-brave-enough-to-tell-them-otherwise-be-brave/) [Bilal Zahoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal-zahoor/) > [Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/be-convinced-that-to-be-happy-means-to-be-free-and-that-to-be-free/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [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/) > [Be brave! Be strong! Be fearless! Once you have taken up the spiritual life, fight as long as there is any life in you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/be-brave-be-strong-be-fearless-once-you-have-taken-up-the-spiritual/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Sometimes I think I'm a nihilist because it doesn't matter, none of this matters. We're all following the will of some unknowable higher power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/sometimes-i-think-i-m-a-nihilist-because-it-doesn-t-matter-none-of/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [Let us be brave in the face of adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-elder/let-us-be-brave-in-the-face-of-adversity/) [Seneca the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-elder/) > [So that my life be brave, what though not long?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-drummond/so-that-my-life-be-brave-what-though-not-long/) [William Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-drummond/) > [You can plan to be brave - it's even better if you just try to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/you-can-plan-to-be-brave-it-s-even-better-if-you-just-try-to-be-brave/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [We are in a tight corner, now, I agree. But we have been in tight corners before and come out of them. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hoffman/we-are-in-a-tight-corner-now-i-agree-but-we-have-been-in-tight/) [Mary Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hoffman/) > [ Before \[Hindus and Moslems\] dare think of freedom, they must be brave enough to love one another, to tolerate one another's religion, even prejudices… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/before-hindus-and-moslems-dare-think-of-freedom-they-must-be-brave/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The real problem with big issues like Medicare is that both parties have to be brave at the same time. Every pollster will tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/the-real-problem-with-big-issues-like-medicare-is-that-both-parties/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [Fear is the raw material from which courage is manufactured. Without it, we wouldn't even know what it means to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/fear-is-the-raw-material-from-which-courage-is-manufactured-without/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Pain nourishes courage. You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you. Pain is inevitable. Misery is optional. Physical pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara/pain-nourishes-courage-you-can-t-be-brave-if-you-ve-only-had/) [Barbara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara/) > [You make choices and sometimes they're good and sometimes they backfire. The most important thing is to be brave, forgive yourself when you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersey-clemons/you-make-choices-and-sometimes-they-re-good-and-sometimes-they/) [Kiersey Clemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersey-clemons/) [Browse all 333 Be brave quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-brave/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave. I don't know if I've ever realized it before,[...] I think we both realize it now. 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