--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whether we stay or whether we go - to be…" description: "\"Whether we stay or whether we go - to be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made.\" — David Whyte" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/david-whyte-3502_be-courageous_whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-c_3187447.jpg" --- # Whether we stay or whether we go - to be courageous is to… ![“Whether we stay or whether we go - to be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made.” quote by David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/david-whyte-3502_be-courageous_whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-c_3187447.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/david-whyte-3502_be-courageous_whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-c_3187447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/david-whyte-3502_be-courageous_whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-c_3187447.jpg) > “Whether we stay or whether we go - to be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made.” [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Whyte suggests that true courage lies in staying authentic to one’s nature, regardless of staying or departure, emphasizing inner consistency over external circumstances **In simple terms:** Courage is staying true to yourself wherever you are Key Takeaway Stay authentic, be courageous Themes self courage identity Mood inspirational thoughtful poetic Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - career transitions - personal growth - spiritual journeys - life decisions Key Concepts Existentialism authenticity inner strength Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay true to yourself in change? - What does courage look like for you? A Different Perspective External changes can challenge authenticity ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Courageous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous/) ## Related quotes > [The more creative you are the more trouble you're in. You have to be courageous!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/the-more-creative-you-are-the-more-trouble-you-re-in-you-have-to-be/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [Can any man be courageous who has the fear of death in him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/can-any-man-be-courageous-who-has-the-fear-of-death-in-him/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [ My approach is to be honest-really honest-and consistent. That is what any growth will take. It is an issue I think \[young\] generation can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-angela-davis/my-approach-is-to-be-honest-really-honest-and-consistent-that-is-what/) [Michaela Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-angela-davis/) > [You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-can-practice-any-virtue-erratically-but-nothing-consistently/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Stand up for your values, be courageous and humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/stand-up-for-your-values-be-courageous-and-humble/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [Always be courageous and strong, & don't fear. You've got to be confident when you're competing. You've got to be a beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabby-douglas/always-be-courageous-and-strong-don-t-fear-you-ve-got-to-be-confident/) [Gabby Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabby-douglas/) > [There are a group of people who would like to silence everybody and have everyone go along to get along, but that’s not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/there-are-a-group-of-people-who-would-like-to-silence-everybody-and/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-encourage-you-to-live-with-life-be-courageous-adventurous-give-us-a/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Everyone say to himself: 'When was the last time I went to confession?' And if it has been a long time, don't lose another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/everyone-say-to-himself-when-was-the-last-time-i-went-to-confession/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I don't have to research humanity, I just have to be courageous enough to share that part of myself with everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-santiago-hudson/i-don-t-have-to-research-humanity-i-just-have-to-be-courageous-enough/) [Ruben Santiago-Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-santiago-hudson/) > [If you don’t learn how to cry, you cannot be a good Christian. When they posed this question to us – why children suffer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/if-you-don-t-learn-how-to-cry-you-cannot-be-a-good-christian-when/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > ["Be courageous and keep moving forward"... that's kind of the mantra that I've tried to keep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-brock/be-courageous-and-keep-moving-forward-that-s-kind-of-the-mantra-that/) Jesse Brock > [I feel that it is our moral obligation to stand and to be courageous with these families, and particularly Cindy, that have become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-feel-that-it-is-our-moral-obligation-to-stand-and-to-be-courageous/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [Life is a mystery, and there is nothing to explain everything is just open, it is in front of you. Encounter it! Meet it!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/life-is-a-mystery-and-there-is-nothing-to-explain-everything-is-just/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Thy will be done, my Lord. Because you know the weakness in the heart of your children, and you assign each of them only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/thy-will-be-done-my-lord-because-you-know-the-weakness-in-the-heart/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by David Whyte > [“The poet lives and writes at the frontier between deep internal experience and the revelations of the outer world. There is no going back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-poet-lives-and-writes-at-the-frontier-between-deep-internal/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [I returned to poetry as a more precise way to describe the world, more precise than science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/i-returned-to-poetry-as-a-more-precise-way-to-describe-the-world-more/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [What if the world is holding its breath - waiting for you to take the place that only you can fill?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/what-if-the-world-is-holding-its-breath-waiting-for-you-to-take-the/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [What you plan is too small for you to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/what-you-plan-is-too-small-for-you-to-live/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“It is not the thing you fear that you must deal with, it is the mother of the thing you fear. The very thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/it-is-not-the-thing-you-fear-that-you-must-deal-with-it-is-the-mother/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerity-in-a-love-relationship-in-a/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [The frail, vulnerable sounds of which we are capable seem to be essential to a later ability to roar like a lion without scaring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-frail-vulnerable-sounds-of-which-we-are-capable-seem-to-be/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [A good poem has its own life. It's like bringing a child into the world. You, the poet, birthed the child, but the child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/a-good-poem-has-its-own-life-it-s-like-bringing-a-child-into-the/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“Work, like marriage, is a place you can lose yourself more easily perhaps than finding yourself. It is a place full of powerful undercurrents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/work-like-marriage-is-a-place-you-can-lose-yourself-more-easily/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [The moment you’ve uttered the exact dimensionality of your exile, you’re already turning towards home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-moment-you-ve-uttered-the-exact-dimensionality-of-your-exile-you/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“...wanting soul life without the dark, warming intelligence of personal doubt is like expecting an egg without the brooding heat of the mother hen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/wanting-soul-life-without-the-dark-warming-intelligence-of-personal/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [It's my contention that there is no sincere path a human being can take without breaking his or her heart...so it can be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/it-s-my-contention-that-there-is-no-sincere-path-a-human-being-can/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“FINISTERRE The road in the end taking the path the sun had taken, into the western sea, and the moon rising behind you as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/finisterre-the-road-in-the-end-taking-the-path-the-sun-had-taken-into/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“We can never know in the beginning, in giving ourselves to a person, to a work, to a marriage or to a cause, exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/we-can-never-know-in-the-beginning-in-giving-ourselves-to-a-person-to/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“When your eyes are tired the world is tired also. When your vision has gone no part of the world can find you. Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/when-your-eyes-are-tired-the-world-is-tired-also-when-your-vision-has/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) [Explore all 129 David Whyte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) ## More Be courageous quotes > [The more creative you are the more trouble you're in. You have to be courageous!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/the-more-creative-you-are-the-more-trouble-you-re-in-you-have-to-be/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [When you look fear in the face, you are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/when-you-look-fear-in-the-face-you-are-able-to-say-to-yourself-i/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Life is a mystery, and there is nothing to explain everything is just open, it is in front of you. Encounter it! Meet it!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/life-is-a-mystery-and-there-is-nothing-to-explain-everything-is-just/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I feel that it is our moral obligation to stand and to be courageous with these families, and particularly Cindy, that have become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-feel-that-it-is-our-moral-obligation-to-stand-and-to-be-courageous/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > ["Be courageous and keep moving forward"... that's kind of the mantra that I've tried to keep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-brock/be-courageous-and-keep-moving-forward-that-s-kind-of-the-mantra-that/) Jesse Brock > [If you don’t learn how to cry, you cannot be a good Christian. When they posed this question to us – why children suffer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/if-you-don-t-learn-how-to-cry-you-cannot-be-a-good-christian-when/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I don't have to research humanity, I just have to be courageous enough to share that part of myself with everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-santiago-hudson/i-don-t-have-to-research-humanity-i-just-have-to-be-courageous-enough/) [Ruben Santiago-Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-santiago-hudson/) > [Everyone say to himself: 'When was the last time I went to confession?' And if it has been a long time, don't lose another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/everyone-say-to-himself-when-was-the-last-time-i-went-to-confession/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-encourage-you-to-live-with-life-be-courageous-adventurous-give-us-a/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [There are a group of people who would like to silence everybody and have everyone go along to get along, but that’s not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/there-are-a-group-of-people-who-would-like-to-silence-everybody-and/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Always be courageous and strong, & don't fear. You've got to be confident when you're competing. You've got to be a beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabby-douglas/always-be-courageous-and-strong-don-t-fear-you-ve-got-to-be-confident/) [Gabby Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabby-douglas/) > [Stand up for your values, be courageous and humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/stand-up-for-your-values-be-courageous-and-humble/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-can-practice-any-virtue-erratically-but-nothing-consistently/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [ My approach is to be honest-really honest-and consistent. That is what any growth will take. It is an issue I think \[young\] generation can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-angela-davis/my-approach-is-to-be-honest-really-honest-and-consistent-that-is-what/) [Michaela Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-angela-davis/) > [Can any man be courageous who has the fear of death in him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/can-any-man-be-courageous-who-has-the-fear-of-death-in-him/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) Browse all 97 Be courageous quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whether we stay or whether we go - to be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Whyte" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-courageous-is-to-stay-close-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be courageous" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-courageous-is-to-stay-close-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/david-whyte-3502_be-courageous_whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-c_3187447.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/david-whyte-3502_be-courageous_whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-c_3187447.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/david-whyte-3502_be-courageous_whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-c_3187447.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whether we stay or whether we go - to be courageous is to stay close to the way we are made.” — David Whyte", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Whyte", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whether we stay or whether we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-courageous-is-to-stay-close-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/whether-we-stay-or-whether-we-go-to-be-courageous-is-to-stay-close-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```