--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a brave man goes into fire or flood or…" description: "\"As a brave man goes into fire or flood or pestilence to save a human life, so a generous mind follows after truth and love, and is not frightened from ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/john-lancaster-spalding-3115_and-love_as-a-brave-man-goes-into-fire-or-flood-o_841726.png" --- # As a brave man goes into fire or flood or pestilence to… ![“As a brave man goes into fire or flood or pestilence to save a human life, so a generous mind follows after truth and love, and is not frightened from the pursuit by danger or toil or obloquy.” quote by John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/john-lancaster-spalding-3115_and-love_as-a-brave-man-goes-into-fire-or-flood-o_841726.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/john-lancaster-spalding-3115_and-love_as-a-brave-man-goes-into-fire-or-flood-o_841726.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/john-lancaster-spalding-3115_and-love_as-a-brave-man-goes-into-fire-or-flood-o_841726.png) > “As a brave man goes into fire or flood or pestilence to save a human life, so a generous mind follows after truth and love, and is not frightened from the pursuit by danger or toil or obloquy.” [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A courageous person risks danger to save others, and a generous mind pursues truth and love despite threats. **In simple terms:** Bravery and generosity overcome fear and criticism. Key Takeaway Embrace truth and love even when risky. Themes courage generosity truth love risk Mood determined inspirational Type moral inspirational When to use this quote - Healthcare emergencies - humanitarian missions - social justice activism - community leadership Key Concepts Ethics altruism moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you avoiding? - How can you act generously despite fear? A Different Perspective May be idealized; real danger can be overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Flood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flood/) [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Pestilence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pestilence/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Toil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toil/) [Truth and love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-and-love/) ## Related quotes > [The generous mind adds dignity to every act, and nothing misbecomes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-generous-mind-adds-dignity-to-every-act-and-nothing-misbecomes-it/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [No generous mind delights to oppress the weak, but rather to cherish and protect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/no-generous-mind-delights-to-oppress-the-weak-but-rather-to-cherish/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [Dependence goes somewhat against the grain of a generous mind; and it is no wonder that it should do so, considering the unreasonable advantage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-collier/dependence-goes-somewhat-against-the-grain-of-a-generous-mind-and-it/) [Jeremy Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-collier/) > [“For love must be a very foolish thing to look back upon, when it has brought persons born to affluence into indigence, and laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/for-love-must-be-a-very-foolish-thing-to-look-back-upon-when-it-has/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [The generous Mind least regards money, and yet most feels the Want of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-generous-mind-least-regards-money-and-yet-most-feels-the-want-of/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [To a generous mind few circumstances are more afflicting than a discovery of perfidy in those whom we have trusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/to-a-generous-mind-few-circumstances-are-more-afflicting-than-a/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [If a man be endowed with a generous mind, this is the best kind of nobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-a-man-be-endowed-with-a-generous-mind-this-is-the-best-kind-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“Life was generous: it gave a man a thousand things to be pissed off about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-alberto-urrea/life-was-generous-it-gave-a-man-a-thousand-things-to-be-pissed-off/) [Luis Alberto Urrea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-alberto-urrea/) > [“In fact , the life is generous with who lives his personal legend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/in-fact-the-life-is-generous-with-who-lives-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The most wonderful thing, Mary, is that you and I are always walking together, hand in hand, in a strangely beautiful world, unknown to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/the-most-wonderful-thing-mary-is-that-you-and-i-are-always-walking/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging its gifts by the covering, cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-so-generous-a-giver-but-we-judging-its-gifts-by-the-covering/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is so generous a giver but we, judging its gifts by their covering, cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-giocondo/life-is-so-generous-a-giver-but-we-judging-its-gifts-by-their/) [Giovanni Giocondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-giocondo/) > [“Ah, yes. Well. Life has been generous to me in its variety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/ah-yes-well-life-has-been-generous-to-me-in-its-variety/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [Veronika had noticed that a lot of people she knew would talk about the horros in other people's lives as if they were genuinely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/veronika-had-noticed-that-a-lot-of-people-she-knew-would-talk-about/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“During her life, Veronika had noticed that a lot of people she knew would talk about the horrors in other people's lives as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/during-her-life-veronika-had-noticed-that-a-lot-of-people-she-knew/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by John Lancaster Spalding > [In giving us dominion over the animal kingdom God has signified His will that we subdue the beast within ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/in-giving-us-dominion-over-the-animal-kingdom-god-has-signified-his/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [To think profoundly, to seek and speak truth, to love justice and denounce wrong is to draw upon one's self the ill will of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/to-think-profoundly-to-seek-and-speak-truth-to-love-justice-and/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [There is some lack either of sense or of character in one who becomes involved in difficulties with the worthless or the vicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/there-is-some-lack-either-of-sense-or-of-character-in-one-who-becomes/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [Worry, whatever its source, weakens, takes away courage, and shortens life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/worry-whatever-its-source-weakens-takes-away-courage-and-shortens-life/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [The zest of life lies in right doing, not in the garnered harvest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/the-zest-of-life-lies-in-right-doing-not-in-the-garnered-harvest/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [They who can no longer unlearn have lost the power to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/they-who-can-no-longer-unlearn-have-lost-the-power-to-learn/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [What we think out for ourselves forms channels in which other thoughts will flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/what-we-think-out-for-ourselves-forms-channels-in-which-other/) [John Lancaster 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