--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: True valor lies in the middle between…" description: "\"True valor lies in the middle between cowardice and rashness.\" — Miguel de Cervantes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/miguel-de-cervantes-715_courage_true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-co_279257.png" --- # True valor lies in the middle between cowardice and… ![“True valor lies in the middle between cowardice and rashness.” quote by Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/miguel-de-cervantes-715_courage_true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-co_279257.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/miguel-de-cervantes-715_courage_true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-co_279257.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/miguel-de-cervantes-715_courage_true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-co_279257.png) > “True valor lies in the middle between cowardice and rashness.” [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) ## 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 is balanced, avoiding both cowardice and reckless bravado. **In simple terms:** Courage is moderation. Key Takeaway Seek brave actions without excess. Themes courage balance virtue Mood thoughtful instructive Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - leadership decisions - personal risk taking - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts moderation risk assessment heroism Questions to Reflect On - When is bravery too much? - How to gauge appropriate risk? A Different Perspective Overcaution or overconfidence can both be harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Cowardice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardice/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Valor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valor/) ## Related quotes > [True valor lies between cowardice and rashness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/true-valor-lies-between-cowardice-and-rashness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Valor lies just halfway between rashness and cowardice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/valor-lies-just-halfway-between-rashness-and-cowardice/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [True courage lies in the middle, between cowardice and recklessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/true-courage-lies-in-the-middle-between-cowardice-and-recklessness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [There is no holier spot of ground than where defeated valor lies by mourning beauty crowned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-timrod/there-is-no-holier-spot-of-ground-than-where-defeated-valor-lies-by/) [Henry Timrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-timrod/) > [In a false quarrel there is no true valor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/in-a-false-quarrel-there-is-no-true-valor/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [True valor, on virtue founded strong, meets all events alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mallet/true-valor-on-virtue-founded-strong-meets-all-events-alike/) [David Mallet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mallet/) > [This is true valor, I hope you know. Legends have sprung from less. All Lancelot did was paddle about in a balmy lake.” She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/this-is-true-valor-i-hope-you-know-legends-have-sprung-from-less-all/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [True valor is like honesty; it enters into all that a man sees and does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/true-valor-is-like-honesty-it-enters-into-all-that-a-man-sees-and-does/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Courage stands halfway between cowardice and rashness, one of which is a lack, the other an excess of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/courage-stands-halfway-between-cowardice-and-rashness-one-of-which-is/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [None are rash when they are not seen by anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/none-are-rash-when-they-are-not-seen-by-anybody/) [Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/) > [I know no real worth but that tranquil firmness which seeks dangers by duty, and braves them without rashness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/i-know-no-real-worth-but-that-tranquil-firmness-which-seeks-dangers/) [Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/) > [Reckless haste makes poor speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/reckless-haste-makes-poor-speed/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Rashness is oftener the resort of cowardice than of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-of-wellington/rashness-is-oftener-the-resort-of-cowardice-than-of-courage/) [Duke of Wellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-of-wellington/) > [Now see what a Christian is, drawn by the hand of Christ. He is a man on whose clear and open brow God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-robertson/now-see-what-a-christian-is-drawn-by-the-hand-of-christ-he-is-a-man/) [Frederick William Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-william-robertson/) > [Intemperance is naturally punished with diseases; rashness, with mischance; injustice; with violence of enemies; pride, with ruin; cowardice, with oppression; and rebellion, with slaughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/intemperance-is-naturally-punished-with-diseases-rashness-with/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) ## More by Miguel de Cervantes > [Beware, gentle knight - the greatest monster of them all is reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/beware-gentle-knight-the-greatest-monster-of-them-all-is-reason/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [He had a face like a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/he-had-a-face-like-a-blessing/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [It is one thing to praise discipline, and another to submit to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/it-is-one-thing-to-praise-discipline-and-another-to-submit-to-it/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Those who'll play with cats must expect to be scratched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/those-who-ll-play-with-cats-must-expect-to-be-scratched/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“So it appears to me, for when he could and should have wielded his pen to praise the virtues of so good a knight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/so-it-appears-to-me-for-when-he-could-and-should-have-wielded-his-pen/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/too-much-sanity-may-be-madness-and-maddest-of-all-to-see-life-as-it/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Old, that's an affront no woman can well bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/old-that-s-an-affront-no-woman-can-well-bear/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [One should not talk of hatters in the house of the hanged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/one-should-not-talk-of-hatters-in-the-house-of-the-hanged/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [It is courage that vanquishes in war, and not good weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/it-is-courage-that-vanquishes-in-war-and-not-good-weapons/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Alas! all music jars when the soul's out of tune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/alas-all-music-jars-when-the-soul-s-out-of-tune/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [I follow a more easy, and, in my opinion, a wiser course, namely--to inveigh against the levity of the female sex, their fickleness, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/i-follow-a-more-easy-and-in-my-opinion-a-wiser-course-namely-to/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Every man is as heaven made him, and sometimes a great deal worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/every-man-is-as-heaven-made-him-and-sometimes-a-great-deal-worse/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Great people create great acts of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/great-people-create-great-acts-of-kindness/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [One day, in the San Francisco walk, he came upon some badly painted figures and observed that good painters imitate nature but bad ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/one-day-in-the-san-francisco-walk-he-came-upon-some-badly-painted/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Drink moderately, for drunkeness neither keeps a secret, nor observes a promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/drink-moderately-for-drunkeness-neither-keeps-a-secret-nor-observes-a/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) [Explore all 386 Miguel de Cervantes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) ## More Courage quotes > [The greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [“It takes tremendous courage, persistence, and perseverance to pursue your ultimate purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/it-takes-tremendous-courage-persistence-and-perseverance-to-pursue/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/) [Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/) > [When you heed the calling of your heart, you are following your purpose. Having purpose in your life gives you the courage to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/when-you-heed-the-calling-of-your-heart-you-are-following-your/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) > [“Of all the train, none escaped except Wamba, who showed upon the occasion much more courage than those who pretended to greater sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/of-all-the-train-none-escaped-except-wamba-who-showed-upon-the/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/have-the-courage-to-go-against-the-tide-of-current-values-that-do-not/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“There is nothing purer, braver, or more beautiful than the try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-armstrong/there-is-nothing-purer-braver-or-more-beautiful-than-the-try/) Kristen Armstrong > [“One theory on cannibals, of course, is that they eat parts of their slain enemies to benefit from that person's greatest assets - their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/one-theory-on-cannibals-of-course-is-that-they-eat-parts-of-their/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I have pictures with Morimoto where I'm all embarrassed and he's so serious, it took me 30 minutes to get up the courage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcela-valladolid/i-have-pictures-with-morimoto-where-i-m-all-embarrassed-and-he-s-so/) [Marcela Valladolid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcela-valladolid/) [Browse all 14,559 Courage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "True valor lies in the middle between cowardice and rashness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Miguel de Cervantes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-cowardice-and-rashness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Courage" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-cowardice-and-rashness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/miguel-de-cervantes-715_courage_true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-co_279257.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/miguel-de-cervantes-715_courage_true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-co_279257.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b81/miguel-de-cervantes-715_courage_true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-co_279257.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“True valor lies in the middle between cowardice and rashness.” — Miguel de Cervantes", "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": "Miguel de Cervantes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "True valor lies in the middle...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-cowardice-and-rashness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/true-valor-lies-in-the-middle-between-cowardice-and-rashness/#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 } } ] } ```