---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Courage is confused with picking up arms…"
description: "\"Courage is confused with picking up arms and cowardness is confused with laying them down.\" — Mitch Albom"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ba/mitch-albom-187_arms_courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms_2454058.png"
---

#  Courage is confused with picking up arms and cowardness is…

![“Courage is confused with picking up arms and cowardness is confused with laying them down.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ba/mitch-albom-187_arms_courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms_2454058.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ba/mitch-albom-187_arms_courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms_2454058.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ba/mitch-albom-187_arms_courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms_2454058.png)

> “Courage is confused with picking up arms and cowardness is confused with laying them down.”

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Courage is not about weapons; true bravery lies in choosing peace, while cowardice is not merely surrender.

**In simple terms:** Courage is choosing peace, not fighting; cowardice is not just giving up.

Key Takeaway

Value peace over aggression.

Themes

courage peace war morality identity

Mood

inspirational thoughtful challenging

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- personal growth
- military ethics
- social activism

Key Concepts

Ethics of violence psychology of bravery non‑violence

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you chosen peace over confrontation?
- What does courage look like without violence?

A Different Perspective

Peaceful choices can be socially stigmatized.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Arms Cowardness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms-cowardness-594767/) [Confused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confused/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Courage Confused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage-confused-594766/) [Cowardness Confused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardness-confused-594765/) [Picking Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picking-arms-594768/)

## Related quotes

> [Young men go to war. Sometimes because they have to, sometimes because they want to. Always, they feel they are supposed to. This comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/young-men-go-to-war-sometimes-because-they-have-to-sometimes-because/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [My senior thesis was a documentary. By the time I graduated from college, I thought I was going to make films, and my interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaby-hoffmann/my-senior-thesis-was-a-documentary-by-the-time-i-graduated-from/)

[Gaby Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaby-hoffmann/)

> [I believe that much of Hollywood is confused about Israel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pellegrino/i-believe-that-much-of-hollywood-is-confused-about-israel/)

[Mark Pellegrino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pellegrino/)

> [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [If I look confused it is because I am thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/if-i-look-confused-it-is-because-i-am-thinking/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [I am still searching for the expression of those confused sensations that we bring with us at birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/i-am-still-searching-for-the-expression-of-those-confused-sensations/)

[Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/)

> [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/)

[Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/)

> [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

> [America today is a confused society, caught up in a terror war, a culture war, and a media war, where honesty and professional standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/america-today-is-a-confused-society-caught-up-in-a-terror-war-a/)

[Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/)

> [I can picture certain things in my mind, while writing the script, but then I can also tell that everyone else might be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-zombie/i-can-picture-certain-things-in-my-mind-while-writing-the-script-but/)

[Rob Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-zombie/)

> [I was a very protected and confused kid till 24. It was after then, that I started taking my life seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddharth-shukla/i-was-a-very-protected-and-confused-kid-till-24-it-was-after-then/)

[Siddharth Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddharth-shukla/)

> [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/)

[George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/)

## More by Mitch Albom

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

[Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

## More Arms quotes

> [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/)

[Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/)

> [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Are we fighting?" I asked Morelli. "No. Were discussing." "Are you sure?" "Am I yelling?" Morelli asked. "Is my face purple? Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

> [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Comerado, this is no book,Who touches this, touches a man,(Is it night? Are we here alone?)It is I you hold, and who holds you,I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/comerado-this-is-no-book-who-touches-this-touches-a-man-is-it-night/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/)

[Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/)

> [More courage is required to forgive than is required to take up arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ramos-horta/more-courage-is-required-to-forgive-than-is-required-to-take-up-arms/)

[Jose Ramos-Horta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ramos-horta/)

> [It's been a long time since I asked anything of heaven, and my arms still haven't come down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/it-s-been-a-long-time-since-i-asked-anything-of-heaven-and-my-arms/)

[Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/)

> [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/)

[Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/)

> [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/)

[Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/)

> [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/)

[Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/)

[Browse all 4,470 Arms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Courage is confused with picking up arms and cowardness is confused with laying them down.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mitch Albom"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms-and-cowardness-is-confused/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arms"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms-and-cowardness-is-confused/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ba/mitch-albom-187_arms_courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms_2454058.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ba/mitch-albom-187_arms_courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms_2454058.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ba/mitch-albom-187_arms_courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms_2454058.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Courage is confused with picking up arms and cowardness is confused with laying them down.” — Mitch Albom",
                "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": "Mitch Albom",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Courage is confused with picking up...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms-and-cowardness-is-confused/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/courage-is-confused-with-picking-up-arms-and-cowardness-is-confused/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
