--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most men, I think, wonder about their…" description: "\"Most men, I think, wonder about their courage. How would they act in combat? Under torture?\" — Richard Cohen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/richard-cohen-5202_courage_most-men-i-think-wonder-about-their-cour_1359231.jpg" --- # Most men, I think, wonder about their courage. How would… ![“Most men, I think, wonder about their courage. How would they act in combat? Under torture?” quote by Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/richard-cohen-5202_courage_most-men-i-think-wonder-about-their-cour_1359231.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/richard-cohen-5202_courage_most-men-i-think-wonder-about-their-cour_1359231.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/richard-cohen-5202_courage_most-men-i-think-wonder-about-their-cour_1359231.jpg) > “Most men, I think, wonder about their courage. How would they act in combat? Under torture?” [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on how people question their bravery when faced with extreme danger or suffering. **In simple terms:** People wonder how they'd act under extreme pressure. Key Takeaway Consider your own courage. Themes courage self‑assessment fear Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - combat - interrogation - extreme stress Key Concepts human nature psychology Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt fear turn into courage? - What shapes your response to danger? A Different Perspective Courage also depends on context and training. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Combat Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat-torture-4646754/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Courage Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage-act-565159/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-think/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [“You have a rare fire within you. The power to change things. The courage to act in the service of something greater than yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-young/you-have-a-rare-fire-within-you-the-power-to-change-things-the/) [Moira Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-young/) > [Yes! it takes courage to act upon your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/yes-it-takes-courage-to-act-upon-your-dreams/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [“courage is not the absence of fear; rather, it’s choosing to act in spite of the fear. You could say that without fear, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-rather-it-s-choosing-to-act-in/) [Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/) > [Courage is the human virtue that counts most-courage to act on limited knowledge and insufficient evidence. That's all any of us have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/courage-is-the-human-virtue-that-counts-most-courage-to-act-on/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-bravest-thing-you-can-do-when-you-are-not-brave-is-to-profess/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Living authentically isn't an act of courage as much as an act of survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mcbride/living-authentically-isn-t-an-act-of-courage-as-much-as-an-act-of/) [Sarah McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mcbride/) > [Have the courage to act instead of react.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/have-the-courage-to-act-instead-of-react/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you truly have the courage to dream, you have the courage to act as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/when-you-truly-have-the-courage-to-dream-you-have-the-courage-to-act/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-callaghan/a-leader-must-have-the-courage-to-act-against-an-expert-s-advice/) [James Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-callaghan/) > [Excessive caution destroys the soul and the heart, because living is an act of courage, and an act of courage is always an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/excessive-caution-destroys-the-soul-and-the-heart-because-living-is/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [ No man \[or woman\] is free until he learns to do his own thinking and gains the courage to act on his own personal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-man-or-woman-is-free-until-he-learns-to-do-his-own-thinking-and/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [I used to look at gay men and think, 'I'm not like that, I don't want to be like that, that's not me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/i-used-to-look-at-gay-men-and-think-i-m-not-like-that-i-don-t-want-to/) [Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/) > [Men think that not being able to wire a plug somehow makes them more creative or intellectual. It just makes them morons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-may/men-think-that-not-being-able-to-wire-a-plug-somehow-makes-them-more/) [James May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-may/) > [“I think men think about their penises as much as women think about molestation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-leigh-stewart/i-think-men-think-about-their-penises-as-much-as-women-think-about/) [Christy Leigh Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-leigh-stewart/) ## More by Richard Cohen > [Republicans remain silent because Trump is doing what they want - lowering taxes on the rich, eviscerating regulations, bulldozing the environment, and insisting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/republicans-remain-silent-because-trump-is-doing-what-they-want/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Myths have a certain staying power because, really, they are aspirational - not always who we are, but always who we want to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/myths-have-a-certain-staying-power-because-really-they-are/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [We are a segmented society, living in our individual bubbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/we-are-a-segmented-society-living-in-our-individual-bubbles/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Maybe the best example of the unmuscled hero is Humphrey Bogart in 'Casablanca.' Bogart was 15 years older than Ingrid Bergman, and it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/maybe-the-best-example-of-the-unmuscled-hero-is-humphrey-bogart-in/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Israel may be beloved, but for American security, it is not essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/israel-may-be-beloved-but-for-american-security-it-is-not-essential/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [We grow up to respect the gray. Black or white, one or the other, is childish. 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It was 1992, New Hampshire, and both Clintons had stopped at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/i-met-clinton-during-her-husband-s-first-campaign-for-the-white-house/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [In power politics, it's usually not enough to be liked. A nation has to be considered essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/in-power-politics-it-s-usually-not-enough-to-be-liked-a-nation-has-to/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Heroism is a matter of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/heroism-is-a-matter-of-choice/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [My father was raised in an orphanage, and my mother was an immigrant from Poland whose first childhood memory was of hunger. Somehow, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/my-father-was-raised-in-an-orphanage-and-my-mother-was-an-immigrant/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [It's all right with me if Roman Polanski is freed by the Swiss authorities who have detained him at the request of the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/it-s-all-right-with-me-if-roman-polanski-is-freed-by-the-swiss/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [“The book is warm. The book is handy. The book is handsome to the eye. The book occupies the shelf of the owner and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/the-book-is-warm-the-book-is-handy-the-book-is-handsome-to-the-eye/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [I don't like what George Zimmerman did, and I hate that Trayvon Martin is dead. But I also can understand why Zimmerman was suspicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/i-don-t-like-what-george-zimmerman-did-and-i-hate-that-trayvon-martin/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) [Explore all 102 Richard Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Most men, I think, wonder about their courage. 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