--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The brave and bold persist even against…" description: "\"The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.\" — Tacitus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/tacitus-1552_brave_the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against_2539631.jpg" --- # The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid… ![“The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.” quote by Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/tacitus-1552_brave_the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against_2539631.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/tacitus-1552_brave_the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against_2539631.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/tacitus-1552_brave_the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against_2539631.jpg) > “The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.” [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bold individuals continue despite adversity, while the fearful give up quickly; courage sustains perseverance. **In simple terms:** Courage keeps you going, fear leads to giving up. Key Takeaway Stay brave, persist. Themes courage perseverance fear Mood determined serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career challenges - personal setbacks - social activism - entrepreneurship Key Concepts resilience psychology of risk Questions to Reflect On - What risks are worth facing? - When does caution become helpful? A Different Perspective Boldness may ignore legitimate risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) [Bravery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) ## Related quotes > [The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair through fear alone. \[Lat., Fortes et strenuos etiam contra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against-fortune-the-timid-and/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“fortes et strenuos etiam contra fortunam insistere, timidos et ignoros ad desperationem formidine properare - the brave and bold persist even against fortune; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/fortes-et-strenuos-etiam-contra-fortunam-insistere-timidos-et-ignoros/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Timid and cowardly soldiers cause the loss of a nation's independence; but pusillanimous magistrates destroy the empire of the laws, the rights of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/timid-and-cowardly-soldiers-cause-the-loss-of-a-nation-s-independence/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [There are moments of despair that come sometimes, when night sets in and a white fog presses against the windows. Then our house changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/there-are-moments-of-despair-that-come-sometimes-when-night-sets-in/) [Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/) > [I'm so tired, but I can't sleep...standing on the edge of something much too deep...funny how I feel so much but cannot say a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coldheart/i-m-so-tired-but-i-can-t-sleep-standing-on-the-edge-of-something-much-3/) [Coldheart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coldheart/) > [However desperate the situation and circumstances, don't despair. When there is everything to fear, be unafraid. When surrounded by dangers, fear none of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/however-desperate-the-situation-and-circumstances-don-t-despair-when/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [A lot of interviewers are looking for the dark side. They want to know about the depths of your despair and fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-balding/a-lot-of-interviewers-are-looking-for-the-dark-side-they-want-to-know/) [Clare Balding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-balding/) > [Panic moves you to despair and fear your neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tate-reeves/panic-moves-you-to-despair-and-fear-your-neighbors/) [Tate Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tate-reeves/) > [A lot of my work comes from a place of despair or fear. I often write in order to gain some sort of control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/a-lot-of-my-work-comes-from-a-place-of-despair-or-fear-i-often-write/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [It is only in the depths of crisis and despair that the fear of losing one's personality breeds millennial hopes of rescue: otherwise, complacency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hoffmann/it-is-only-in-the-depths-of-crisis-and-despair-that-the-fear-of/) Stanley Hoffmann > [She had put despair and fear aside, as if they were garments she did not choose to wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-had-put-despair-and-fear-aside-as-if-they-were-garments-she-did/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I divested myself of despair and fear when I came here. Now there is no more catching one's own eye in the mirror, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-kenyon/i-divested-myself-of-despair-and-fear-when-i-came-here-now-there-is/) [Jane Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-kenyon/) > [Be brave, be bold, be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/be-brave-be-bold-be-free/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [Brave, bold men, these are what we want. What we want is vigour in the blood, strength in the nerves, iron muscles and nerves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/brave-bold-men-these-are-what-we-want-what-we-want-is-vigour-in-the/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Be brave, be bold and above all be honest, some people will hate you and some will love you but they will all see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-gracie/be-brave-be-bold-and-above-all-be-honest-some-people-will-hate-you/) [Renzo Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-gracie/) ## More by Tacitus > [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Rumor does not always err; it sometimes even elects a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/rumor-does-not-always-err-it-sometimes-even-elects-a-man/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [ None mourn more ostentatiously than those who most rejoice at it \[a death\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/none-mourn-more-ostentatiously-than-those-who-most-rejoice-at-it-a/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [So true is it that all transactions of preeminent importance are wrapt in doubt and obscurity; while some hold for certain facts the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/so-true-is-it-that-all-transactions-of-preeminent-importance-are/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Be assured those will be thy worst enemies, not to whom thou hast done evil, but who have done evil to thee. And those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/be-assured-those-will-be-thy-worst-enemies-not-to-whom-thou-hast-done/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Indeed, the crowning proof of their valour and their strength is that they keep up their superiority without harm to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/indeed-the-crowning-proof-of-their-valour-and-their-strength-is-that/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/formerly-we-suffered-from-crimes-now-we-suffer-from-laws/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [ None mourn more ostentatiously over the death of Germanicus than those who most rejoice at it \[a death\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/none-mourn-more-ostentatiously-over-the-death-of-germanicus-than/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/once-killing-starts-it-is-difficult-to-draw-the-line/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The lust of dominion burns with a flame so fierce as to overpower all other affections of the human breast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-lust-of-dominion-burns-with-a-flame-so-fierce-as-to-overpower-all/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [“It is a principle of nature to hate those whom you have injured.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/it-is-a-principle-of-nature-to-hate-those-whom-you-have-injured/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Kindness, so far as we can return it, is agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/kindness-so-far-as-we-can-return-it-is-agreeable/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [Posterity gives every man his true value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/posterity-gives-every-man-his-true-value/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [The most detestable race of enemies are flatterers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-most-detestable-race-of-enemies-are-flatterers/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) [Explore all 227 Tacitus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) ## More Brave quotes > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [If You Love Someone, Be Brave Enough To Tell Them., Otherwise Be Brave Enough To Watch Them To Be Loved By Someone Else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal-zahoor/if-you-love-someone-be-brave-enough-to-tell-them-otherwise-be-brave/) [Bilal Zahoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal-zahoor/) > [Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/be-convinced-that-to-be-happy-means-to-be-free-and-that-to-be-free/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [It's always brave to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-yifei/it-s-always-brave-to-be-yourself/) [Liu Yifei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-yifei/) > [“Victory is for the fucking brave, not the timid and excuse-riddled weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zakk-wylde/victory-is-for-the-fucking-brave-not-the-timid-and-excuse-riddled-weak/) [Zakk Wylde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zakk-wylde/) > [I'm very proud of 'Every Girl's a Super Girl.' I want all girls to know that no matter what size, color, or shape, whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-siwa/i-m-very-proud-of-every-girl-s-a-super-girl-i-want-all-girls-to-know/) [JoJo Siwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-siwa/) > [And I read the moral--A brave endeavour To do thy duty, whate'er its worth, Is better than life with love forever, And love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeffrey-roche/and-i-read-the-moral-a-brave-endeavour-to-do-thy-duty-whate-er-its/) James Jeffrey Roche > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [You know what really made me sick? I was in Washington, D.C. at another time reading in a paper where the U.S. gives Byron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/you-know-what-really-made-me-sick-i-was-in-washington-d-c-at-another/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [To be able to live and train in Iraq under these circumstances you need to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-able-to-live-and-train-in-iraq-under-these-circumstances-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a fallacy with stand up comedy, which is, people come up to comedians, and they go, 'You say what I think but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/there-s-a-fallacy-with-stand-up-comedy-which-is-people-come-up-to/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [Fortune helps the brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence/fortune-helps-the-brave/) [Terence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence/) > [“A ‘good’ father will tenderly cultivate his children. But a ‘good’ father who is also a ‘brave’ father will let the children without cultivate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/a-good-father-will-tenderly-cultivate-his-children-but-a-good-father/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [And is it selfish of me to crave victory, or is it brave?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/and-is-it-selfish-of-me-to-crave-victory-or-is-it-brave/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [THE British are brave people. They can face anything, except reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-british-are-brave-people-they-can-face-anything-except-reality/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) [Browse all 3,314 Brave quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tacitus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against-fortune-the-timid-and-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brave" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against-fortune-the-timid-and-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/tacitus-1552_brave_the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against_2539631.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/tacitus-1552_brave_the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against_2539631.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/tacitus-1552_brave_the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against_2539631.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The brave and bold persist even against fortune; the timid and cowardly rush to despair though fear alone.” — Tacitus", "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": "Tacitus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The brave and bold persist even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against-fortune-the-timid-and-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/the-brave-and-bold-persist-even-against-fortune-the-timid-and-2/#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 } } ] } ```