--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I don’t think fighting monsters is…" description: "\"“But I don’t think fighting monsters is all that courageous. I think the ultimate act of courage is standing still in the face of a monster. Courage is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8d/thomas-lloyd-qualls-41591_bravery_but-i-don-t-think-fighting-monsters-is-a_1909052.jpg" --- # But I don’t think fighting monsters is all that… ![“But I don’t think fighting monsters is all that courageous. I think the ultimate act of courage is standing still in the face of a monster. Courage is looking closely enough into its jaws to see it for what it is: an illusion. The monster isn’t real. It’s your fear of the monster that is real. And…” quote by Thomas Lloyd Qualls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8d/thomas-lloyd-qualls-41591_bravery_but-i-don-t-think-fighting-monsters-is-a_1909052.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8d/thomas-lloyd-qualls-41591_bravery_but-i-don-t-think-fighting-monsters-is-a_1909052.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8d/thomas-lloyd-qualls-41591_bravery_but-i-don-t-think-fighting-monsters-is-a_1909052.jpg) > ““But I don’t think fighting monsters is all that courageous. I think the ultimate act of courage is standing still in the face of a monster. Courage is looking closely enough into its jaws to see it for what it is: an illusion. The monster isn’t real. It’s your fear of the monster that is real. And just about anything in life can look like a monster if the light is just right.”” [Thomas Lloyd Qualls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lloyd-qualls/) ## 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 confronting fear, recognizing that the monster is an illusion created by our mind. **In simple terms:** Face fear, see it’s an illusion. Key Takeaway Recognize fear’s illusion. Themes courage fear perception Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - anxiety management - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify your “monster”? - What does confronting fear change? 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Beauty is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lloyd-qualls/beauty-loves-contradiction-beauty-is-born-of-desire-and-without/) [Thomas Lloyd Qualls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lloyd-qualls/) [Explore all 10 Thomas Lloyd Qualls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lloyd-qualls/) ## More Bravery quotes > [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [“How could we explain that standing on a stage and speaking someone else's words as if they are your own is less an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-rio/how-could-we-explain-that-standing-on-a-stage-and-speaking-someone/) [M.L. 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Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-w-boyer-2/) > [Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bravery-is-the-capacity-to-perform-properly-even-when-scared-half-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-garber/every-person-has-the-power-to-change-their-fate-if-they-are-brave/) [Stephanie Garber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-garber/) > [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [All the world's bravery that delights our eyes is but thy several liveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cowley/all-the-world-s-bravery-that-delights-our-eyes-is-but-thy-several/) [Abraham Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cowley/) > [“We were taught to be good, and we were taught to be careful. But in this world, sometimes, I do not think we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-bennett/we-were-taught-to-be-good-and-we-were-taught-to-be-careful-but-in/) [Marguerite Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-bennett/) > [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/) > [These are the men who, without virtue, labour, or hazard, are growing rich, as their country is impoverished; they rejoice, when obstinacy or ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/these-are-the-men-who-without-virtue-labour-or-hazard-are-growing/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Now I have the bravery to do fine things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriela-sabatini/now-i-have-the-bravery-to-do-fine-things/) [Gabriela Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriela-sabatini/) [Browse all 1,663 Bravery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But I don’t think fighting monsters is all that courageous. I think the ultimate act of courage is standing still in the face of a monster. 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