Perhaps what distinguishes my characters is their courage and spirit and a certain stubbornness which enables them to keep going even when facing a setback. I think this developed organically as I wrote, but also it came out of a desire to portray women as powerful and intelligent forces in the world.
‘West Wing’ was huge. Like ‘Hamilton,’ it pulls back the curtain on how decision-making happens at the highest level, or at least how you hope it would be. The amount of information Aaron Sorkin packs into a scene gave me this courage to trust the audience to keep up.
Daredevil was known as ‘The Man Without Fear,’ and I just thought, ‘Well, I don’t think that’s very interesting.’ I don’t think it’s very interesting to watch someone who’s incapable of feeling fear. It also removes from the palate my favorite character attribute, which is courage. If you’re not afraid, you can’t exercise courage.
I have the responsibility of over four million people, and I am in a position to do good, to be able to bring about a new life for my people, and I will continue to move in that direction. It’s a burden, but it needs to be done, and you have to have the courage and wisdom to see it through.
It’s very difficult to escape your background. You know, I don’t think it’s necessary to even try to escape it. More and more, I start to think that it’s necessary to see exactly what it is that you inherited on both ends of the stick: your timidity, your courage, your self-deceit, and your honesty – and all the rest of it.
Having the courage to say no when all your friends are saying yes is one of the most difficult things you’ll ever have to do. Doing it, however, is one of the biggest charges you can ever make to your personal battery. I call this ‘won’t power.’
Only choices made in love are compassionate. There are no exceptions. Do you have the courage to act with an empowered heart without attachment to the outcome? If not, you have no ability to give or experience compassion. That is the shocking truth.
Lack of courage or means often deters the European woman from more independent business activity, and this in spite of increasing freedom to choose her occupation, in spite of brilliant examples of successful undertakings of women, in photography, hotel or boarding-house management, dress-making, etc.
We’ve become the party that wants to appease everyone and no one. And I think the only way that the Democrats become viable again is if we have people who have moral clarity and courage to say what they need to say and fight for what they need to fight for.
The one man other than my father who made the most lasting impression was an uncle, Serge B. Benson. He taught me in three different classes – but above all, he taught me lessons in moral, physical, and intellectual courage that I have tried to apply in later life.
America’s history is exemplified in the efforts of the men and women who died for our country. The one thing that they all have in common is their selfless love for our nation and their courage to stand up to protect and defend it. They raised their gaze in the face of conflict, believed in what America could be, and pushed forward.
All art is political. Yes. Even the stuff that sounds like bubble-gum songs. I think all art is, by nature, intended to motivate society for change, and the only reason change doesn’t happen is because within the target population, courage is lacking.
With compassion you can die for other people, like the mother who can die for her child. You have the courage to say it because you are not afraid of losing anything, because you know that understanding and love is the foundation of happiness. But if you have fear of losing your status, your position, you will not have the courage to do it.
Stripped of its plot, the ‘Iliad’ is a scattering of names and biographies of ordinary soldiers: men who trip over their shields, lose their courage or miss their wives. In addition to these, there is a cast of anonymous people: the farmers, walkers, mothers, neighbours who inhabit its similes.
People say, ‘You have inspired me, you’ve given me courage…’ They’ve gone so far as to say, ‘You’ve changed my life!’ And I would come back and say to my husband, ‘I can’t understand it – what kind of poor little life did she have if I had to come and change it?’
Washington’s answer to a self-inflicted financial crisis reminded Americans why they so deeply distrust the political class. The ‘fiscal cliff’ process was secretive and sloppy, and the nation’s so-called leadership lacked the political courage to address our root problems: joblessness and debt.
Of all the many leaders I have met in the course of my life, none made a deeper impression on me than Nelson Mandela. His courage, compassion, humility and wisdom were without parallel on the world stage, and he himself was an enduring source of inspiration.
There are two types of courage involved with what I did. When it comes to picking up a rifle, millions of people are capable of doing that, as we see in Iraq or Vietnam. But when it comes to risking their careers, or risking being invited to lunch by the establishment, it turns out that’s remarkably rare.
Ultimately, the forces of dictatorship and extremism robbed me of my mother, but she lives on as a symbol of hope, a role model for women across the world. She proved beyond a doubt, with her life and relentless courage, that women can certainly do everything.
If we do the build-up so well, it’s because our players always offer me different options to pass the ball, so that makes it easier. With calm and with quality on the pass, it always works out. Of course, you need to have the courage and be very cool to play that way, because any mistake can end up in a goal conceded.
The Chinaman has only a passive courage, but this courage he possesses in the highest degree. His indifference to death is truly extraordinary. When he is ill, he sees it approach, and does not falter. When condemned, and already in the hands of an officer, he manifests no fear.
The climate is much different for men. That stigma is only going to be broken when people come out and see that there is a positive response. That doesn’t mean there will be no negative response, but if people can have the courage to be one of the first, which is very hard, those barriers can be broken down very quickly.
It’s not just Bin Laden or just those that are involved in the counterterrorism effort. We’ve gotta cast the net broader than that. But I think it’s a – very special tribute that we all owe to the bravery and courage of the men and women in the intelligence and military business who performed so well to finally get it done.
I think there’s something so funny about Ram Dass. I was lucky enough to sit across from him at dinner once, and I got up the courage to tell him that he was my favorite comedian. Even though he’s not a comic, he talks about showbiz in a certain way and understands that there’s a presentation to it.
I’ve decided to run for the U.S. Senate because I believe Wisconsin families need a senator who will work hard to deliver results for the middle class – a leader with the courage to do what’s right, no matter how tough the odds or how powerful the special interests we have to fight.
