Four small shields facing forward, with a fifth turned around and set apart on an olive background.

Original artwork, not a still

Alexander's Feast

John Dryden

None but the brave deserves the fair.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The maxim makes bravery the condition for deserving the person described as fair. Its exclusive wording rules out other grounds of entitlement within the claim. Courage and attraction are linked through a judgment about worth, without proving that affection will actually be returned.

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