A weathered round shield rests against folded cloth with a white feather along its rim in warm dawn light.

Original artwork, not a still

Great Contemporaries

Winston Churchill

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because, as has been said, it is the quality which guarantees all others.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Courage is valued for what it makes possible in other qualities. A principle may be easy to admire but difficult to uphold when acting on it carries a cost. The statement gives bravery a supporting role: it allows a person’s other commitments to survive the moments that test them.

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