‘True courage often comes from having no other choice’ … firefighters work at the site of a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on 13 January. Is it possible to acquire courage if you don’t have it? You don’t need courage if you’re not afraid, so don’t wait for the fear to go before you try. I’d gathered in military training a sort of controlled “courage” in the form of “courage within boundaries”. The student thought about it and wrote this: “Courage, is this …” then left the exam hall.

Source: The Guardian February 15, 2026 14:58 UTC