All great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.
Interpretation
Great achievements often come with significant challenges, and facing these challenges requires bravery.
This quote by William Bradford emphasizes that to achieve great and honorable actions, one must confront and navigate through substantial difficulties. Overcoming these obstacles is intrinsic to the act of valor itself, suggesting that courage is not just about facing fears but also about committing to the pursuit of meaningful goals despite potential hardships.
In practice
In a graduation speech to inspire students about the challenges ahead.
Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine our selves together.
As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation.
Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many.
You have to make more noise than anybody else, you have to make yourself more obtrusive than anybody else, you have to fill all the papers more than anybody else, in fact you have to be there all the time and see that they do not snow you under.
I repeat the declaration made a year ago, that 'while I remain in my present position I shall not attempt to retract or modify the emancipation proclamation, nor shall I return to slavery any person who is free by the terms of that proclamation, or by any of the Acts of Congress.' If the people should, by whatever mode or means, make it an Executive duty to re-enslave such persons, another, and not I, must be their instrument to perform it.
I think women should band together to get us more respect in all the businesses that we're in because, you know, if we turn 40, we're nothing and nobody. We all should band together and just say we're not gonna go down like that.
I think our existence in professional sports is almost a protest in and of itself in sometimes the very sexist society that we live in. For us, it's just kind of right in line with what we always do.
Don't be afraid - if you don't exercise your rights, you will lose them.
I never question God. Sometimes I say, 'Why me? Why do I have such a hard life? Why do I have this disease? Why do I have siblings who died?' But then I think and say, 'Why not me?'
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