But whoso is heroic must find crises to try his edge. Human virtue demands her champions and martyrs, and the trial of persecution always proceeds.
Interpretation
True heroism comes from facing challenges and adversity, as it is through these trials that virtuous qualities are tested and proven.
In this quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasizes that true heroes and champions emerge in times of crisis. It suggests that human virtue is inherently tied to the struggles and trials we face, and that it is through adversity—such as persecution or challenges—that we define our strength and character. The notion is that courage and heroism are not passive attributes but are forged in the fire of difficult circumstances.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a motivational speech about overcoming obstacles.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
If women are being oppressed in Egypt or children are being forced to join armies in the Congo, for example, it is not only acceptable but wonderful for Americans to be concerned, outraged, and active.
Consider what you want to do in relation to what you are capable of doing. Climbing is, above all, a matter of integrity.
Sometimes I hear the crowd cheering, and most of the time your body's on auto pilot, so sometimes even after I do a floor routine, I'm like, 'Did I really just do that?'
Yes, I have cancer and it might not go away, but I can still have a future because life goes on.
We faced it and did not resist. The storm passed through us and around us. It's gone, but we remain.
...We are intensely proud of their noble record and are glad to have had the whole world see how irresistible they are in their might when a cause which America holds dear is at stake. The whole nation has reason to be proud of them.
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