Courage Quotes

No cowardly lions slinking around here.

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Courage Quotes

We wanna see you be brave. Click on any courage quote below to see it in context and find out where it falls on Shmoop's pretentious scale. We'll give you details on who said it, when they said it, and in some cases, why on earth they thought it was okay to say it.

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Aladdin and Princess Jasmine
"A whole new world."
Source: Aladdin | Speaker: Aladdin and Princess Jasmine
Rocky Balboa
"Adrian!"
Source: Rocky | Speaker: Rocky Balboa
Veronica Quaife
"Be afraid. Be very afraid."
Source: The Fly | Speaker: Veronica Quaife
Chris McConnell
"Because I was afraid of worms, Roxanne! Worms!"
Source: Roxanne | Speaker: Chris McConnell
Steve McGarrett
"Book 'em, Danno."
Source: Hawaii Five-O | Speaker: Steve McGarrett
Maya Angelou
"Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise."
Source: Still I Rise | Author: Maya Angelou
Guido
"Buongiorno, principessa!"
Source: Life Is Beautiful | Speaker: Guido
Galileo Galilei
"But it does move."
Source: Unknown | Speaker: Galileo Galilei
Herman Melville
"Call me Ishmael."
Source: Moby-Dick | Author: Herman Melville
John Keating
"Carpe… Hear it? Carpe… carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."
Source: Dead Poets Society | Speaker: John Keating
Max Cady
"Come out, come out, wherever you are."
Source: Cape Fear | Speaker: Max Cady
Harry Callahan
"Do I feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?"
Source: Dirty Harry | Speaker: Harry Callahan
Barbara Jordan
"Do not call for Black power or green power. Call for brain power."
Source: Campus Speeches, Quoted in the Chicago Tribune | Author: Barbara Jordan
The Pussycat Dolls
"Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?"
Source: "Don't Cha" | Speaker: The Pussycat Dolls
Captain James Miller
"Earn this. Earn it."
Source: Saving Private Ryan | Speaker: Captain James Miller
Jimi Hendrix
"Excuse me while I kiss this guy."
Source: "Purple Haze" | Speaker: Jimi Hendrix
Maximus Decimus Meridius
"Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife."
Source: Gladiator | Speaker: Maximus Decimus Meridius
Dirty Harry
"Go ahead. Make my day."
Source: Sudden Impact | Speaker: Dirty Harry
Colin Powell
"Have a vision. Be demanding."
Source: It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership | Author: Colin Powell
Steve Jobs
"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become."
Source: Stanford Commencement Speech (2005) | Speaker: Steve Jobs
Joseph Welch
"Have you no sense of decency, sir?"
Source: McCarthy Hearings | Speaker: Joseph Welch
Grail Knight
"He chose poorly."
Source: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Speaker: Grail Knight
Ogden Nash
"He tells you when you've got on too much lipstick"
Source: The Perfect Husband | Author: Ogden Nash
Robert Crewe and Kenny Nolan
"Hey sista, go sista…"
Source: "Lady Marmalade" | Speaker: Robert Crewe and Kenny Nolan
Commander Jim Lovell
"Houston, we have a problem."
Source: Apollo 13 | Speaker: Commander Jim Lovell
Gwen Stefani
"I ain't no hollaback girl."
Source: Hollaback Girl | Speaker: Gwen Stefani
Tom Powers
"I ain't so tough."
Source: The Public Enemy | Speaker: Tom Powers
Groot
"I am Groot."
Source: Guardians of the Galaxy | Speaker: Groot
Muhammad Ali
"I am the greatest!"
Source: Spoken | Speaker: Muhammad Ali
Batman
"I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!"
Source: Batman: The Animated Series | Speaker: Batman
Miley Cyrus
"I came in like a wrecking ball"
Source: "Wrecking Ball" | Speaker: Miley Cyrus
Destiny's Child
"I don't think you ready for this jelly."
Source: "Bootylicious" | Speaker: Destiny's Child
Peter "Maverick" Mitchell
"I feel the need—the need for speed!"
Source: Top Gun | Speaker: Peter "Maverick" Mitchell
Tess McGill
"I have a head for business and a bod for sin."
Source: Working Girl | Speaker: Tess McGill
Piper Chapman
"I have been starved out, felt up, teased, stalked, threatened, and called Taylor Swift."
Source: Orange Is the New Black | Speaker: Piper Chapman
Douglas Adams
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."
Source: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul | Author: Douglas Adams
Nathan Hale
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
Source: Spoken before his death | Speaker: Nathan Hale
Missy Elliot
"I put my thing down, flip it, and reverse it."
Source: "Work It" | Speaker: Missy Elliot
Hannah Horvath
"I think that I may be the voice of my generation. Or at least a voice. Of a generation."
Source: Girls | Speaker: Hannah Horvath
Michelle Obama
"I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters—two beautiful, intelligent, Black young women—playing with their dogs on the White House lawn."
Source: 2016 Democratic National Convention Speech | Speaker: Michelle Obama
John Mayer
"I wanna run through the halls of my high school."
Source: No Such Thing | Speaker: John Mayer
Jefferson Smith
"I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules."
Source: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Speaker: Jefferson Smith
Tina Belcher
"I'm a smart, strong, sensual woman."
Source: Bob's Burgers | Speaker: Tina Belcher
Don Corleone
"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."
Source: The Godfather | Speaker: Don Corleone
Superman
"I'm here to fight for truth and justice and the American Way."
Source: Superman | Speaker: Superman
Tina Belcher
"I'm no hero. I put my bra on one boob at a time like everyone else."
Source: Bob's Burgers | Speaker: Tina Belcher
Antonius
"I'm Spartacus!"
Source: Spartacus | Speaker: Antonius
Michael Jordan
"I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Source: "Failure," a Nike TV Commercial | Speaker: Michael Jordan
3 Doors Down
"If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?"
Source: "Kryptonite" | Speaker: 3 Doors Down
Buffy Summers
"If the apocalypse comes, beep me."
Source: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Speaker: Buffy Summers
Rick Blaine
"Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."
Source: Casablanca | Speaker: Rick Blaine
Tagline
"In space, no one can hear you scream."
Source: Alien | Speaker: Tagline
Ella Fitzgerald
"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."
Source: Unknown | Speaker: Ella Fitzgerald
Dory
"Just keep swimming."
Source: Finding Nemo | Speaker: Dory
Kevin McCallister
"Keep the change, ya filthy animal."
Source: Home Alone | Speaker: Kevin McCallister
Flo
"Kiss my grits!"
Source: Alice | Speaker: Flo
Adele
"Let the sky fall. When it crumbles, we will stand tall."
Source: "Skyfall" | Speaker: Adele
Sergeant Phil Esterhaus
"Let's be careful out there."
Source: Hill Street Blues | Speaker: Sergeant Phil Esterhaus
Shaun
"Let's go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over."
Source: Shaun of the Dead | Speaker: Shaun
Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow
"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"
Source: The Wizard of Oz | Speaker: Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow
Pat Benatar
"Love is a battlefield."
Source: "Love is a Battlefield" | Speaker: Pat Benatar
Christina Aguilera
"Makes me that much stronger"
Source: "Fighter" | Speaker: Christina Aguilera
Han Solo
"May the Force be with you."
Source: Star Wars | Speaker: Han Solo
Captain Bligh
"Mr. Christian!"
Source: Mutiny on the Bounty | Speaker: Captain Bligh
Oberst Von Scherbach
"Nobody has ever escaped from Stalag 17. Not alive, anyway."
Source: Stalag 17 | Speaker: Oberst Von Scherbach
Jerry Seinfeld
"Not that there's anything wrong with that."
Source: Seinfeld | Speaker: Jerry Seinfeld
Nelson Mandela
"Our deepest fear is not that we are weak. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
Source: 1994 Inaugural Address | Speaker: Nelson Mandela
Billy Collins
"Pardon the egg salad stains, but I'm in love."
Source: Marginalia | Author: Billy Collins
Rufus T. Firefly
"Remember, you're fighting for this woman's honor, which is probably more than she ever did."
Source: Duck Soup | Speaker: Rufus T. Firefly
The Borg
"Resistance is futile."
Source: Star Trek: The Next Generation | Speaker: The Borg
Jenny Curran
"Run, Forrest, run!"
Source: Forrest Gump | Speaker: Jenny Curran
Julian Marsh
"Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!"
Source: 42nd Street | Speaker: Julian Marsh
Taylor Swift
"Shake it off."
Source: Shake It Off | Speaker: Taylor Swift
WOPR/Joshua
"Shall we play a game?"
Source: WarGames | Speaker: WOPR/Joshua
Little Joey
"Shane! Shane! Come back!"
Source: Shane | Speaker: Little Joey
Rihanna
"Shine bright like a diamond."
Source: "Diamonds" | Speaker: Rihanna
Indiana Jones
"Snakes...why'd it have to be snakes?"
Source: Raiders of the Lost Ark | Speaker: Indiana Jones
Narrator
"Space, the final frontier."
Source: Star Trek | Speaker: Narrator
Coretta Scott King
"Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation."
Source: My Life with Martin Luther King Jr. | Author: Coretta Scott King
George Taylor
"Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"
Source: Planet of the Apes | Speaker: George Taylor
Miranda Priestly
"That's all."
Source: The Devil Wears Prada | Speaker: Miranda Priestly
Buffy Summers
"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it."
Source: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Speaker: Buffy Summers
Hannah Arendt
"The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution."
Source: The New Yorker | Author: Hannah Arendt
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
"The pen is mightier than the sword."
Source: Richelieu | Author: Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Rust Cohle
"The world needs bad men. We keep the other bad men from the door."
Source: True Detective | Speaker: Rust Cohle
Shel Silverstein
"There's a light on in the attic."
Source: A Light in the Attic | Author: Shel Silverstein
Jimmy Duggan
"There's no crying in baseball!"
Source: A League of Their Own | Speaker: Jimmy Duggan
Detective Virgil Tibbs
"They call me Mister Tibbs!"
Source: In the Heat of the Night | Speaker: Detective Virgil Tibbs
William Wallace
"They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!"
Source: Braveheart | Speaker: William Wallace
The Vicar
"This is the people's war!"
Source: Mrs. Miniver | Speaker: The Vicar
Queen
"This thing called love, I just can't handle it."
Source: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" | Speaker: Queen
Dobbs
"We don't need no badges."
Source: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre | Speaker: Dobbs
Carter G. Woodson
"We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice."
Source: "The Celebration of Negro History Week" in The Journal of Negro History | Author: Carter G. Woodson
Brody
"We're going to need a bigger boat."
Source: Jaws | Speaker: Brody
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
"Well-behaved women rarely make history."
Source: Marilyn Monroe | Author: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Bryan Mills
"What I do have is a particular set of skills."
Source: Taken | Speaker: Bryan Mills
Geraldine Jones
"What you see is what you get!"
Source: The Flip Wilson Show | Speaker: Geraldine Jones
Incubus
"Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there…"
Source: "Drive" | Speaker: Incubus
C.D. Bales
"When you're reaching for a star, there's a long way to fall."
Source: Roxanne | Speaker: C.D. Bales
Ben Parker
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Source: Spider-Man | Speaker: Ben Parker
Ilana Wexler
"Yas queen!"
Source: Broad City | Speaker: Ilana Wexler
Christina Aguilera
"You are beautiful, no matter what they say."
Source: Beautiful | Speaker: Christina Aguilera
Oprah Winfrey
"You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything."
Source: "Building a Dream" in Oprah Magazine | Speaker: Oprah Winfrey
RuPaul
"You better work."
Source: "Supermodel" | Speaker: RuPaul
Lorde
"You can call me green bean."
Source: "Royals" | Speaker: Lorde
Katy Perry
"You held me down, but I got up."
Source: "Roar" | Speaker: Katy Perry
Travis Bickle
"You talkin' to me?"
Source: Taxi Driver | Speaker: Travis Bickle
Jefferson Smith
"You think I'm licked. You all think I'm licked. Well, I'm not licked."
Source: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Speaker: Jefferson Smith
Dr. David Banner
"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
Source: The Incredible Hulk | Speaker: Dr. David Banner
Brody
"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
Source: Jaws | Speaker: Brody
Sam Spade
"You're good. You're very good."
Source: The Maltese Falcon | Speaker: Sam Spade
Trent Walker
"You're so money and you don't even know it."
Source: Swingers | Speaker: Trent Walker
Shaggy
"Zoinks!"
Source: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! | Speaker: Shaggy