The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Courage Quotes

Relationships take courage—you stand to lose when you love, after all—and Lena, the introvert, is really afraid and untrusting of people. Her life is boring but safe when summer starts out. Emphasis on the boring.  

This, Shmoopsters, is personification at its best. Lena has one more day in the Pants, and she feels pressure to make it count, so caught up in Caldera's beauty, she throws caution (and her clothes) to the wind and skinny dips. This is totally uncharacteristic of Lena, but the Pants give her the courage she needs to live in the moment. For a moment, anyway.

Seriously, Lena has got to live a little—it takes bravery for her to just visit the place where Kostos saw her skinny dipping. What is she so afraid of? Seeing Kostos naked? We're pretty sure there are worse things in the world.

Bridget's camp mates can't wait to hear about her night with Eric. But you know how teenage girls can be—there is a fine line between admiration and jealousy. Bridget needs support after her encounter with Eric, and knows these girls aren't like the Sisterhood, so she lies and tells them nothing happened. She'll wait for her real friends.

In the Pants, anything is possible, which can be both inspiring and frustrating at the same time. Tibby doesn't think she can face Bailey in the hospital, but when Carmen pulls out the Pants, she believes they give her courage. Pants shmants, we say—Tibby doesn't need the Pants for strength, since she has it within herself. 

This seems to be Bailey and Tibby's motto—be open instead of closed. Tibby's cynicism has put her into a slump, and she's put up a wall that prevents her from enjoying life. Bailey (and Jay Leno) remind her to live a little. Phew—thanks, guys.

The Pants are becoming one of life's greatest mysteries, like the Loch Ness Monster and who shot JFK. But here's the real mystery of the Pants for you: Why didn't they disintegrate from being so old and dirty? 

Bailey's fear is that she will run out of time before people can truly see who she is. Tibby sits by her bedside though, trying to make this moment more bearable—which takes major courage on Tibby's party since she'd rather crawl into Mimi's cage and avoid life. The Pants help her find the courage within herself to stay by Bailey's side until the end. 

Take the chance already. Lena is like the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz—she really needs courage. 

We knew you could do it Lena, though we have to admit, this part of the book is totally worth the wait. There is nothing like a first kiss and Brashares captures it precisely.