Quotes About Courage

True combat power is arms multiplied by fighting spirit. If one of them is infinitely strong, you will succeed. —Asahi Shimbun newspaper, quoted in Japan at War: An Oral History

The airmen were considered the most important passengers on the carriers.

James D. Bradley

Nothing encourages creativity like the chance to fall flat on one's face.

Archer kept his course toward the battleship. He opened his bomb bay doors for show, hoping to persuade the dreadnought to veer from its course. Then, as he began to pull up over the ship, Archer rolled his Avenger over on its back and took his .38-caliber service revolver from its holster. Running on anger born of pain and not a little adrenaline, he squeezed the trigger repeatedly, sending six rounds into the dark superstructure of the battleship.

He was a good kid and a good destroyerman for the same reason: he was always looking out for someone else. At one point LeClerq had had the presence of mind to train his forty-millimeter mount on a spread of torpedoes bubbling toward Sprague's carriers. Johnny LeClerq was the very picture of wholesome blond American innocence, considerate of the enlisted men, devoted to the Navy, and meticulous in his duties.

On the cusp of a smashing victory, a commander must keep his nerve or fail altogether.

Paul Henry Carr of Checotah, Oklahoma, proud member of the Future Farmers of America, football and baseball letterman, brother to eight sisters, only son of Thomas and Minnie Mae Carr, died there on the deck of his battered, broken warship.

As Herman Wouk wrote in War and Remembrance, 'The vision of Sprague's three destroyers--the Johnston, the Hoel, and the Hermann--charging out of the smoke and the rain straight toward the main batteries of Kurita's battleships and cruisers, can endure as a picture of the way Americans fight when they don't have superiority. Our schoolchildren should know about that incident, and our enemies should ponder it.

Like most veterans, they would continue their lives saying that the truest heroes were the men who did not come back.

To dare a thought is to risk being wrong.

Just follow me and run like your life depends on it. Because it does.

Minho looked at Thomas, a serious expression on his face. "If I don't see you on the other side," he said in a sappy voice, "remember that I love you.

Dude, you tried to slice my you-know-what's off!" Thomas laughed, something that he hadn't done in a long time. He welcomed it happily. "Too bad I didn't. Could've saved the world from future little Minhos.

Holy crap, I'm scared." "Holy crap, you're human. You should be scared.

Anybody else wanna pee their pants and cry for mommy?

Shouldn't someone give a pep talk or something?' Minho asked... "Go ahead," Newt replied. Minho nodded and faced the crowd. 'Be careful,' he said dryly. 'Don't die.' Thomas would have laughed if he could, but he was too scared for it to come out. 'Great. We're all bloody inspired,' Newt answered.

I can still kick your pony-lovin' butt with twice this much pain." Thomas shrugged, "I do love ponies. Wish I could eat one right now.

And you, Tommy" the boy said, lowering his voice. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here and asking me to leave with you. A lot of bloody nerve. The sight of you makes me sick

I didn't do anyting wrong. All I know is I saw two people struggling to get inside these walls and they [Minho and Alby] couldn't make it. To ignore that because of some stupid rule seemed selfish, cowardly, and... well, stupid. If you want to throw me in jail for trying to save someone's [Alby] life, then go ahead. Next time I promise I'll point at them and laugh, then go eat some of Frypan's dinner. -Thomas

Ah, my Knight in Shining Armor. What, you don't think I can fend for myself?

Tonight, they'd make their stand, once and for all.

False hope," she said. "Guess that's better then no hope at all.

I'm either really, really brave or really, really stupid.