The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment； but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must—in spite of personal consequences， in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures—and that is the basis of all human morality.
To be courageous... requires no exceptional qualifications， no magic formula， no special combination of time， place and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all. Politics merely furnishes one arena which imposes special tests of courage. In whatever arena of life one may meet challenge of courage， whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience—the loss of his friends， his fortune， his contentment， even the esteem of his fellow men—each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient—they can teach， they can offer hope， they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul.
微尘与栋梁
On Motes and Beams
威廉·萨默塞特·毛姆 / William Somerset Maugham
令人好奇的是，与他人的过失相比，我们自己的过失往往不是那么可憎。我想，原因是我们了解一切导致过失出现的情况，因而，能够想办法原谅自己犯一些不容许他人犯的过错。我们不关注自己的缺点，即使身陷困境，不得不正视它们时，我们也会很容易就宽恕自己。据我所知，我们这样做是正确的。缺点是我们自己的一部分，我们必须接纳自己的好与坏。
但当我们评判别人时，情况就不一样了。我们不是通过真正的自我，而是用另外一种自我形象来判断，完全摒除了在任何世人眼中，会伤害到自己的虚荣或者体面的事物。举一个小例子：当觉察到别人说谎时，我们是多么地不屑啊！但是有谁可以说自己从未说过谎？可能还不止一百次呢！