Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtues consistently.
Genuine
Yes. In Maya Angelou, “America’s Renaissance Woman,” Academy of Achievement, published interview transcript, headed High Point, North Carolina, January 22, 1997.
Checked against Maya Angelou, “America’s Renaissance Woman,” Academy of Achievement, published interview transcript, headed High Point, North Carolina, January 22, 1997, in a full-text transcription.
- Where
- Academy of Achievement interview, opening answer about Martin Luther King Jr.
- Source
- Maya Angelou, “America’s Renaissance Woman,” Academy of Achievement, published interview transcript, headed High Point, North Carolina, January 22, 1997
- Checked
- In a full-text transcription
Researched by AI. Entry updated 26 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
About this quote
The scene
Asked what Martin Luther King Jr. was like personally, Angelou warns against making leaders seem superhuman and inaccessible. She recalls his humor, intelligence and courage, then explains that courage is needed to sustain kindness, fairness and generosity when threats and difficulties arise. The Academy identifies its published interview as a condensation of several broadcasts.
What it means
Other virtues become dependable only when a person has the courage to keep practicing them under pressure.
Often misread
This is not a claim that kindness or fairness is worthless, or that courage alone makes someone good. Angelou makes courage the condition for maintaining those virtues consistently.
Topics
Related quotes
- It is circumstances (difficulties) which show what men are. Epictetus
- All economic movements, by their very nature, are motivated by crowd psychology. Bernard Baruch
- No one can choose a beneficial direction in life without hope that change for the better is possible. William W. Purkey
- A student is the most important person ever in this school. William W. Purkey
- Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Cite it
Maya Angelou, Maya Angelou, “America’s Renaissance Woman,” Academy of Achievement, published interview transcript, headed High Point, North Carolina, January 22, 1997. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/courage-is-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues/ (26 October 2026).
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Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
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