Ernest Hemingway — Courage is grace under pressure.
Courage is grace under pressure.Ernest Hemingway
Attributed to Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway's definition is spare and exact, like his prose. Courage isn't the absence of pressure — it's staying composed, even graceful, while the pressure is on.
Think of the moment someone speaks to you quickly in English and your heart jumps. Grace under pressure is breathing, staying present, and answering anyway. That poise grows every time you use it.
Words that widen the world
Smooth, calm, and dignified composure or movement.
Synonyms: poise, elegance, composure
She handled the hard question with grace.
A demanding or stressful influence or situation.
Synonyms: strain, stress, tension
He stayed calm under pressure.
Common questions
It means staying calm, composed, and dignified in difficult or stressful situations — Hemingway's definition of courage.
It's attributed to Hemingway, reportedly from a 1929 interview; we mark it as attributed.
Carry it with you
In your own words, what does this thought mean to you? Write three or four sentences in English about a moment when it felt true — saying it yourself is how it stays with you.
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