proverb · Words worth keeping
Courage is ten; nine is the ability to escape.
Courage is ten; nine is the ability to escape.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Nine parts of courage assigned to escape place avoiding danger at the centre of the image. The saying challenges equating bravery only with confrontation.
Example
A reader recognises that withdrawing from a confrontation may require judgment rather than prove weakness.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The numerical division is rhetorical rather than measured. The supplied gloss instead describes not choosing escape as bringing courage, reversing the emphasis. A useful explanation retains the escape image without supplying a procedure or deciding that any one response is always appropriate.
When to use it
Use it to examine the relationship between courage and leaving danger.
Keep in mind
No numerical measure of courage or universal escape rule is established.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown