Fluorescence

Wonderland Walker by kevint3141

Amongst other things, in these insane times, we need courage.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
~ Lao Tzu

Without The Amazing Bob, courage is harder to gin up. I am still loved and still love though. Lucky – that's what I am. Persistent as all Hell too.

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.
~ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird 

The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.
~ Coco Chanel

Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.
~ Nora Ephron

TAB named her Coco after Coco Chanel

for clear and obvs reasons. Of course.

There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.
~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Here, Here! With tiny-few exception, when people have tried to take advantage or hurt me in some way, I get angry – courage grows in that pool of bubbling ire.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
~ Mark Twain

With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.
~ Margaret Mitchell

Hah, I never had much of a rep – rather, I’ve always had one for being different, a little odd and fluorescent. Ya know, stand back, she might bite OR get too friendly! EEK! Chomps and/or presumptuous buddy-buddying have never been terribly likely but…well…I guess I come off as a scary old harpy, eh?

If I'm a harpy, why don't I have cool wings like this. hmmm?

We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it.
~ Che Guevara

This puts in mind the brilliant eulogy which Heather Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, just gave.

What is there that I can do to make the world a better place? What injustice do I see and want to turn away?

"I don't want to get involved." "They'll be annoyed with me." "My boss might think less of me." I don't care. You point a finger at yourself like Heather would have done, and you make it happen.

You take that extra step. You find a way to make a difference in the world.

Full text at the link. 
 
I don’t really want to become normal, average, standard. I want merely to gain in strength, in the courage to live out my life more fully, enjoy more, experience more. I want to develop even more original and more unconventional traits.
~ Anaïs Nin

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
~  e.e. cummings

I'm standing at the door of my 59th birthday, trying to give myself credit for having lived my life, to date, true to myself.

At times the world may seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. and what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may in fact be the first steps of a journey.
~ Lemony Snicket