[Ads-l] Quote Origin: Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; it is also what it takes to sit down and listen

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Last year I received a request to trace the saying in the subject line
which has been attributed to Winston Churchill. The website of the
International Churchill Society says:

[Begin excerpt]
'Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what
it takes to sit down and listen.'
This fake quote is very often attributed to Churchill but appears
nowhere in the Churchill canon.
[End excerpt]

The earliest match I found appeared in 1964 within "Quote: The Weekly
Digest". The statement was credited to U.S. motivational author
William Arthur Ward who crafted many affirmational sayings:

[Begin excerpt]
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; it is also what it
takes, on occasion, to sit down and listen.
--William A. Ward, Texas Wesleyan College, Meadowbrook (Tex) Herald, 7-30-64.
[End excerpt]

William Arthur Ward is the most likely creator of this saying. Winston
Churchill died in 1965. He received credit for the saying by 1976, but
the attribution was unsupported.

Here is a link to the QI article:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/07/06/courage-listen/

Feedback and illuminating citations would be welcome.
Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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