Courage is heartworth making itself felt in deeds. It never waits

“Courage is heartworth making itself felt in deeds. It never waits for chances; it makes chances.” Thus wrote George Matthew Adams, a thinker of the early twentieth century, whose pen kindled the spirit of moral strength and self-reliance in his readers. In these words lies the essence of heroism, as understood by the ancients and remembered by the wise — that courage is not a mere feeling or momentary defiance, but the living pulse of the heart made visible in action. It is not content to wait for opportunity, for destiny’s invitation; it seizes the raw clay of circumstance and shapes its own fate.

To understand Adams’ wisdom, we must first understand what he means by “heartworth.” In the language of the soul, heartworth is the deep, burning value of the spirit — the measure of one’s inner fire, one’s faith in what is right, even when the world is dark. Courage, he reminds us, is this inner worth breaking forth into the world through deeds. It is not enough to feel brave; one must act bravely. For courage without action is only a dream, a silent ember that never lights the darkness. The truly courageous do not stand waiting for the wind to shift in their favor — they raise their sails into the storm and chart their own course.

The ancients knew this truth well. Alexander the Great, though a man of vision and intellect, earned his immortality not by thought but by daring. When his army faced the impossible crossing of the Hindu Kush, when men faltered and murmured of retreat, he did not wait for fortune’s permission. He led the way himself, showing that courage makes chances — that every act of bravery creates its own destiny. The mountains did not yield because he wished it; they yielded because he dared to climb them. So it has always been: history moves not by chance, but by the will of those who act when others hesitate.

To wait for chances is to surrender to fear, to let time and fate decide one’s worth. The courageous, however, know that life’s greatest rewards belong to those who create their own moments. The artist who dares to paint when no one believes, the leader who stands for truth when the crowd trembles, the parent who endures hardship for love — these are not people of luck, but of heartworth. Their deeds shine because they act despite the uncertainty of outcome. Adams’ words are a call to reject passivity and embrace the noble risk of living fully.

We might remember, too, Rosa Parks, who in one quiet act of defiance redefined a nation’s conscience. She did not wait for change; she became the beginning of change. Her courage, though small in gesture, vast in meaning, proved that to make a chance is to make history. Her strength was not born of anger, but of heart — that unwavering belief in dignity and justice that refuses to be silenced. In her, as in all heroes, courage was heartworth felt in deeds — the triumph of inner conviction over outer fear.

And so, Adams speaks across the centuries to all who hesitate, to all who think they must wait for permission from the world before they begin. Life, he says, does not favor the cautious. It belongs to the doers, the builders, the dreamers who turn their faith into motion. Every act of courage plants a seed, and from those seeds grow the forests of the future. The timid may hope for luck, but the brave create it.

Let this be the lesson: do not stand idle, waiting for the perfect moment. There is no perfect moment — only this one, burning with possibility. When fear whispers “wait,” answer with action. When the path seems closed, carve your own. To live with courage is to live as a maker of destiny, not a servant of circumstance. You need not be mighty; you need only be steadfast, for courage is not the absence of fear, but the refusal to let fear rule your steps.

So remember the wisdom of George Matthew Adams: courage makes chances. It is the voice of the heart speaking through the hands, turning conviction into creation. Whether in the battles of nations or the struggles within one’s own soul, the same law holds true — those who dare, win. Therefore, live boldly, act with heart, and let your courage shape the world that waits for you.