Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.

The Scottish novelist and moral philosopher Robert Louis Stevenson, whose words flow with the quiet strength of the human soul, once wrote: “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.” In this brief yet powerful saying, Stevenson distilled a timeless truth—a code of conduct for those who would live nobly among their fellow men. For though fear is a private battle, courage is a public light. Fear whispers in darkness and weakens the spirit, but courage, when shared, becomes the fire that keeps an entire generation warm.

Stevenson, who wrote such immortal works as Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was no stranger to struggle. He lived in fragile health, often writing through pain and illness, yet his words never carried despair. Instead, they carried hope, as though his own suffering had refined his wisdom rather than consumed it. It was from this deep well of experience that he spoke of courage—the strength that grows not from ease, but from endurance. To him, fear was a shadow best faced quietly within, while courage was a gift to be offered outwardly, a torch passed from one trembling hand to another until it lights the world.

To keep your fears to yourself does not mean to deny or suppress them, but to master them. Fear is natural, as ancient as life itself, but it is also contagious. When spoken carelessly, it spreads like fire through dry grass, consuming the confidence of others. Yet when one stands firm, concealing their own trembling heart for the sake of others’ strength, that is true leadership. Stevenson’s wisdom lies in this delicate balance—he does not ask us to be fearless, but to be guardians of each other’s courage. He knew that a single brave soul can inspire ten others to rise, just as one panicked voice can cause ten to fall.

History offers us luminous examples of this truth. Consider the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the polar explorer whose ship, Endurance, was trapped in Antarctic ice in 1915. Surrounded by unending cold and death, his men looked to him for hope. Shackleton, though burdened with fear and uncertainty, never revealed it. He spoke instead of rescue, of plans, of persistence. His calm courage sustained the spirits of his crew through two years of isolation and peril. In the end, every man under his command survived. Shackleton’s secret was Stevenson’s law: he kept his fears to himself, but shared his courage with those who needed it most.

Such is the sacred duty of every soul who walks among others. For in every home, in every circle of friends, in every nation, there are moments when fear threatens to rule. In those moments, the one who can speak with calm conviction—who can remind others of their strength, who can lift weary hearts—is a light unto all. The world is not changed by those who tremble, but by those who, though trembling, still step forward. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to act rightly despite it; and when one person acts with courage, others remember their own.

To live by Stevenson’s words is to choose service over self, strength over comfort. It calls us to be mindful of the energy we bring into the world. When fear arises within you, tend to it privately—face it with reflection, prayer, or the quiet discipline of the mind. But when you speak to others, let your words be like a shield and your spirit like a flame. Share your courage, even when it costs you. Offer faith where there is doubt, hope where there is despair, steadiness where there is chaos. For the world hungers for courage far more than it hungers for certainty.

So, my children, take this wisdom as a guide for your days: do not let fear be your language. Speak instead in the voice of courage, for every brave word has the power to lift another heart. When fear visits you—and it will—welcome it as a teacher, but never let it be your master. Face it silently, conquer it slowly, and then use its conquered power to strengthen others. For the highest form of courage is not the victory of the self, but the courage that awakens courage in those around you.

And when your time comes to stand before life’s trials, remember Stevenson’s immortal words: “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.” Be the one whose calm steadies the storm, whose faith restores the weary, whose quiet strength becomes the pillar of many. For fear is fleeting, but courage—when shared—echoes through eternity, reminding all who hear it that within the human heart lies a power greater than any darkness.