Many people have excellent qualities, but because they lack moral courage, they lead an unproactive life and find their graves in their own laziness. This “courage” is likened to “shield”, “sword in its sheath”, or “[bee stinger (of a bee, etc.)“.
- If bees don’t have a stinger, animals will approach them for the sweet nectar, and since there is no way to repel them, they will be deprived of it for good.
- Similarly, if a person with superior qualities does not have the means to repel harmful others, he or she will be used by others to their advantage.
- Utilizing superior qualities only to have them taken away by others, so you lose motivation and die in “idleness.”
from The Art of Worldly Wisdom Know how to show your teeth. 54
Even a hare can pull the mane of a dead lion. Courage is no joke. If you give way to the first, you must give way to the next, and continue this to the end. Moral courage must surpass physical courage and be like a sword sheathed for precaution. It is the shield of a great place. Moral cowardice brings one lower than physical. Many a man, possessing excellent qualities but lacking a stout heart, has lived an inanimate life and found his grave in his own laziness. Wise nature has thoughtfully combined in the bee the sweetness of its honey and the sharpness of its sting.
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