He who is brave is free.
Seneca didn't see courage as battlefield glory, but as inner liberation. Fear enslaves us — to opinions, to uncertainty, to avoidance. True freedom, he wrote, begins the moment you face fear and do what is right anyway. When ordered to commit suicide by Nero, Seneca calmly prepared his own death, comforting his wife and dictating philosophical letters. His final moments embodied the courage he had always taught.
Freedom is found not in avoidance, but in the brave choice to act despite fear.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."