"Americans are terrified because so many of them have been laid off in recent years and months and they fear that they may be next. Even if they have not been laid off or have not known anyone laid off, they definitely know someone who has lost his home."

Courage

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Courage as articulated by Ben Stein. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Courage provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Ben Stein

Benjamin Jeremy Stein is an American writer, lawyer, actor, economist, comedian, and commentator on political and economic issues. He began his career as a speechwriter for U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford before entering the entertainment field as an actor, comedian, and game show host. His screen roles include the economics teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, being the host of Win Ben Stein's Money, and as Dr. Arthur Neuman in The Mask and Son of the Mask. Stein also co-wrote and starred in the controversial 2008 film Expelled which was widely criticized for promoting pseudoscientific intelligent design creationist claims. Stein is the son of economist and writer Herbert Stein, who worked at the White House under President Nixon. As an actor, he is known for his droning, monotonous delivery. In comedy, Stein is known for his deadpan delivery.

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More by Ben Stein

"Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows."

— Ben Stein
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"Greed is a basic part of animal nature. Being against it is like being against breathing or eating. It means nothing."

— Ben Stein
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"If you want to fight the evil you see in finance and industry, get to work reading the corporate filings, see if there has been fraud, and where you find it, report it to the SEC or write about it or blog about it."

— Ben Stein
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"The people who did the collateralized mortgage obligations, sold them to pension funds, then sold them short, then bought credit default swap insurance on them, are just amazing. They are a law unto themselves."

— Ben Stein
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More about Courage

"I am very interested in what has been called bad taste. I believe the fear of displaying a soi-disant bad taste stops us from venturing into special cultural zones."

— Manuel Puig
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"Once I had all the facts in, I found I didn't have the immoral courage to pull the caper. So I wrote it as a story. As a teenager, I didn't have any skills for writing as such, so it came out in 1500 words."

— Theodore Sturgeon
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"I fear the boredom that comes with not learning and not taking chances."

— Robert Fulghum
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"I have the courage of my convictions."

— Brigitte Bardot
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