"Courage is not the absence of despair it is, rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair."

Action

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Thematic Reflection

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

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About Rollo May

Rollo Reece May was an American existential psychologist and author of the influential book Love and Will (1969). He is often associated with humanistic psychology and existentialist philosophy, and alongside Viktor Frankl, was a major proponent of existential psychotherapy. The philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich was a close friend who had a significant influence on his work.

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More by Rollo May

"The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one. Commitment is healthiest when it's not without doubt but in spite of doubt."

— Rollo May
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"Depression is the inability to construct a future."

— Rollo May
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"Creativity is not merely the innocent spontaneity of our youth and childhood it must also be married to the passion of the adult human being, which is a passion to live beyond one's death."

— Rollo May
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"Freedom is man's capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves."

— Rollo May
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More about Action

"Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone."

— Charles de Gaulle
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"Leadership has become a heavy industry. Concern and interest about leadership development is no longer an American phenomenon. It is truly global. Though I will probably be in less demand, I wanted to move on."

— Warren Bennis
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"I think an education is not only important, it is the most important thing you can do with your life."

— Dean Kamen
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"It's funny because I think a lot of it is simply... We've never considered ourselves satirists, but because we're on Comedy Central and because we're South Park on Comedy Central, we can do any topic we want."

— Trey Parker
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