"Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons"

Ralph Waldo Emerson explores the nature of courage as an intimate, individual quality, one that each person possesses in a unique way. The passage suggests that personal bravery is not a universal, one-size-fits-all attribute; rather, the strength and manner with which a person faces difficulty emerge from deeply personal sources. Emerson sees originality not just in creative expression but also in the ways individuals act bravely, courage doesn't have a single, correct manifestation.

The passage warns against the danger of abandoning one's own internal resources in favor of another's path. By seeking the courage of other people within ourselves, by attempting to mimic the heroic attitudes or bold behaviors we admire in others, we stray from our authentic sources of strength and decision-making. This act of imitation, desiring another's form of bravery rather than cultivating our own, leads us to a kind of self-betrayal. In striving to align with someone else’s conception of daring, we lose the genuine force that would naturally arise from our character, experience, and temperament.

Authenticity is foundational to Emerson’s philosophy, and nowhere does it seem more essential than in facing fear, challenge, or adversity. Courage, he implies, is not a borrowed garment, but one woven from a person’s own convictions, values, and insight. The urge to compare oneself to others and measure personal bravery against external standards is deeply human, but ultimately leads to dissatisfaction and weakness. Instead, Emerson encourages a confidence in one's own internal compass, even when its call differs from the heroics celebrated by others. True courage, then, is inseparable from self-knowledge; to be truly brave means to act out of one's own nature and truth, not in imitation, but in fidelity to who we are.