Patience has its limits. Take it too far, and its cowardice.
George Jackson (1941-1971)
This is a quote that my friend recently posted on Facebook. We are usually taught that patience is a great virtue but this quote says that too much of it is cowardice. I think that being patient for a long time isn’t great but at the same time I think that George Jackson shouldn’t be calling it cowardice. What do you think about that?
I think I understand where George Jackson is coming from when he says that. When it comes to the point where someone does not speak up to defend himself, then it is not just him being patient anymore. It is now a case of him being afraid to support himself and his personal beliefs.
Yeah but there is then a question of one’s intention. Maybe it looks like that person may be a coward on the surface, but there could be reasons. If you take the example of Hamlet who delayed in avenging his father, would you call that cowardice or something else?
Moliere takes on the topic this way: “A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation”.