Considering the quandary of what is more valuable, either courage or wisdom, I find wisdom stands out as a more valuable asset by far. But why this is true becomes the more important question. To answer, let us examine both attributes and weigh them out.

On the one hand, there is courage. What is it? How shall we define it? Dictionary.com says that courage is: “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.” At first glance, this seems a very admirable quality to have. And I would not deny that this is true. What then is detrimental in its value? We shall see.

But first, let us define wisdom. There are several useful definitions of the word, but the most applicable to our discussion comes from Wordnet. It quotes wisdom as being, “the trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight.” Now that we have our terms, let us compare them.

With courage, one has the ability to face fears and danger with bravery. In other words, when one has courage one can boldly go forward regardless of the circumstance. No matter how frightening a situation may be, courage can enable a person to preserve through it. And that is very well and good.

But what of wisdom? It enable us to utilize what knowledge we have, and apply it to any given situation. Understand here that knowledge and wisdom are two different things. Knowledge is the facts stored in our head from life experiences and the like. If we are wise, we use this information to our benefit.

How does this make wisdom a better trait than courage? Would it not be better to navigate correctly through the dangers of life than to blindly confront them head on?

Imagine life as a minefield. A courageous person would plow through it, unmindful of the pitfalls that lie about. Admirable though this may be, odds are highly in favor of this person not making it through entirely intact. A wise person, however, would tread lightly through this arena, with a much higher degree of success in regards to wholeness.

Courage is commendable. One does not often see awards handed out in certain situations for avoiding difficulties altogether. But we are not here to discuss which is more esteemed in the eyes of others, are we? If we are to consider which is a more valuable virtue, is it not clear that wisdom wins?

Besides, I have a bit of penchant for Biblically based thinking. Proverbs 19:2 says that “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” If the book of Proverbs was written by one of the wisest men to ever walk the earth, perhaps this is a word worth heeding.