have the courage of (one's) convictions
To have the confidence to act or behave in accordance with one's beliefs or ideologies, especially in the face of resistance, criticism, or persecution. The governor was presented with a bribe to help the corporation avoid regulation, but she had the courage of her conviction to refuse such an offer. Plenty of people have tried to dissuade me from pursuing this career, but I've always had the courage of my convictions. I need to have the courage of my convictions any time I'm around my parents—they always try to dissuade me from pursuing a career as a screenwriter.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
have the courage of one's convictions
to have enough courage and determination to carry out one's goals. It's fine to have noble goals in life and to believe in great things. If you don't have the courage of your convictions, you'll never reach your goals. Jane was successful because she had the courage of her convictions.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
courage of one's convictions, to have the
To act in accordance with one’s beliefs. The term may have originated in France since at first it was stated as the courage of his opinions
(le courage de son opinion); it so appears in John Morley’s biography of
Diderot (1878). A 1989 political cartoonist put an amusing twist on it in criticizing President George H.W. Bush’s changing stand on abortion: “It’s nice to see he has the courage of his elections” (Wasserman,
Boston Globe, Nov. 9, 1989). See also
put one's money where one's mouth is.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer