here is no more merit in being brave than in
being a coward?

O.M. PERSONAL merit? No. A brave man does not CREATE his bravery. He is
entitled to no personal credit for possessing it. It is born to him. A
baby born with a billion dollars--where is the personal merit in that?
A baby born with nothing--where is the personal demerit in that? The
one is fawned upon, admired, worshiped, by sycophants, the other is
neglected and despised--where is the sense in it?

Y.M. Sometimes a timid man sets himself the task of conquering his
cowardice and becoming brave--and succeeds. What do you say to that?

O.M. That it shows the value of TRAINING IN RIGHT DIRECTIONS OVER
TRAINING IN WRONG ONES. Inestimably valuable is training, influence,
education, in right directions--TRAINING ONE'S SELF-APPROBATION TO
ELEVATE ITS IDEALS.

Y.M. But as to merit--the personal merit of the victorious coward's
project and achievement?

O.M. There isn't any. In the world's view he is a worthier man than he
was before, but HE didn't achieve the change--the merit of it is not
his.

Y.M. Whose, then?

O.M. His MAKE, and the influences which wrought upon it from the
outside.

Y.M. His make?

O.M. To start with, he was NOT utterly and completely a coward, or the
influences would have had nothing to work upon. He was not afraid of a
cow, though perhaps of a bull: not afraid of a woman, but afraid of a
man. There was something to build upon. There was a SEED. No seed, no
plant. Did he make that seed himself, or was it born in him? It was no
merit of HIS that the seed was there.

Y.M. Well, anyway, the idea of CULTIVATING it, the resolution to
cultivate it, was meritorious, and he originated that.

O.M. He did nothing of the kind. It came whence ALL impulses, good or
bad, come--from OUTSIDE. If that timid man had lived all his life in
a community of human rabbits, had never read of brave deeds, had never
heard speak of them, had never heard any one praise them nor express
envy of the heroes that had done them, he would have had no more idea of
bravery than Adam had of modesty, and it could never by any possibility
have occurred to him to RESOLVE to become brave. He COULD NOT ORIGINATE
THE IDEA--it had to come to him from the OUTSIDE. And so, when he heard
bravery extolled and cowardice derided, it woke him up. He was ashamed.
Perhaps his sweetheart turned up her nose and said, "I am told that you
are a coward!" It was not HE that turned over the