If you have the courage of your convictions, you have the confidence to do what you believe is right, even though other people may not agree or approve.
– Collins
Act on one’s beliefs despite danger or disapproval.
Steadfast adherence to one’s beliefs or principles, especially in the face of criticism or other opposition.
RICHARD: At times this audacity 1 – that it will be me who does it – approaches megalomania 2 … after all, one thinks, who am I to think that I can break through the impasse that has baffled humankind for millennia? As long as one does not succumb to delusions of grandeur, a healthy dose of what appears to be megalomania 2 is appropriate … otherwise one is held back by the mediocrity of those who say you can not do it. You can. The only requirement is that one be a human being – and that I hereby devote my entire life to breaking through to the perfection and peace that is lying open all around right now … if only I had the eyes to see it. It takes great courage and fortitude to fly in the face of all those ‘would be’s’ and ‘want to be’s’ who, alas, only talk about it. One has to do it … because, after all is said and done, it is my life that I am living.
http://actualfreedom.com.au/richard/listacorrespondence/lista08.htm
See also
audacity:
au·dac·i·ty | ɔˈdæsədi, ɑˈdæsədi | noun
- a willingness to take bold risks: her audacity came in handy during our most recent emergency.
- rude or disrespectful behavior; impudence: she had the audacity to pick up the receiver and ask me to hang up.
megalomania:
meg·a·lo·ma·ni·a | ˌmɛɡ(ə)loʊˈmeɪniə | noun
obsession with the exercise of power, especially in the domination of others.
• the delusional belief that one is important, powerful, or famous, as a form or symptom of mental disorder.