“It is easy to be brave from a safe distance.”

This is a proverb that Amy said she learned when she was probably in elementary school.  She learned this proverb along with many other proverbs.  She noted that at the time, she did not really understand what the proverb meant, nonetheless what the purpose of a proverb was.  She told me that she does not really say this proverb that often; before she told it to me, she said she had to think about it for a while and then she remembered it.  Even though she rarely says the proverb, she likes what it means.  The way she described the meaning was that it is a different thing to actually do something than just stepping back and watching somebody else do it.

The way I interpret this proverb is that from a distance, everything looks easy and simple; however, once you face your fears or the task at hand, you have to try to make an effort to become brave.  Even though this proverb is not widely popular, it can apply to all different people if they are put in a situation where they have to overcome a fear.  In my interpretation, the proverb also challenges the audience to go an extra step and to be braver.

Also seen in: Aesop.  Aesop’s Fables. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks, 1990.