C.S. Lewis once wrote that fortitude is “the form of every virtue at its testing point.”
The more I learn about the virtues, the more I see how interconnected they really are. Sometimes, it feels like the same action could be described as practicing two different virtues — and often, that’s true. They overlap, reinforce, and support one another.
But fortitude? Fortitude is a legit virtue. That might sound silly to say, but it’s easy to overlook.
Lewis nails it: whatever virtue you’re trying to live — patience, temperance, humility, chastity, generosity — it’s fortitude that carries you through when it gets hard. When it costs something. When it’s no longer easy or convenient or applauded.
Fortitude isn’t just the stuff of heroes running into burning buildings (though it can be). It’s also found in the quiet decisions:
Choosing prayer when you’re tired.
Saying no to temptation when no one would know.
Speaking the truth in love, even when your voice shakes.
Showing up. Staying faithful. Doing the right thing when the cards are stacked against you.
Fortitude is what gives every other virtue its staying power.
So the next time you’re at a breaking point — a testing point — ask God for fortitude. Because that’s where virtue becomes real. That’s where holiness takes root.