It is praiseworthy to be brave and fearless, but sometimes it is better to be a coward. We often stand in the compound of a coward to point at the ruins where a brave man used to live.

This quote is from Chinua Achebe’s “Arrow of God”. Obika's father says it to him. In the novel, Obika is a handsome young man who is admired for his looks, but is an arrogant drunkard who picks fights all the time. His father said this to point out that his attitude of ‘toughness’ would lead to his downfall.

Indeed, many people view doing dangerous things as a definition of bravery. There are many cases of teenagers trying to impress their peers by doing dangerous things. People have died, for example, trying to take the perfect selfies from the edge of cliffs. While such actions are brave, they are unnecessary risks because the rewards are worthless. Such actions are too brave.