"Fortitude is the marshal of thought, the ..."

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

I would request you to shed some light on the given quote by Bacon!

“Fortitude is the marshal of thought, the armor of the will, and the fort of reason.”

Tom

2

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What do you think, Tom? Give it a try. :wink:

Amy

3

OK, Amy, I will have a stab at it.


Courage and endurance in a person make him thoughtful and reasonable.

Fortitude= courage, endurance
marshal of thought= his thoughts are well taken care of by this element.
armor of the will= control his (wild) ambitions
fort of reason= make him reasonable.

Tom

4

Hi Tom

Here is the definition of fortitude from the American Heritage Dictionary:

Fortitude: Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage.

Therefore, you need fortitude when you’re in a “battle” with pain or adversity. And this idea of “battle” was translated with military imagery. So, here’s my interpretation:

marshal of thought - guides your thinking during the battle
armor of the will - protects your will during the battle so that you are able to go on and don’t just give up
fort of reason - (a strong place that) protects your sanity

Amy