Here must all distrust be left behind; all cowardice must be ended.

This line is spoken by Virgil to Dante-pilgrim at the threshold of the underworld in Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, the first canticle of the Divine Comedy (early 14th century). As Dante and his guide approach the Gate of Hell—marked by the famous inscription ending “Abandon every hope, you who enter”—Dante hesitates in fear. Virgil urges him to cross the boundary with resolve, emphasizing that the journey through Hell requires the abandonment of doubt and timidity. The moment functions as a ritual crossing: once past the gate, the traveler must rely on moral courage and trust in guidance rather than panic or skepticism.

The injunction frames the descent as not only a physical passage but a psychological and spiritual one. “Distrust” suggests suspicion, wavering faith, or lack of confidence in the path and the guide; “cowardice” names the paralysis that prevents moral action and honest self-confrontation. Dante presents fear as an obstacle to knowledge: to witness the consequences of sin and understand divine justice, the pilgrim must relinquish defensive doubt and proceed with fortitude. In a broader sense, the line has become emblematic of any demanding undertaking—intellectual, ethical, or existential—where progress requires leaving hesitation behind at the point of commitment.