It requires greater courage to preserve inner freedom, to move on in one’s inward journey into new realms, than to stand defiantly for outer freedom. It is often easier to play the martyr, as it is to be rash in battle.

May contrasts two kinds of bravery: the visible, socially rewarded courage of public defiance and the quieter, more demanding courage of inner development. “Inner freedom” implies maintaining autonomy of conscience and imagination under pressure—resisting conformity, self-deception, and the temptation to adopt heroic poses. The “inward journey into new realms” suggests psychological growth that requires uncertainty, self-scrutiny, and the willingness to revise one’s identity. By noting that martyrdom or rashness in battle can be “easier,” May implies that dramatic sacrifice may sometimes function as an escape from the slower work of becoming free within—work that lacks applause and cannot be delegated to a cause or crowd.