Whatever enlarges hope will also exalt courage.

The aphorism links two moral-psychological forces: hope (a forward-looking expectation of possible good) and courage (the willingness to act despite fear or risk). Johnson’s claim is causal and reciprocal in spirit: when a person’s sense of possibility expands—through faith, favorable prospects, supportive community, or a just cause—fear loses some of its power, and bold action becomes easier. The line also implies a practical ethic for leadership and public life: to cultivate courage in oneself or others, one can work first on enlarging hope by clarifying attainable aims and credible reasons for confidence. In this view, courage is not mere temperament but something nourished by imagination and expectation.