Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life is a 2004 book by United States Senator John McCain with his frequent collaborator and aide Mark Salter.

[1] McCain starts by saying that in contemporary usage people talk too loosely in characterizing acts as being courageous - it should be not only "the capacity for action despite our fears" but also involve a physical self-sacrifice for the benefit of others.

[3] The book starts with the story of U.S. Special Forces soldier Roy Benavidez, who won the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War.

[4] Others whose stories are in the book include American civil rights leader John Lewis, American Indian chiefs Manuelito and Barboncito, explorer John Wesley Powell, Jewish resistance fighter Hannah Szenes, Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi, Baltimore anti-drugs-crime mass murder victim Angela Dawson, and U.S. Korean War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr.[1][5] McCain then relates how courage is needed in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"[1] Booklist Review said "The authors draw thoughtful lessons about the sources and types of courage and the importance of facing down fear, particularly in a world defined by color-coded terrorism alerts.