Speaking at the Polka XXI wieku (Polish Woman of the 21st Century) conference in Warsaw on Friday, Nawrocka said courage was not about speaking the loudest.
"True courage means helping others when everyone else looks away. It means having the strength to talk even with those who disagree with us – and not answering hatred with hatred," she said.
The first lady, wife of President Karol Nawrocki, said courage had always been deeply personal to her.
"I have made many decisions in my life that required it," she said. "Without faith, courage and support, things would certainly have been harder. Today I can say I chose wisely, because I did not give in to fear. I chose life."
She argued that courage and values were inseparable.
"Only when a person has values and knows who they are, and when they have the courage to remain true to those values – only then does true freedom appear," she told the conference, describing personal freedom as "not a trend or a passing mood," but a foundation for authentic selfhood.
The conference features panel discussions on women's roles in national defence, mental health challenges, financial independence, and female achievement in science, technology and medicine.
(ał)
Source: PAP