And the ship sailed onward, gliding serenely down the moonlit river toward the dark lands beyond. - Christopher Paolini

Without fear there cannot be courage.

Oromis - What is the most important mental tool a person can possess?

Eragon - Detrrmination.

Oromis - [...] no. I meant the tool most necessary to choose the best course of action in any given situation. Determination is as common among men who are dull and foolish as it is among those who are brilliant intellects [...]

Eragon - Wisdom, wisdom is the most important for a person to possess.

Oromis- A fair guess, but, again, no. the answer is logic. Or, to put it another way, the ability to reason analytically.Applied properly it can overcome any lack of wisdom, which one only gains through age and experience.

Eragon - yes but isn't having a good heart more important than logic. pure logic can lead you to conclusions that are ethically wrong, whereas if you are moral and righteous, that will ensure you don't act shamefully.

Oromis - you confuse the issue. All I wanted to know isq what is the most useful 'tool'ma person can have [...] I agree that it is important to be of a virtous nature, but I would also conted that if you had to choose between giving a man a noble disposition or teaching him to think clearly, you'd do better to teach him to think clearly. Too many problems in this world are caused by men with noble dispositions and clouded minds.

As far as I am concerned, philosophic questioning is just as likely to make you confused and depressed as it is to improve your condition.