We fail?
Screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we’ll not fail.
– William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 7. Lady Macbeth attempts to motivate her husband after he gets cold feet about their plan to murder King Duncan of Scotland. She promises that if he acts with courage, their plan won’t fail. The metaphor of screwing courage to the sticking-place is taken from a soldier screwing up the string of his crossbow.