Some politicians claim that they would be willing to die for their beliefs.
Fawzia Koofi is an Afghan politician who says that she expects to be killed.
"I am resigned to this fate", she says.
She is currently an MP in the Afghan parliament and has been a prominent national figure since she was first elected in 2005.
She has already survived several assassination attempts.
So what, in that case, does she believe she can achieve in running for the presidency of her country in 2014?
She talks to Tim Franks.