The given sentence "Making important decisions requires time for careful thinking and courage to take action" is a complex sentence. Here's why:
1. **Independent and Dependent Clauses:**
- The sentence consists of two clauses:
- "Making important decisions requires time for careful thinking" (independent clause)
- "and courage to take action" (dependent clause)
2. **Subordinate Conjunction:**
- The word "and" in the sentence connects the two clauses. It is a coordinating conjunction that makes the second clause dependent on the first clause.
3. **Dependent Clause:**
- The clause "courage to take action" cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It relies on the independent clause "Making important decisions requires time for careful thinking" for context and meaning.
Therefore, due to the presence of an independent clause and a dependent clause connected by a coordinating conjunction, the sentence is classified as a complex sentence.