Courage is the ability to do something scary. Nelson Mandela once said: “I have learned that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The courageous man is not he who is not afraid, but he who conquers that fear." To accomplish anything, you have to overcome your fears. Atticus Finch thinks courage is knowing you will lose, but continuing to follow through. His mentality is to never give up, even when you know and everyone else knows that you will not be successful at what you are doing. I agree with Atticus Finch's definition of courage that even if all the odds are against you, you must keep going and persevere. True courage is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. For example, as Jem and Atticus talk about Mrs. Dubose and her struggle with morphine addiction, Atticus states, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of having the idea that courage is a man with a gun in hand. It's when you know you're beaten before you start, but you start anyway and make it no matter what” (112). Courage, as defined by Atticus Finch, does not mean that you have to do something beyond your abilities and fears, but simply means completing something that you know will not go in your favor. This is demonstrated in the case of Tom Robinson when, even if the prejudices of the citizens and the jury did not support him, he followed his conscience and persevered in the fight. Furthermore, when Scout, Jem, and Atticus talk about this one-sided case and the biases involved, Atticus simply states, "Simply because we were beaten a hundred years before we began, there's no reason for us not to try and win" (76) . The best thin... middle of paper... for equality and a prejudice-free society in the minds of most African Americans. In conclusion, Atticus displays commendable courage and behavior, in many cases, throughout the story; not by fighting or killing, but by defending what he believed in in a civilized and determined way. His sense of morality and equality motivated him to take the risks he took, and he was praised by African American society for the actions he, as a white man, took to support blacks. In many other cases people have been able to show courage, and something good has come of it. Antigone pleased the gods but paid the price for having performed unimaginable actions. Rosa Parks sparked in the minds of many a sense of freedom from racism and segregation. Courage is taking risky actions, which, even if you have little chance of success, you continue to pursue them and never give up.