--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Courage is not the absence of fear; it is…" description: "\"Courage is not the absence of fear; it is pressing forward when you feel afraid.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/anonymous-1_afraid_courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is_2893983.jpg" --- # Courage is not the absence of fear; it is pressing forward… ![“Courage is not the absence of fear; it is pressing forward when you feel afraid.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/anonymous-1_afraid_courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is_2893983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/anonymous-1_afraid_courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is_2893983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/anonymous-1_afraid_courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is_2893983.jpg) > “Courage is not the absence of fear; it is pressing forward when you feel afraid.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Courage means acting despite fear, not the absence of fear itself. **In simple terms:** Courage is moving forward while afraid. Key Takeaway Act despite fear. Themes courage fear action Mood determined encouraging Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - public speaking - risk taking - personal challenges Key Concepts psychology philosophy motivational Questions to Reflect On - What fears hold you back? - How can you act despite them? A Different Perspective Fear can paralyze despite intention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Pressing forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressing-forward/) ## Related quotes > [Courage is not the absence of fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stengel/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear/) [Richard Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stengel/) > [I should tell you how I really feel, but I'm afraid of what you might say no...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-should-tell-you-how-i-really-feel-but-i-m-afraid-of-what-you-might/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't be afraid. It's your turn to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-be-afraid-it-s-your-turn-to-be-brave/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pushing everything aside. Pressing forward for the prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pushing-everything-aside-pressing-forward-for-the-prize/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Decide today that you wont give up on your dreams and desires. Keep pressing forward, believing that you are anointed and empowered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/decide-today-that-you-wont-give-up-on-your-dreams-and-desires-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nevertheless, scientific method is not the same as the scientific spirit. The scientific spirit does not rest content with applying that which is already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nevertheless-scientific-method-is-not-the-same-as-the-scientific/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I had a crazy revelation this morning and it has me feeling so empowered to keep pressing forward. GOD IS GOOD!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-crazy-revelation-this-morning-and-it-has-me-feeling-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You might have to take unexpected turns, but keep pressing forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-might-have-to-take-unexpected-turns-but-keep-pressing-forward/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keep pressing forward even when it seems like no progress is being made! God honors your commitment!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-pressing-forward-even-when-it-seems-like-no-progress-is-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the hardest things to do is to keep pressing forward when people around you are giving up...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-hardest-things-to-do-is-to-keep-pressing-forward-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Lord give me the patience necessary to keep pressing forward; I'm not going to give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lord-give-me-the-patience-necessary-to-keep-pressing-forward-i-m-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We must fight to win and we must never look back. Keep pressing forward. No regrets. Hope, love and faith in God is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-must-fight-to-win-and-we-must-never-look-back-keep-pressing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beginning is hard, pressing forward harder, not trying... Not an option! 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Afraid quotes > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [I used to be afraid of my temper, but it turns out I don't really have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/i-used-to-be-afraid-of-my-temper-but-it-turns-out-i-don-t-really-have/) [Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I'm a pretty fearless person. I'm afraid of, like, creepy men in white vans and sidewalks with no streetlights. But I'm not afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/i-m-a-pretty-fearless-person-i-m-afraid-of-like-creepy-men-in-white/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) Darlene Senger > [Why am I so afraid to loose you,when you're not even mine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-am-i-so-afraid-to-loose-you-when-you-re-not-even-mine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to tell you, but I cant, becuase I'm afraid if I do you'll never treat me same the again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-orante/i-want-to-tell-you-but-i-cant-becuase-i-m-afraid-if-i-do-you-ll-never/) [Cristina Orante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-orante/) > [Mistakes I've made in the past make me afraid to try new things in the future. I want to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/mistakes-i-ve-made-in-the-past-make-me-afraid-to-try-new-things-in/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [“Humans are naturally scared and confused beings. They not only fear the unknown, as they live fearing themselves... ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/humans-are-naturally-scared-and-confused-beings-they-not-only-fear/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [If you are too afraid of failure, you cant possibly do what needs to be done to succeed in living a fulfilling life. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-you-are-too-afraid-of-failure-you-cant-possibly-do-what-needs-to/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [We cannot be afraid of the dark that they live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burnie-burns/we-cannot-be-afraid-of-the-dark-that-they-live-in/) [Burnie Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burnie-burns/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I'm still with that feeling that I am afraid of doing the wrong thing, because somebody is going to punish me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-m-still-with-that-feeling-that-i-am-afraid-of-doing-the-wrong-thing/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) Browse all 5,519 Afraid quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Courage is not the absence of fear; it is pressing forward when you feel afraid.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is-pressing-forward-when-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afraid" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is-pressing-forward-when-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/anonymous-1_afraid_courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is_2893983.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/anonymous-1_afraid_courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is_2893983.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/anonymous-1_afraid_courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is_2893983.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Courage is not the absence of fear; it is pressing forward when you feel afraid.” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Courage is not the absence of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is-pressing-forward-when-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-it-is-pressing-forward-when-you/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```