---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted you to see what real courage is…"
description: "\"“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/harper-lee-451_atticus-finch_i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real-courage-is_327265.jpg"
---

#  I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of…

![“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” quote by Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/harper-lee-451_atticus-finch_i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real-courage-is_327265.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/harper-lee-451_atticus-finch_i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real-courage-is_327265.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/harper-lee-451_atticus-finch_i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real-courage-is_327265.jpg)

> ““I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.””

[Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Courage is persisting despite knowing defeat is likely, showing resolve and integrity even when odds are against you.

**In simple terms:** Courage means acting despite likely failure.

Key Takeaway

Act with resolve even when success seems impossible.

Themes

courage perseverance integrity

Mood

determined inspirational

Type

ethical motivational

When to use this quote

- social justice work
- personal challenges
- leadership
- advocacy

Key Concepts

resilience determination ethical action

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it wise to persist?
- How do you measure meaningful courage?

A Different Perspective

Courage can be reckless without strategy.

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[Atticus-finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atticus-finch-2/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Real courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-courage/)

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> [“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird/i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real-courage-is-instead-of-getting-the-idea-3/)

Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird

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> [“…I wanted you to see something about her-- I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-wanted-you-to-see-something-about-her-i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real-3/)

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> [“instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/instead-of-getting-the-idea-that-courage-is-a-man-with-a-gun-in-his/)

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> [“And for goodness' sake put some of the county back where it belongs, the soil erosion's bad enough as it is." Dill stared at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/and-for-goodness-sake-put-some-of-the-county-back-where-it-belongs/)

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> [“She was the bravest person I ever knew.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/she-was-the-bravest-person-i-ever-knew/)

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> [“Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/courage-is-when-you-know-you-re-licked-before-you-begin-but-you-begin/)

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> [Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/real-courage-is-when-you-know-you-re-licked-before-you-begin-but-you/)

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> [The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life even in order to keep it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-paradox-of-courage-is-that-a-man-must-be-a-little-careless-of-his/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Count your smiles instead of your tears; Count your courage instead of your fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/count-your-smiles-instead-of-your-tears-count-your-courage-instead-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Harper Lee

> [“No jury in this part of the world's going to say, "We think you're guilty, but not very," on a charge like that. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/no-jury-in-this-part-of-the-world-s-going-to-say-we-think-you-re/)

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> [That proves something- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/that-proves-something-that-a-gang-of-wild-animals-can-be-stopped/)

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> [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/)

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> [“folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ’em. You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/folks-don-t-like-to-have-somebody-around-knowin-more-than-they-do-it/)

[Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/)

> [ “...\[Summer\] was a thousand colors in a parched landscape...” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/summer-was-a-thousand-colors-in-a-parched-landscape/)

[Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/)

> [It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/it-s-never-an-insult-to-be-called-what-somebody-thinks-is-a-bad-name/)

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> [I wonder how much of the day I spend just callin' after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-wonder-how-much-of-the-day-i-spend-just-callin-after-you/)

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> [“The course of English Literature would have been decidedly different had Mr. Wordsworth owned a power mower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-course-of-english-literature-would-have-been-decidedly-different/)

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> [“You taste injustice, even if it’s fictional, really taste it,it has a way of doing that. Sometimes, you can never put the shoe on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/you-taste-injustice-even-if-it-s-fictional-really-taste-it-it-has-a/)

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> [“That’s what a skinwalker is: a mean asshole with a meaner spirit squatting inside.” Oberon said. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/that-s-what-a-skinwalker-is-a-mean-asshole-with-a-meaner-spirit/)

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