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

               On page 149 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is talking to Jem after he delivered news of Mrs. Dubose's death. Mrs. Dubose was an old woman who had a severe addiction to Morphine. When doctors told her she was dying, Mrs. Dubose decided that she would die "beholden to nothing and nobody," including her addiction. Although she knew it would be very painful and nearly impossible, Mrs. Dubose stuck with it and persevered. Although he didn't know it at the time, Jem provided distraction while she cut back on the drug by reading daily for a specific period time. Each visit, Jem noticed that an alarm clock would go off suddenly, and that it rang at a slighter later time each day. On the last day, he observed that the clock never rang, and that Mrs. Dubose's assistant, Jessie, sending him home was his only sign of finishing reading. Later, due to Atticus' explanation, Jem and Scout discovered that the alarm signaled when Mrs. Dubose could take her "medicine," which was Morphine. Atticus wanted to show Jem that courage doesn't mean a gun, or the ability to kill the less powerful with a weapon. True courage is when you know that the future will be rough, and may not wind up to be what you hoped, but to push on anyways with a brave face. 

Another example is Atticus taking up the Tom Robinson case. He knew that many of the people living in Maycomb were racists, and that they wouldn't approve of him defending a black man. He knew that his family's response would be even worse, and that they would try to persuade him to drop the case. However, Atticus completely disregards the negativity and gossip going around town, knowing that at the end of the day, it's your own judgement that counts, not what others think you should feel. 

               Personally, this quote really means a lot. In ballet, the ideal ballerina is skinny, long limbed, flexible, has a short torso, high arches and insteps, hyper extension in the knees, and 180-degree-plus turn out. My biggest obstacle in becoming a professional ballet dancer is my inadequate turn out. I would say that the majority of people who seek a job with a company have natural turn out- being able to stand with the legs, calves, and ankles completely turned out at the hips while standing casually. I, on the other hand, have to work harder and stretch more to be able to achieve my most essential, and most challenging, goal- to have "perfect" turnout. When I decided to train to become a professional, I asked my teachers if my lack of turn out would hinder my career. They all have said that despite the necessity of flexible hips, if you stretch and use the correct muscles, it's still possible. This shows that although what you want to do in life may seem like an unreasonable concept, you'll be able to achieve it through persistence in your work.