The word “courage” possesses many meanings to many different people. “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,” Winston Churchill had said. This demonstrates just two of the qualities explained in the poems “If” and “Courage”. I believe I possess the qualities of humility and forgiveness. To possess the quality of perseverance would make me a better person, too.

First, I possess the quality of humility because I don’t flaunt anything of mine. I save money and don’t spend much; therefore, I don’t have the latest fashions to show off. I may be intelligent and known for it but, when it comes to admitting it, I won’t. I will deny that I am pretty, athletic, smart, or favored. I believe myself to be average, nothing extraordinary, just extra-ordinary. Someone, somewhere, will always be better than me and, I understand and accept that. Even writing this essay about what qualities I possess is a bit uncomfortable for me!

Next, forgiveness is another quality I believe I possess. The ability to forgive is a very difficult one. Someone once stated, “There are two kinds of people in the world: the kind who forgive themselves easily but, cannot forgive others; and, the kind who forgive others easily but, cannot forgive themselves.” I am the latter. I can forgive strangers in a minute, my friends in an hour and my family in two. Yet, when it comes to forgiving myself for a mistake, I mull over it for two days or more. Eventually, I do let go, accept the situation, and move on.

Last, I wish I had the quality of perseverance. To be determined and so ambitious that I can follow through with what I want would be a dream. If I could choose a path (or make my own path) and continue on it, I would reach my goal. If I could persevere and not let anything stop me, no circumstances no matter how impossible they look, I would be as successful as I want to be. The problem is that I am not determined. I get bored, start to not care, and quit. I need to start working on that.

As stated, courage possesses many different meanings. I encompass the qualities of humility and forgiveness and, I desire the quality of perseverance. These three qualities may not seem like courageous traits, but when you break the word into small, everyday meanings, they do. To have humility is like a king, a president, having the courage to step down and honor a common soldier who lost an arm in battle; to have forgiveness is to have enough courage to understand and accept that everyone, including yourself, makes mistakes; and, to persevere is to have enough courage to keep moving forward, even when it seems impossible and dangerous.

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow,” said Mary Anne Radmacher.