Courage is not the absence of despair it is, rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair.

In this formulation, May treats despair not as a disqualifier for courage but as the very condition in which courage becomes meaningful. Courage is redefined from a mood (feeling fearless or hopeful) into an existential capacity: the ability to choose action, responsibility, and forward movement even when one’s emotional or moral horizon is dark. The line fits May’s broader existential-psychological emphasis on confronting anxiety, finitude, and meaninglessness without denial. It suggests that authentic bravery is compatible with vulnerability and suffering, and that perseverance amid despair can be a deliberate, value-driven stance rather than a spontaneous surge of optimism.