True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow, that’s what courage is.

The quote defines courage as disciplined action rather than emotional invulnerability. By admitting fear as normal—especially in dangerous or high-stakes situations—it rejects the myth that the courageous feel nothing. “Doing your job anyhow” shifts the focus from heroic display to duty: competence, steadiness, and commitment to others despite internal alarm. In a military frame, it elevates professionalism and responsibility over bravado; in civilian life, it suggests that moral and practical courage often looks like showing up, making decisions, and fulfilling obligations while afraid. The definition is pragmatic and ethical: courage is measured by conduct under fear, not by the absence of it.