Gene Tunney

Courage over fear

The world famous boxer discusses his feelings on courage over fear against the background of his historic fight against Jack Dempsey in 1926.

“Courage—It is not being fearless. It is finding the strength from God to do what you have to do, whether you are afraid or not.

People often ask me if I have ever been afraid. They only make me smile.

One Eastern philosopher said that any man who boasts that he has never been afraid has never put out a candle with his fingers. We are all afraid. Intelligent people, those with imagination, are the ones who know the most overpowering fears, and there is only one answer to fear, and that is faith. Talk about dauntless courage makes me smile. I knew what fear was every time I entered the ring.

One night I shall never forget. I was sound asleep and I woke up in the dark wondering what was wrong with my bed. It was shaking like a 1910 Ford. Then I suddenly realized that it wasn’t the bed shaking at all. It was I who was shaking. I was trembling all over with fear. That was the night before my first meeting with Jack Dempsey, and even in my dreams I was thinking of what he was going to do to me the next day.

Gene Tunney 1897-1978”