Best Advice Ever – Don’t Quit
Though I am a day late with my post, I wanted to share this little poem that has the best advice I’ve ever seen:
Don’t Quit
by John Greenleaf Whittier
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure comes about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure comes about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
This poem is in the public domain.
Today, would have been my brother’s 52nd birthday and the message of this poem is exactly what I needed to hear. I hope you find some encouragement in the words.
6 Comments
Mom
Have read this poem many times…still pertains to me. Thank you for printing it again for me to read. Fitting for Neil!
AC Hoekwater
I thought so.
Joanne
I am often amazed at the “gifts” that arrive unexpectedly when we need something to encourage, guide, support, or otherwise help us through difficult challenges. Thanks for your blog and this poem that is just such a gift for me. Not a difficult moment in the same sense as you and your mom as you remember your brother and son today on the anniversary of his birth, but a choice I must make today when I have three amazing options. Thank you, Angela, and hugs to you and your mom.
AC Hoekwater
I, too, am often amazed at the “gifts” that come just in time. Thank you so much for your kind words.
Lisa Miller
Love!! was perfect for today!
AC Hoekwater
Thank you!