This poem hung on the wall in our house as a kid. I saw it repeatedly, slowly sinking into my memory over time.
And now, almost everyone I’m talking to mentions life being really hard. So many people talk about giving up.
And I get it. Sometimes, I think about quitting. Just selling everything and moving to some remote spot in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming.
Often, I find the words of this poem running through my mind.
If today’s a rough day for you, I hope you find some comfort in these words.
If today isn’t hard, I hope you can remember these words for future days.
If you’d like, you can find more information about the poem here.
Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
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 do not quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns 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.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell 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.
~Edgar Albert Guest
