Sunday, December 12, 2010

Don't Quit... author unknown

We interrupt this blog for an interlude of poetry. I don't normally post other people's work (except for the occasional guest posting author, of course). But this poem has been running through my head a lot lately. And, being that it's a writer's blog, I figured it might've run through yours a time or two as well...

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 don't you 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.

- Author unknown

Got a favorite poem, song lyric, quote? What literature is speaking to you today?

2 comments:

PJD said...

Nice message. Down-homey feel to it.

I've had an eclectic mix of influences in my head recently. Shakespeare's tragedies and Mark Twain quotes mostly. And a little Missy Higgins and Indigo Girls.

One thing I like to dredge up when I'm low on motivation or momentum is Van Halen's "Right Now".

Merry Monteleone said...

I love all of your influences, Pete!!! Really and for true! Twain and Shakespeare are among my favorites. And how can you not like, "Right Now"? Which is now running through my own head... yay!