THE "DON'T QUIT" POEM
I often quote the last stanza of the following poem at the end of my training sessions, like I did a couple of weeks ago when training in Aberdeen. (See the video.) This has become my "theme," so to speak, and the gift that I like to leave with my audiences. [Editor's Note: Several have claimed authorship of this poem, so I don't know who to attribute it to. Some believe it is Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959)
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 debts are high,
And you want to smile but 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 if he'd stuck it out,
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You might succeed with another blow. Often the struggler has given up,
When he might capture 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 clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.