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 when 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 twist and turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When we might have won, had we 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 came 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 afar;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit

It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

*someone emailed this to me, and I think it is fitting to keep in mind especially while running the race of life