Don't Quit

Making Men Newsletter #17

Not very long after I started this Making Men Newsletter, an old memory came to mind that I hadn’t thought about in many years. It was of a reciting of a poem, and that poem has stuck with me ever since 1986. Even if I had forgotten about it, it was still ingrained in me enough that it came back to mind recently.

I was only eight years old when I heard it, but it motivated me then, and it still motivates me now. It’s bee a few posts since I shared a motivational tale with you, so today’s post is one that I hope you find as inspiring now, as I did all those years ago.

It’s a poem called “Don’t Quit” by Edgar A. Guest, and when I first heard it, it was a very young Jeff Jarrett (pro wrestler) reciting it around the time of his first match. He claimed that it was a poem his father had instilled in him. Now who knows if that’s really true, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you take it and apply it to your life. The world is going to be hard, and a very dark place for you at times, but it’s in those times that your fire must burn brightest. Hopefully, this poem can help instill that resolve in you.

- Mick

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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 everyone 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 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 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.