DON’T QUIT

DON’T QUIT

by John Greenfield Whittier

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When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

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 strange with its twists and turns

As everyone of us sometimes learns

And many a failure comes about

When [you] might have won had [you] stuck it out;

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow – 

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out – 

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell just 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.

This poem is in the public domain

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√ editorial note: [You] was inserted to eliminate gender bias. The original version stated “he”.

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