Don’t Quit by John Greenleaf Whittier

I recently discovered the poem Don’t Quit by John Greenleaf Whittier and wanted to share these words of wisdom from the 1800s with others.

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 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 fellow 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 came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

~John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 – 1892) 

While the date the poem was published is unknown, it was before he died in 1892. Over a hundred years later, the words and work of Mr. Whittier are still inspiring people not to quit. 

Talk about going viral!

Before there was the internet, e-mail newsletters, or social media, John Greenleaf Whittier knew the world needed these words to keep us going. 

And as a thank you for being a subscriber to my list, I’ve created a shortened version that you can download, print, and read anytime you need a reminder not to quit.