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 never 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;
Stick to your task, thought he pace seems slow-
You may succeed with one more blow.
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 musn’t quit.
—
I remembered hearing this poem in 7th grade, from a substitute teacher, Mrs. Tweedy Stewart. This evening when I found myself in need of inspiration I thought about this poem and through the magic of Google, I found it. There is no known author, but somehow I will always remember it the way that Mrs. Stewart spoke it.