At the age of 12 William Ernest Henly contracted tuberculosis of the bone, and just after his foot had to be amputated, he wrote this powerful poem . . . declaring his courage in the face of death . . . holding on to his dignity in spite of the indignities of his own life.
I've read this poem a dozen or more times, and I always come away with the same thought . . . free will gives us choices in life . . . once choices are made, we must learn to own them . . . no matter the consequence. If you're going to reach a goal, then you must learn perseverance.
The word "invictus" is Latin . . . it means unconquerable or undefeated. I pray that you learn to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and keep going in the face of adversity through your life!
Out
of the night that covers me,
Black
as the pit from pole to pole,
I
thank whatever gods may be
For
my unconquerable soul.
In
the fell clutch of circumstance
I
have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under
the bludgeonings of chance
My
head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond
this place of wrath and tears
Looms
but the Horror of the shade,
And
yet the menace of the years
Finds
and shall find me unafraid.
It
matters not how strait the gate,
How
charged with punishments the scroll,
I
am the master of my fate,
I
am the captain of my soul
"The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed" ~ Chinese Proverb
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