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 failure turns about
When he might have won, had he stuck it out!
Don’t give up: though the pace seems slow
You might 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 slipped down
How close he was to the golden crown.
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 mustn’t quit!