Short Poems

Don't Quit Poem

Be encouraged by this Don't Quit Poem. This famous poem was written by Edgar A. Guest and contains much wisdom in its verses.

In life we all experience challenges and difficulties, let Mr. Guest's poem be one that encourages and inspires you not to quit!

There are many times in life when we feel like quitting is the right thing to do. However, as you read the Don't Quit poem below you will find encouragement to continue, to persevere, to not give up.

Short Poems / Famous Poems / Edgar A. Guest Poems / Don't Quit Poem - in Poems Of Encouragement

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill...

Don't Quit
by Edgar A. Guest

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 everyone 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 of the clouds of doubt,
And when 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,
You must not quit.

It should be noted that there is a slightly different version of the Don't Quit poem that is attributed to John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 - 1892), however, our research shows the Edgar A. Guest (1881 - 1959) published the poem in March 1921.

Regardless of the author, the poem has inspired and motivated many people over the years to not quit! Share this poem with others to encourage and motivate them - just don't quit!
This Don't Quit poem expresses how many of us feel at one time or another.

The first stanza discusses "why we may feel like quitting." When everything goes wrong, when every task seems like an uphill battle, when money is short - we all want to just throw in the towel and quit. However, the poem is suggesting that we just take a break, but we are not to quit. Sometimes just stepping away for a bit helps clear our mind and brings solutions we may not have thought about previously.

The second stanza discusses how strange life is at times. And many of us have learned it we just stick with it we will succeed. There are times when we feel things are moving too slow and we just want to quit, but the Poet emphasizes persistence equals success.

The third stanza reinforces that our goals may be closer than we think. Just keep taking one step at a time! The achievement of your goal may be close but if you quit you will never know.

And, the fourth and last stanza of this poem talks about success. Even when faced with a failure, or with doubt, keep going as success could be just around the corner. Do not quit!

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