Don't Quit - Edgar Albert Guest

 

Don't Quit

Edgar Albert 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.

 

Stanza 1: Painting the Picture of Struggle

• "When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,"
• Explanation: The poem opens with a universal, gentle admission: adversity is a normal, expected part of life. It establishes empathy and realism.
• "when the road you're trudging seems all uphill,"
• Explanation: A metaphor comparing life's journey to a difficult, exhausting climb. "Trudging" implies heavy, weary effort.
• "when the funds are low and the debts are high,"
• Explanation: Moves from a general to a specific, material struggle—financial hardship. This concrete imagery makes the struggle relatable.
• "and you want to smile but you have to sigh,"
• Explanation: Captures the emotional conflict and weariness. It's about the disparity between how you feel inside (wanting optimism) and what you express (resignation).
• "when care is pressing you down a bit —"
• Explanation: "Care" here means worries, anxieties. The personification of care "pressing you down" visualizes the psychological weight of stress.
• "rest if you must, but don't you quit."
• Explanation: The poem's core thesis and refrain. It makes a crucial distinction: pausing for recovery is permissible and wise, but abandonment of the goal is not. This is the central message of resilience.

Stanza 2: The Nature of Life and the Cost of Quitting

• "Life is queer with its twists and turns."
• Explanation: "Queer" is used in its older sense meaning "strange" or "unpredictable." Acknowledges life's inherent uncertainty.
• "As every one of us sometimes learns."
• Explanation: Reaffirms universality. This isn't a lesson for a few, but a common human experience.
• "And many a fellow turns about / when he might have won had he stuck it out."
• Explanation: Introduces the poem's key cautionary tale: the person who quits prematurely, right at the cusp of success. "Turns about" is a powerful image of giving up and walking away.
• "Don't give up though the pace seems slow —"
• Explanation: Direct, imperative advice. It addresses the frustration of slow or invisible progress.
• "you may succeed with another blow."
• Explanation: "Blow" here means a continued effort or attempt (like a blacksmith striking metal). Success may come from one more try.

Stanza 3: The Illusion of Distance and the Tragic Mistake

• "Often the goal is nearer than / it seems to a faint and faltering man;"
• Explanation: Presents a profound psychological insight. Exhaustion ("faint") and doubt ("faltering") distort our perception, making the goal seem farther away than it is.
• "Often the struggler has given up / when he might have captured the victor's cup;"
• Explanation: Extends the cautionary tale with a potent symbol of victory ("the victor's cup"). It heightens the tragedy of quitting.
• "and he learned too late when the night came down,"
• Explanation: "Night" symbolizes finality, the end of the opportunity. The realization comes after the chance is gone.
• "how close he was to the golden crown."
• Explanation: Another, even grander symbol of achievement ("golden crown"). The double symbolism (cup and crown) emphasizes the magnitude of the lost reward.

Stanza 4: The Paradox of Success and the Final Exhortation

• "Success is failure turned inside out —"
• Explanation: The poem's most famous and philosophical line. It presents success and failure not as opposites, but as two sides of the same coin. Persistence is what flips one into the other.
• "the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,"
• Explanation: A beautiful metaphor. The dark "clouds of doubt" have a "silver tint"—the hidden lining of potential success. You must push through the doubt to see the silver.
• "and you never can tell how close you are,"
• Explanation: Reiterates the theme of perceptual illusion. Uncertainty is a constant.
• "it may be near when it seems afar;"
• Explanation: Restates the core idea in simple, parallel language for emphasis.
• "So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit —"
• Explanation: Returns to the battle metaphor ("fight," "hardest hit"). The advice is specifically for the moment of greatest impact and pain.
• "it's when things seem worst, you must not quit."
• Explanation: The powerful, concluding couplet. It directly links the extremity of the situation ("seem worst") with the imperative to persist. The worst moment is the most crucial test of character.

Stanza-Wise Summary

Stanza 1: The Universal Portrait of Struggle
This stanza vividly catalogues the common hardships of life: unexpected failures, exhausting effort ("uphill road"), financial strain, emotional fatigue (wanting to smile but sighing), and the oppressive weight of worry. It builds empathy by listing relatable adversities and then delivers its core, compassionate command: it is acceptable to pause and rest to recover strength, but the fundamental act of quitting is forbidden. This establishes the poem's central thesis on resilience.

Stanza 2: The Warning Against Premature Surrender
The poet reflects on life's inherent unpredictability ("twists and turns")—a lesson everyone learns. It then introduces a direct caution: many people give up and turn back ("turns about") precisely at the moment when perseverance would have led to victory. The advice is clear: despite frustratingly slow progress, one must continue because success often comes with the next sustained effort ("another blow").

Stanza 3: The Illusion of Failure and Its Tragic Cost
This stanza delves into the psychology of discouragement. It argues that when a person is weary and doubting ("faint and faltering"), their perception becomes distorted; the goal is often much closer than it appears. The poet laments the common tragedy of the struggler who abandons their effort just steps away from claiming the "victor's cup" or "golden crown." The realization of this near-success comes too late, "when the night came down," symbolizing missed opportunity and finality.

Stanza 4: The Paradox of Success and the Final Exhortation
The concluding stanza presents the poem's most philosophical insight: Success is simply the inverse of failure ("failure turned inside out"). It is the hidden potential ("silver tint") within the "clouds of doubt." Since one can never accurately gauge proximity to a breakthrough, it may be imminent even when it feels distant. Therefore, the poet issues the ultimate imperative: the darkest, most difficult moment—when you are "hardest hit"—is the precise time to hold on most fiercely. The poem ends by reinforcing its title and core message: when things seem worst, you must not quit.