On Quitting
How much grit do you think you've got?
Can you quit a thing that you like a lot?
You may talk of pluck; it's an easy word,
And where'er you go it is often heard;
But can you tell to a jot or guess
Just how much courage you now possess?
You may stand to trouble and keep your grin,
But have you tackled self-discipline?
Have you ever issued commands to you
To quit the things that you like to do,
And then, when tempted and sorely swayed,
Those rigid orders have you obeyed?
Don't boast of your grit till you've tried it out,
Nor prate to men of your courage stout,
For it's easy enough to retain a grin
In the face of a fight there's a chance to win,
But the sort of grit that is good to own
Is the stuff you need when you're all alone.
How much grit do you think you've got?
Can you turn from joys that you like a lot?
Have you ever tested yourself to know
How far with yourself your will can go?
If you want to know if you have grit,
Just pick out a joy that you like, and quit.
It's bully sport and it's open fight;
It will keep you busy both day and night;
For the toughest kind of a game you'll find
Is to make your body obey your mind.
And you never will know what is meant by grit
Unless there's something you've tried to quit.
poem by Edgar Albert Guest
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Related quotes
You just have to stand and grit your teeth and know your poll numbers are going to go down - and mine have - but you gotta grit through it because the alternative is unacceptable.
quote by Chris Christie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Proof Of Worth
Though victory's proof of the skill you possess,
Defeat is the proof of your grit;
A weakling can smile in his days of success,
But at trouble's first sign he will quit.
So the test of the heart and the test of your pluck
Isn't skies that are sunny and fair,
But how do you stand to the blow that is struck
And how do you battle despair?
A fool can seem wise when the pathway is clear
And it's easy to see the way out,
But the test of man's judgment is something to fear,
And what does he do when in doubt?
And the proof of his faith is the courage he shows
When sorrows lie deep in his breast;
It's the way that he suffers the griefs that he knows
That brings out his worst or his best.
The test of a man is how much he will bear
For a cause which he knows to be right,
How long will he stand in the depths of despair,
How much will he suffer and fight?
There are many to serve when the victory's near
And few are the hurts to be borne,
But it calls for a leader of courage to cheer
The men in a battle forlorn.
It's the way you hold out against odds that are great
That proves what your courage is worth,
It's the way that you stand to the bruises of fate
That shows up your stature and girth.
And victory's nothing but proof of your skill,
Veneered with a glory that's thin,
Unless it is proof of unfaltering will,
And unless you have suffered to win.
poem by Edgar Albert Guest
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The Quitter
When you're lost in the Wild, and you're scared as a child,
And Death looks you bang in the eye,
And you're sore as a boil, it's according to Hoyle
To cock your revolver and . . . die.
But the Code of a Man says: "Fight all you can,"
And self-dissolution is barred.
In hunger and woe, oh, it's easy to blow . . .
It's the hell-served-for-breakfast that's hard.
"You're sick of the game!" Well, now, that's a shame.
You're young and you're brave and you're bright.
"You've had a raw deal!" I know -- but don't squeal,
Buck up, do your damnedest, and fight.
It's the plugging away that will win you the day,
So don't be a piker, old pard!
Just draw on your grit; it's so easy to quit:
It's the keeping-your-chin-up that's hard.
It's easy to cry that you're beaten -- and die;
It's easy to crawfish and crawl;
But to fight and to fight when hope's out of sight --
Why, that's the best game of them all!
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try -- it's dead easy to die,
It's the keeping-on-living that's hard.
poem by Robert William Service
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False Teeth - A Children's Poem
Our teacher had false teeth;
She kept them in a box
Inside the classroom cupboard
Which she forgot to lock,
So we broke in at break-time
And took them out to play.
They fell into a puddle
And turned a muddy grey.
We gave them back to teacher;
She had to grit her teeth
Or, rather, to de-grit them
For grit was underneath
Under the muddy covering
Mixed with her chewing gum.
This made her gums quite tender;
She didn’t find it fun.
But later we regretted
The mischief that we’d made;
When lessons stopped for playtime,
Our teacher soon explained
That punishment must fit the crime
So, for our evil sin,
Just like her now-cleaned gnashers,
She had to keep us in.
poem by C. Richard Miles
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I Quit
i quit trying to save the world...
and just offered my hand,
and walked beside it.
i quit trying to find the truth,
for it was already within me.
i quit trying to tell anyone anything,
and just listened in perfect stillness.
i quit trying to be religious,
and found the sacred in the common.
i quit trying to stop the wars,
and let the wars within me end!
i quit trying to find god,
and just looked in the mirror.
i quit fighting for freedom,
and found a freedom they couldnt take.
i quit shouting out for justice,
and walked in a way that was just.
i quit wanting to own anything,
and so broke the final bonds.
i quit trying to be what they wanted,
and decided to be myself.
i quit blaming, condemning, and accusing,
and took the responsibility on myself.
i quit trying to make myself a name,
and walked in nobody's shoes.
i quit staring from behind the bars,
that were never really there.
i quit seeking to define and hold,
and just let go and lived.
i quit hiding from death, and opened the door,
and found the light from which darkness
is made!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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The guitar has a kind of grit and excitement possessed by nothing else.
The Good Fight
By: jimmy buffett, j.d. souther
1980
To muhammed ali for twenty years of excitement and entertainment
They talk about their women too much
The women got em so confused
They dont talk about their lives as such
My life is all I got to lose
You take it with a grain of salt
And laugh at the complexities
Theyre good at pickin all the faults
I keep laughin so they dont pick me
Chorus:
Jesus if I had to quit tonight
Id never know if I was wrong or right
But thats just what you get
You got to go the distance
If you want to fight a good fight
Good fight
Keep it up and keep a good fight
Good fight
The telephone begins to ring
That could only be one call
I might as well be on the moon
Standin in the shower stall
Cant believe she picked it up
She didnt know the rules somehow
Then I hear her say hello (hello)
Panic in the grey room now
Chorus:
Jesus if I had to quit tonight
Shed kill me whether I was wrong or right
Thats just what you get
You got to go the distance
If you want to fight a good fight
Good fight
Keep it up and keep a good fight
Good fight
You never know until you try
Its hard to see the side youre on
Some people say Im halfway here
Some people say Im halfway gone
Chorus:
Jesus if I had to quit tonight
Id never know if I was wrong or right
But thats just what you get
You got to go the distance
If you want to fight a good fight
Good fight
Keep it up and keep a good fight
Good fight
All I want is just a good fight
Good fight
Yes its got to be a good fight
Good fight
song performed by by Jimmy Buffett
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Lonely Road
Tis dark and lonely,
Walking here alone.
This cold stony road
I have made my own.
Tis where the brave few
Dare to venture thru.
They walk here in search-
Search of life anew.
The coldness chills inside;
I grit my teeth and hold on.
Though sad and long, I make this road my own
Tis lonely out here,
To lean on, there's far and few.
So many times, i cry,
Screaming, 'Where are you? '
I want to turn around,
Quit and walk away.
The pressure is too much-
Too much for me to stay.
But then i see, o'er the hill
A faint glimering light.
Hope springs eternal
In the darkest of nights.
You come close and
I feel you take my hand,
Pull me up, help me fight.
You help me stand.
'My child, ' you whisper,
'I walked this road, still do.
Only now i walk it
Just to help you.'
I feel his might all around
As with faith renewed i push on.
Raise my hands high
As i cry,
'This lonely road i make my own.'
Let everyone leave me, l
Let them walk away.
I'm getting out of here, I wasn't meant to stay.
This lonely road is the only way home.
Walk it I must, even if I'm alone.
So hear it now, as I toil by, this lonely road, I make my own!
It's pain and hardship
I will do my best to bear,
I will keep pushing on
When there's no one nowhere.
Cause this lonely road
I made my own.
poem by Joses Tirtabudi
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Not My Trait
My mother, whose courage was like a rock
always mystified me.
She took that grit and bravery
that was always she.
And I who idolized that treasure
always and ever knew
that I had not inherited that trait
no matter what I do.
I shrink from the smallest trouble.
I cringe from the tiniest fear.
Oh mother, why did you not leave to me
a little bravery here?
poem by Edwina Reizer
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It is very easy to forgive others their mistakes it takes more grit and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own.
quote by Jessamyn West
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Pearl
Feelin like New Orleans oyster grit
Hungover down in the lowly pit
Me and a shuckin crackin shell bit
Givin the grindin pucker mouth spit
Head is all hazy and hot, not lit
Only light is a musty shanty eye slit
Wearin a worn and torn sleeveless knit
In the total dank dark, hunkered I sit
All around foul smellin nasty stuff
Standin up against all odds, can't quit
Coaxing my saxophone's weeping fit
Lryics from a two beat muffled rhyme wit
The nodding and tapping means a pearl hit
Not like some crazy dreamt up skit
This is real…this is it
poem by Paul H Nelson
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Keep your hands open, and all the sands of the desert can pass through them. Close them, and all you can feel is a bit of grit.
quote by Taisen Deshimaru
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Quit Hollerin At Me
I dont want your big french fry
I dont want your car
I dont want to buy no soap
From no washed-up movie star
You are so much louder
Than the show I wanna hear
With your sugarless gum
Gee, but Im dumb
Non-alcoholic beer
Its enough to make a grown man
Blow up his own tv
Quit hollerin at me
Quit hollerin at me
I heard you the first time
I heard myself say
Seems like the little woman
Is getting bigger every day
You dont have to tell the neighbors
A little silence aint no sin
They already think my name is
Where in the hell you been?
Louder, louder, louder, louder, louder
Constantly
Quit hollerin at me
Quit hollerin at me
Whoa oh whoa oh
Sweet serenity
Whoa oh whoa oh
Quit hollerin at me
Quit hollerin at me
Aint it great at the end of the day
When there aint no sound around
Just me and the fence post
Staring each other down
Nothing but a big bunch of nothing
Driving me insane
Cause there aint no voice thats louder
Than the one inside my brain
Hey you go on
Go on and let me be
Quit hollerin at me
Quit hollerin at me
Whoa oh whoa oh
Sweet serenity
Whoa oh whoa oh
Quit hollerin at me
Quit hollerin at me
Quit hollerin at me
Quit hollerin at me
Quit hollerin at me
song performed by by John Prine
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Dont Back Down
The girls dig the way the guys get all wiped out
With their feet in the air you can hear em shout
Theyre not afraid (dont back down, dont back down)
Not my boys (dont back down, dont back down)
They grit their teeth, (a-oo) they dont back down
Dont back down
You gotta be a little nuts
Dont back down
But show em now whos got guts
Dont back down
Dont back down from that wave
With their feet full of tar and their hair full of sand
The boys know the beach like the palm of their hand
Theyre not afraid (dont back down, dont back down)
Not my boys (dont back down, dont back down)
They grit their teeth (a-oo) they dont back down
Dont back down
You gotta be a little nuts
Dont back down
But show em now whos got guts
Dont back down
Dont back down from that wave
When a twenty-footer sneaks up like a ton of lead
And the crest comes along and slaps em upside the head
Theyre not afraid (dont back down, dont back down)
Not my boys (dont back down, dont back down)
They grit their teeth (a-oo) they dont back down
Dont back down
You gotta be a little nuts
Dont back down
But show em now whos got guts
Dont back down
Dont back down from that wave
Dont back down...
song performed by by Beach Boys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sticking with a marriage. That's true grit, man.
quote by Jeff Bridges
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Standing tall
and we shall stand tall
and we shall stare you down
and you shall be enthralled
by our courage
our wisdom, our all
we shall rise from the ashes
like the phoenix grand
and you shall witness with awe
the glory when we shall stand
shoulder to stauch shoulder
like a turret against your froth
your backs shall shiver with the cold
whilst we advance, silently bold
you will want to run
you will want to cower
you will hunt for swords
for the courage to stumble forth
for the grit to match our form
and..
you shall find none
and you shall than run
and we shall watch the dust
as it settles upon your shadows
and we shall smile indulgently
as we light the evening candle
and we shall stand tall forever
and we shall stand shoulder to shoulder
till the next time you think
you have the gall
to come match our stare
to catch us, perchance, unaware...
but you shall find us forever vigilant
you shall find us forever keen
eyes glistening in the night
watching you silently....
as we stand tall forever....
poem by Wardha Jawdat
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I Believe...
I believe
In miracles,
Have seen
Broken men heal,
And rebuild
Their lives
With grit,
Overcoming grief.
God
Knew
Suffering
Will give
Meaning
To
Human experience
Thus
To make it
A little easy,
He
Gave us
The gift
Of selective memory.
So we could
Transcend
Adversity
With
Tenacity.
We learn after a while
To once again
Laugh and smile,
Even after
Almost
All is lost.
poem by Mamta Agarwal
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Dearer Than Dear
Dearer than dear
O my dear
Make me bold
So that I can bear
The atrocities of the world
Without shedding tear
And uttering a word
Word of grief
Agony and pain
O my dear
Make me smile
So that sadness get disappeared
And there is happiness
All along mile and mile
On the path of life
Like a wife
Be a part of my life
O my dear
Come and see
And help me
When I am in despair
Show me the ray of hope
In me develop
Strengths and grit
So that I can face defeat
And take life easy
Make me busy
Leave no time for tear
Despair and fear
Make it clear
You are dearer than dear
poem by Shashikant Nishant Sharma
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Original Wrapper
The last shot should've killed me
Pour another drink
Let's drink to the last shot
And the blood on the dishes in the sink
Blood inside the coffee cup
Blood on the table top
When you quit, you quit
But you always wish
You knew it was your last shot
But when you quit, you quit
But you always wish
You knew it was your last shot
I shot blood at the fly on the wall
My heart almost stopped
Hardly there at all
I broke the mirror with my fall
With my fall - fall - fall
Fall - fall - fall
Gimme a double
Give yourself one too
Gimme a short beer
One for you too
And a toast to everything that doesn't move
That doesn't move
But when you quit, you quit
But you always wish
You knew it was your last shot
When you quit, you quit
But you always wish
You knew it was your last shot
Whiskey, bourbon, vodka and scotch
I don't care what it is you've got
I just want to know that it's my last shot
My last shot
I remember when I quit pretty good
See this here's where I chipped my tooth
I shot a vein in my neck and I coughed up a quaalude
On my last shot
My last shot
But when you quit, you quit
But you always wish
You knew it was your last shot
When you quit, you quit
But you always wish
You knew it was your last shot
song performed by by Lou Reed
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In order to obtain the goal of returning to Palestine, all of us sometimes have to grit our teeth.
quote by Yasser Arafat
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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