Mother to Son

 This  poem was originally written by Langston Hughes. He wrote it in typical black-American, uneducated lingo. I just changed the grammar, that's all. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Well, son, I'll tell you:
 Life for me hasn't been no crystal stair.
 It's had tacks in it,
 And splinters,
 And boards turned up,
 And places with no carpet on the floor-
 Bare.
 But all the time,
 I have been a-climbing on,
 And reaching landings,
 And turning corners,
 And sometimes going in the dark.
 So boy, don't you turn back.
 Don't you sit down on your steps
 Because you find it kind of hard.
 Don't you fall now-
 For I am still going, honey,
 I am still climbing,
 And life for me hasn't been no crystal stair.

People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to. - George E. Allen

I don't think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature. - John D. Rockefeller

Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit. -Conrad Hilton

The horizon is out there somewhere, and you just keep chasing it, looking for it, and working for it. - Bob Dole

He who does not tire, tires adversity. - Anonymous

Pay as little attention to discouragement as possible. Plough ahead as a steamer does, rough or smooth- rain or shine.To carry your cargo and make your port is the point. - Maltbie D. B.

Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance. - Dr. Samuel Johnson