If you find it difficult to comprehend English, do not worry. It is worth noting that Sir Winston Churchill took three years to complete the eighth grade due to challenges in mastering his own language.
However, what is particularly noteworthy about Churchill is that many years later, Oxford University invited him to give a commencement speech. He accepted the invitation and, as was his custom, arrived at the event equipped with his signature items – a cigar, a cane, and a top hat.
With poise, Churchill calmed the audience as he confidently positioned himself before his admirers. When it was his turn to address the crowd, he rose and approached the platform. He then took out the cigar and carefully set his top hat on the lectern. Gazing directly at the enthusiastic audience and with a commanding tone, he proclaimed, “Never give up!”
A few seconds elapsed. He elevated himself onto his toes and called out once more, “Never give up!” His voice resonated throughout the audience. A deep silence enveloped the room as Churchill subsequently reached for his hat and cigar, steadied himself with his cane, and departed from the platform. His speech had concluded.
“Never give up,” is the essence of Churchill’s message. Therefore, if you encounter failure initially, persist and continue to try. To navigate the most challenging journey, one must take it one step at a time, yet it is essential to keep moving forward. “Life is like a box of chocolates,” remarked the character played by Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, “you never know what you’ll get.”
It is impossible for a person to escape from challenges and setbacks. Both are integral to our existence. However, they should not dissuade us from giving our utmost effort and striving for more. An anonymous poet articulates this sentiment effectively:
“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 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 may succeed with another blow. Success is failure turned inside out – the silver tint of the clouds of doubt, and you never can tell just how close you are, it may be near when it seems so far.
“So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit – it’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.”
Winners never quit; quitters never win. Remember Abraham Lincoln’s road to the White House? He failed in business in 1831 and was defeated for legislature in 1832. His second failure in business took place in 1833. He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836.
Seven more defeats happened: for Speaker in 1838, for Elector in 1840, for Congress in 1843, for Congress again in 1848, for Senate in 1855, for Vice President in 1856, and for Senate in 1858.
Lincoln became the 17th president of the United States in 1860. He was reelected in 1864. His speeches, including his Gettysburg and Inaugural addresses, are remembered for their eloquence.
Never give up! This seems to be the guiding principle, too, of Musa Alami, the Arab individual who transformed the desert into a blooming paradise – a desert that had never flourished throughout the entirety of human history.
Upon completing his studies at Cambridge University in England, Musa returned to Palestine, where he achieved considerable wealth. However, amidst political upheaval, he lost everything, including his residence.
Musa ventured beyond Jordan to the outskirts of Jericho. On both sides stretched the vast, desolate, and arid desert of the Jordan Valley. In the distance to the left, the mountains of Judea shimmered in the oppressive heat, while to the right stood the mountains of Moab.
Aside from a few oases, this hot and weary land had never seen cultivation, and many believed it was impossible, questioning how one could supply water to such a place. The idea of damming the Jordan River for irrigation was deemed too costly, and moreover, there were insufficient funds to support such a monumental endeavor.
“What about underground water?” Musa proposed. The listeners erupted in laughter, incredulous at his suggestion. Who had ever heard of such a thing? There was no water beneath that scorching, arid desert. Long ago, it had been submerged by the waters of the Dead Sea; now, the sand was saturated with salt, further contributing to the dryness.
However, Musa learned about the remarkable restoration of the California desert through subsurface water. If it could occur there, it could also take place here. All the traditional Bedouin leaders claimed it was impossible; government officials concurred, and so did the renowned scientists from overseas. There was unequivocally no water beneath the surface. That was the end of the discussion.
Nevertheless, Musa was resolute. He believed he could discover water underground. A few impoverished refugees from the nearby Jericho Refugee Camp assisted him as he began to excavate with pick and shovel. Everyone mocked this fearless man and his tattered companions as they toiled day after day, week after week, month after month. They descended slowly, deep into the sand that no one had ever explored for water since the dawn of time.
For six months they dug; then one day the sand became wet and finally water, life-giving water, gushed forth. The Arabs who had gathered round did not laugh or cheer; they wept. Water had been found in the ancient desert!
“Lots of people limit their possibilities by giving up easily,” author Norman Vincent Peale reminds. “Never tell yourself this is too much for me. It’s no use. I can’t go on. If you do you’re licked, and by your own thinking, too. Keep believing and keep on keeping on.”
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