BROADCASTS.com

Read and more GoodPoetry at www.GoodPoetry.org, and listen on Audible, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Anchor.Fm, iHeart, and GooglePlay Music and connect with us @itsGoodPoetry on Facebook, and Twitter.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nPhotograph Info:\nGeorge Platt Lynes - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c01955.\xa0----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nThe Poem:\n\nOn Quitting\nHow much grit do you think you've got?\nCan you quit a thing that you like a lot?\nYou may talk of pluck; it's an easy word,\nAnd where'er you go it is often heard;\nBut can you tell to a jot or guess\nJust how much courage you now possess?\n\nYou may stand to trouble and keep your grin,\nBut have you tackled self-discipline?\nHave you ever issued commands to you\nTo quit the things that you like to do,\nAnd then, when tempted and sorely swayed,\nThose rigid orders have you obeyed?\n\nDon't boast of your grit till you've tried it out,\nNor prate to men of your courage stout,\nFor it's easy enough to retain a grin\nIn the face of a fight there's a chance to win,\nBut the sort of grit that is good to own\nIs the stuff you need when you're all alone.\n\nHow much grit do you think you've got?\nCan you turn from joys that you like a lot?\nHave you ever tested yourself to know\nHow far with yourself your will can go?\nIf you want to know if you have grit,\nJust pick out a joy that you like, and quit.\n\nIt's bully sport and it's open fight;\nIt will keep you busy both day and night;\nFor the toughest kind of a game you'll find\nIs to make your body obey your mind.\nAnd you never will know what is meant by grit\nUnless there's something you've tried to quit.