Earnestness
The hurry of the times affects us so
In this swift rushing hour, we crowd and press,
And thrust each other backward, as we go,
And do not pause to lay sufficient stress
Upon that good, strong, true word: Earnestness*.
In our impetuous haste, could we but know
Its full, deep meaning, its vast import, oh,
Then might we grasp the secret of success!
In that receding age when men were great,
The bone, and sinew of their purpose lay
In this one word. God likes an earnest soul -
Too earnest to be eager. Soon or late
It leaves the spent horde breathless by the way,
And stands serene, triumphant, at the goal.
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
*Earnestness: being serious or sincere in belief, interest, or opinion.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox was born on 5 November 1850 in Johnstown, Wisconsin, United States of America. She became a poet and a journalist. Ella Wheeler Wilcox passed on at 68 years of age on 30 October 1919 in Short Beach, Connecticut, United States of America.
The hurry of the times affects us so
In this swift rushing hour, we crowd and press,
And thrust each other backward, as we go,
And do not pause to lay sufficient stress
Upon that good, strong, true word: Earnestness*.
In our impetuous haste, could we but know
Its full, deep meaning, its vast import, oh,
Then might we grasp the secret of success!
In that receding age when men were great,
The bone, and sinew of their purpose lay
In this one word. God likes an earnest soul -
Too earnest to be eager. Soon or late
It leaves the spent horde breathless by the way,
And stands serene, triumphant, at the goal.
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
*Earnestness: being serious or sincere in belief, interest, or opinion.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox was born on 5 November 1850 in Johnstown, Wisconsin, United States of America. She became a poet and a journalist. Ella Wheeler Wilcox passed on at 68 years of age on 30 October 1919 in Short Beach, Connecticut, United States of America.
