Americus Vespucius born 1451.
Lewis Gonzaga born 1568.
Comte de Mirabeau born 1749.
William Cobbett born 1762.
Edwin Forrest born 1806.
Yet nerve thy spirit to the Proof, and blanch not at thy chosen lot;
The timid good may stand aloof, the sage may frown--yet faint thou not;
Nor heed the shaft too surely cast, the foul and hissing bolt of scorn;
For with thy Side shall dwell, at last, the victory of endurance born.
--William C. Bryant.
You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and
forge yourself into one.
--James Anthony Froude.
Can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the days that I
shall deal with thee?
--Ezekiel 22.14.
Loving Father, search me, and if there be any evil ways in me, correct
them, and lead me into the ways everlasting. I pray that I may not be
deformed from selfishness, but with a lowly and expectant heart run
with patience and triumph the race that is set before me. Amen.