Monday, February 16, 2009

GIVE UP

On October 29, 1941, Great Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Harrow School to to hear the traditional songs he had sung there as a youth, as well as to speak to the students. What he said to them that day became one of his most quoted speeches. Unfortunately, the MYTH is that when he stood before the students he said: "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up." And then he sat down.

In reality, he made a complete speech before sitting down that just included the words above, except he didn't say, "Never give up." Instead, he said: "Never give IN."

Frankly, I wish he'd said, "Never give up." It's so much more powerful than "never give in." Sometimes giving IN is exactly what needs to be done -- diplomacy ... tact ... healthy compromise ... team spirit.

But never give UP? Well, that's a scriptural approach. Pressing on ... more than conquerors ... standing fast ... don't be weary ... withstand ... overcome ... I think it's so important that, in life, we never give up.

Any idea what all these people have in common?

Richard Branson, self-made billionaire … actors Jim Carrey, Cher, John Travolta, Keanu Reeves, Lucille Ball, Sean Connery, Humphrey Bogart and Tom CruiseGeorge Eastman, founder of the Kodak company … Albert Einstein, mathematician … George Gershwin, composer … the Wright brothers, inventors of the airplane … Peter Jennings, news anchor … Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's restaurant chain … Ansel Adams, photographer … Andrew Jackson, 7th U.S. President … Patrick Henry, American Revolutionary War politician … Philip Emeagwali, super-computer scientist and one of the pioneers of the Internet … Walter Nash, New Zealand Prime Minister … Duke Ellington, Billy Joel and Ella Fitzgerald, musicians … Rosa Parks, U.S. civil rights activist pioneer … Anton van Leeuwenhoek, world’s first micro-biologist … Alfred E. Smith, former New York Governor … Marcus Loew, founder of MGM studios … Horace Greeley, American newspaper publisher and former U.S. congressman …

So – what do all those people have in common? Answer: They are ALL high school dropouts. All of them. And yet, each and every one went on to acheive great things. They never gave up. Never, never, never, never, never, never.

Nor should we. Never.

And be blessed.

No comments: