Never Give Up

Eight months.

From September 1940 through May of 1941, Britain stood alone against the Nazi onslaught. In a brutal aerial bombing campaign known simply as “The Blitz,” Germany threw everything it had against the tiny island nation that stood alone against it.

This, in the face of a German military that conquered Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France, all in six weeks. The Nazis defeated Denmark and Norway in a single month, then completed the same feat against both Yugoslavia and Greece in four weeks.

Yet Britain stood, unconquered, until it had outlasted the full might of the German Luftwaffe.

How?

The answer is deceptively simple. In 1941, Winston Churchill attended a graduation at the University of Westminster at Harrow and gave a speech, outlining what had allowed them to withstand when no one else could. Here are some of the things he said:

“We must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough. It is generally said that the British are often better at the last. They do not expect to move from crisis to crisis; they do not always expect that each day will bring up some noble chance of war; but when they very slowly make up their minds that the thing has to be done and the job put through and finished, then, even if it takes months—even if it takes years—they do it.”

“Another lesson I think we may take… is that appearances are often very deceptive, and as Kipling well says, we must ‘…meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two imposters the same.’”

“You cannot tell from appearance how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination. Bur for everyone, surely… surely from this period of ten months this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

“Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days—the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.”

Churchill’s attitude was contagious, spurring countless sayings which have motivated people throughout the following century. The infamous “Keep Calm, and Carry On” slogan came from his administration during the worst days of The Blitz. The saying “If you’re going through hell, keep going” came from Churchill’s lips and is still inspiring people today.

Failure is inevitable. Stumbling is unavoidable. Feeling the weight of your own world fall upon your shoulders time and again is inescapable. The difference between those who succeed and those who are lost to the annals of history, their memories beginning to fade upon their last breath, is simple. You can either give up, or you can keep going.

This month marks eight years of nigh-unrelenting pain for me. I have lost nearly everything: my family, my marriage, many of my friends. I have been fired, made homeless twice, bankrupted twice, had businesses fail seven times. But through it all, in the moments when I despaired and wanted to end everything, one message kept coming through: One more day. Don’t give up.

As I slowly begin to regain my footing at the end of this trial, I can echo Churchill’s words: “Now I find myself in a position where I say that I can be sure that I have only to persevere to conquer.” Looking back, the road was not easy. It was far from pleasant. There were moments I still cannot believe how impossible the situation was. But one thing I can say, above all, is this:

It was worth it.

Never give up.