“Though much is taken, much abides; and thoughWe are not now that strength which in old daysMoved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;One equal temper of heroic hearts,Made weak by time and fate, but strong in willTo strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
— Alfred Lord Tennyson
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We may not have the boundless strength of our youth, but our will to keep going is unbreakable. As Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote: “Though much is taken, much abides; and though We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Drop a 💪 in the comments if you are choosing to keep pushing forward today!
About this quote
Life has a way of quietly taking things from us—our youth, our boundless energy, the certainty we once felt, and sometimes, even the people we loved the most. As we journey through the years, we inevitably realize that we are not the same invincible force we once were in our youth. The body slows, the spirit grows weary, and fate deals us unexpected hardships that can make us feel diminished. Yet, in the quiet aftermath of what has been lost, a profound truth remains: what we are *now* is still enough. Our scars do not define our weakness; they map the resilience of our endurance. Tennyson’s immortal words from 'Ulysses' serve as a timeless reminder that aging and overcoming hardship do not strip us of our purpose; rather, they refine it. Even when time and fate strip away our physical vitality, an unyielding human spirit can still burn fiercely within. True heroism is not just about moving heaven and earth in the reckless abandon of youth, but about standing firm when the storms of life try to break you. It is the daily, quiet choice to wake up, to keep going, and to face tomorrow with an unbreakable will. Embrace this powerful life advice for your own journey: no matter how much you have lost or how weary you feel today, your story is far from over. You carry within you an equal temper of heroic resolve—a quiet strength forged in the fires of experience. Let this quote be your daily inspiration to keep pushing forward, to chase new horizons, and to never surrender to despair. Because in the end, it is not about how much strength you have left, but how fiercely you refuse to yield.
Photo Credit:
Photo by Hilbert Simonse on Unsplash
