A Little More Persistence, Courage, Vim!

Henry Austin? Henry Austen? Robert Burns Wilson? C. C. Cameron? Anonymous?

Dear Quote Investigator: A poem about tenacity begins with the following four lines:

Genius, that power which dazzles mortal eyes,
Is oft but perseverance in disguise.
Continuous effort, of itself, implies,
In spite of countless falls, the power to rise.

This verse has been attributed to Henry Austin and C. C. Cameron. Would you please explore this topic?

Quote Investigator: The earliest match for the full poem located by QI appeared in 1898 within the trade publication “Dental Brief” of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Henry Austin received credit. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[1]1898 November, Dental Brief, Volume 3, Number 4, Section: For Our Patients, Perseverance Conquers All by Henry Austin, Quote Page 245, L. D. Caulk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Google Books Full … Continue reading

PERSEVERANCE CONQUERS ALL.

Genius, that power which dazzles mortal eyes,
Is oft but perseverance in disguise.
Continuous effort, of itself, implies,
In spite of countless falls, the power to rise.

’Twixt failure and success the point’s so fine
Men sometimes know not when they touch the line.
Just when the Pearl was waiting one more plunge,
How many a struggler has thrown up the sponge!

As the tide goes clear out, it comes clear in;
In business ’tis at turns the wisest win.
And oh! how true, when shades of doubt dismay,
“’Tis often darkest just before the day,”

A little more persistence, courage, vim!
Success will dawn o’er fortune’s cloudy rim.
Then take this honey for the bitterest cup:
“There is no failure, save in giving up,—

No real fall as long as one still tries,—
For seeming setbacks make the strong man wise.
There’s no defeat, in truth, save from within;
Unless you’re beaten there, you’re bound to win.”

Henry Austin

Based on current evidence, Henry Austin is the leading candidate for author of this full poem; however, the work evolved from earlier material as outlined below.

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading A Little More Persistence, Courage, Vim!

References

References
1 1898 November, Dental Brief, Volume 3, Number 4, Section: For Our Patients, Perseverance Conquers All by Henry Austin, Quote Page 245, L. D. Caulk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Google Books Full View) link
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