The quote is from the poem Invictus by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903). Invictus is Latin for undefeated or unconquerable. I am very fond of that poem myself even though some parts are difficult to fathom. I strongly feel that no matter what life or fate or anyone throws at you, they will not succeed in dampening your spirit or your resolve, because you yourself holds the key to your success. It is about taking full responsibility about one's life and it is also about intense focus, hard work, drive and motivation in pursuing your dreams and passions. It is also about making choices in life, for that is what life is really all about.
INVICTUS
( The Unconquerable Soul)
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley
William Ernest Henley contracted tuberculosis when he was seven. At seventeen one of his leg had to be amputated to stop the progress of the disease. In Victorian time tuberculosis was deadly and Henley had to fight the disease all his life. Despite the amputation he managed to lead a normal with one foot intact until his death at the age of 53. The poem was written when he was recovering from surgery in the infirmary. That period of his life, coupled with the reality of an impoverished childhood, plays a major role in the meaning behind the poem.
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