Never Give In

“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 honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” — Winston Churchill

I'm indebted to the screenwriters of Billions for surfacing the quote again. Chuck Rhoades reads the words aloud as he contemplates selling the book. According to the scene, the book, along with the personal note was a birthday gift to General Montgomery after the war. This is sadly not correct but makes for a good story.

For me, the quote captures our strengths and our weaknesses too.

In life, our stubbornness to never give in often escapes us. We won't play the long game, not because of convictions of honour and good sense. No, we lack the patience to stay the course. We give up, and walk away, letting hindsight bias create a narrative where we can say it was the right thing to do.

Some will argue this is how we make progress. We try, and if it doesn't work, we walk away and try something else. It might be true, but it depends on the level we're at. You see, with a clear goal of where you're going, experimenting and testing how you achieve the goal is fine.

That is the epitome of never giving in.

This brings me to this week's One Weekly Decision. It is a reminder, a rule, or a principle to set in stone. Never give in. Of course, it should draw more on the fine words Winston allegedly scribed in his gift to Monty than the three I offered. The principle is to stay strong and be stubborn in your pursuits. Be mindful of the convictions of others. They can save you when resolute determination stops you from seeing what others can see.

Be clear though. It is better to never give in and play the long game than flip-flop your way through life. It makes for a better life.

“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 honour and good sense.

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Thanks for reading.

The biggest compliment you can give me is replying to share your thoughts.

Darren

Founder, The Resolve Blog

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