Doors of Daring

Doors of Daring

by Henry van Dyke

The mountains that inclose the vale
With walls of granite, steep and high,
Invite the feerless foot to scale
Their stairway toward the sky.

The restless, deep, dividing sea
That flows and foams from shore to shore,
Calls to its sunburned chivalry,
"Push out, set sail, explore!"

The bars of life at which we fret,
That seem to prison and control,
Are but the doors of daring, set
Ajar before the sole.

Say not, "Too poor," but freely give;
Sign not, "Too weak," but boldly try;
You never can begin to live
Until you dare to die.

"Barriers are invitations to courage"

William J. Bennett, The Book of Virtues