“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.. for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire...”

~ Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis December 23, 1776

The Harder They Come

Well they tell me of a pie up in the sky

Waiting for me when I die

But between the day you're born and when you die

They never seem to hear even your cry

So as sure as the sun will shine

I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine

And then the harder they come the harder they'll fall,

One and all

Ooh the harder they come the harder they'll fall,

One and all

Well the oppressors are trying to keep me down

Trying to drive me underground

And they think that they have got the battle won

I say forgive them Lord, they know not what they've done

'Cause as sure as the sun will shine

I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine

And then the harder they come the harder they'll fall,

One and all

Ooh the harder they come the harder they'll fall,

One and all

And I keep on fighting for the things I want

Though I know that when you're dead you can't

But I'd rather be a free man in my grave

Than living as a puppet or a slave

So as sure as the sun will shine

I'm gonna get my share now of what's mine

And then the harder they come the harder they'll fall,

One and all

Ooh the harder they come the harder they'll fall,

One and all

“The Harder They Come”

The American Crisis - 2009

Over 200 years ago, Thomas Paine used powerful words and imagery to inspire and motivate Patriot troops to fight on during their darkest hour. In more recent times musician Jimmy Cliff inspired another generation to carry on their own struggle for justice and freedom.

You will create a similar document for our time that will help to motivate yourself and others to persevere during difficult and challenging times in your life while at home, work or school.

Choose one or more of the following activities:

Write a motivational personal mission statement

Write a motivational song lyric

Write a motivational poem

Write a motivational slogan ( t-shirt, bumper sticker… )

Never say “I can’t”

Trust yourself and face your fears

If you’re down

Get back up and start over

Go for your goals

When life feels like you are at a dead end road

Open your mind and be creative

~ * ~

You can always get over your problems no matter how tough it gets

* ~ * ~ *

Never give up hope

Keep fighting to the end

* ~ * ~ *

Don’t give up

You will reach your goal

The harder you work the more you gain respect

~ * ~ * ~

Always do what you believe in

Never let anyone get in the way of your dreams

~ * ~ * ~

Keep going

Never give up

Make life good

~ * ~ * ~

Never give up by just the looks of something.

Like standing at the bottom of a mountain

And saying, “No way I can climb that”

But you’re wrong

You can

Just one step at a time

Then before you know it you are there at the top.

When you lose keep on fighting

And you will see you can succeed

Because when you fight you always win

But if you fail try again

~ * ~ * ~

When the timer runs out of sand you can’t flip it over and start

again. Love every moment because you only get one life, one

chance to make it perfect. Never think less of yourself and

have no regrets. Life is too short so we shouldn’t make it worse.

Everyone has fears

But don’t be afraid

Be successful

Don’t let a dream turn into a nightmare

~ * ~ * ~

If you fall down

Just stand back up again

Never stop fighting

And never give up hope

~ * ~ * ~

The night is darkest right before the morning

The morning will come but only if you don’t stop. So keep going.

Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you can’t proceed.

Just keep trying and you will succeed.

* ~ ** ~ *

When the going gets rough, work harder

Give it your all and don’t back down

~*~

The path to success is never ending

Don’t give up until your there

* ~ ** ~ *

If your dream is too far away

And you’re thinking of giving up

Remember, nothing is impossible

~ ** ~

If the road of success is too long, too rough and too hard

Think about how good you’ll feel when you achieve your dream.

Never stop.

Push yourself until you feel like your going to fall off the cliff.

Don’t give up just because you say you can’t do it.

Fight, fight, fight for freedom!

~*~

Life is like a song of success that plays over and over again in your head

~*~

Be a leader Be a friend

And you can make it to the end.

Fire ball keeps the fire in you !

~ * ~

Never say “I can’t” because you probably can

If you just try and if it’s not easy that’s good

Challenge yourself

Keep yourself amused by try and trying

~ * ~

Just because there is an object in the way doesn’t mean

that you can’t do it. Because you can do it if you think you can.

You may think you can’t do it, but the truth is you can do it.

I think I can

I believe I can

...Do your best and don’t be afraid. But sometimes it’s okay to struggle.

Like maybe on your homework. Your homework might be really hard.

That makes you think real, real hard. You will get through it eventually.

Don’t give up, if you don’t give up you will reach your goals. School is a

Little hard. But for me I can struggle and I know I’ll get through it.

Also maybe at home you struggle. Maybe you have chores and you have

a lot of them. Also you are way behind because you have so many. You

know you will catch up and get them done. Maybe you play sports for

the first time and your really bad at whatever your sport is. You know

the more you practice, the more you will get better at it. Then you can be

awesome at it. When your good at it after you had practice, you should have

a big smile on your face...Also be proud of yourself. Be happy with yourself.

If you struggle, don’t give up

You know you can make your life good

~*~

Life’s like a grab bag, you never know what’s inside

~*~

You only have one life to live so live it to its fullest extent

~*~

Life is like an ocean, sail it

Don’t be scared, its okay

You know you’ll be gone some day

So take a chance, do it now

And when you’re done, just take a bow

You know what you have to do

You know its right, we know it too

So go for it, make things right

Make everything a bond that’s tight

Go ahead, be strong

Then go live life all time long.

Well I’m walking down the road of failure

But then I realized

I only have one chance in life

So I’m going to turn around

But then I noticed

I dug myself into a hole

So I started making my ladder of success

But even if I fail another time

I’m going to do the same

And I’m keeping my ladder of success

To keep me off the ground

And I suggest you do the same

So even when your down

You should always keep going

And if you feel like quitting

Just sing the song of success

It will keep you off the ground

And I finally made my goal

But I don’t quit

And when you complete your goal

Keep walking the road of success

Once you start something you should never give up no matter what you are doing. You have to think of the positive that could happen with the task that you have on your hands. If you are struggling in this task look for friends and family to help you along the way. If things don’t work out the way you planned, then that task fell apart for a reason so that something else could fall together. If you have been disrespected and trusted someone to help you with a task, then you learn not to trust anyone but yourself. And that is all that matters. Trust in yourself and never give up hope in yourself.