Robert W. Service

“This is the Law of the Yukon, that only the strong shall thrive; That surely the weak shall perish, and only the fit survive.”

“The happy man is he who knows his limitations, yet bows to no false gods.”

“It's the plugging away that will win you the day So don't be a piker, old pard! Just draw on your grit, it's so easy to quit- It's the keeping your chin up that's hard.”

“A promise made is a debt unpaid.”

“There’s gold, and it’s haunting and haunting; It’s luring me on as of old; Yet it isn’t the gold that I’m wanting So much as just finding the gold. It’s the great, big, broad land ’way up yo...”

“Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.”

“No man can be a failure if he thinks he's a success; If he thinks he is a winner, then he is.”

“The only society I like is rough and tough, and the tougher the better. There's where you get down to bedrock and meet human people.”

“Be sure your wisest words are those you do not say.”

“Avoid extremes: be moderate In saving and in spending; An equable and easy gait Will win an easy ending.”

“I have an intense dislike for artificial society. In France, one could lead a free life - to do what one wanted to do without interference or criticism from one's neighbors.”

“It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe.”

“I have some friends, some honest friends, and honest friends are few; My pipe of briar, my open fire, A book that's not too new.”

“It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones who win in the lifelong race.”