Presented by Upper Prep, Grades 7-8
"I am the Master of my Fate, I am the Captain of my Soul."
In 1875, British poet, editor, and critic William Ernest Henley wrote these powerful lines from his hospital bed.
Diagnosed with tuberculosis of the bone, Henley had already lost one leg to amputation, and saved his other leg only through an incredibly radical surgery.
Despite excruciating physical suffering, Henley went on to live and work and write for another 28 years. Henley’s determined, indomitable spirit partially inspired his
close friend, Robert Louis Stevenson, to write one of his most famous characters- Long John Silver.
In 1941, while addressing the House of Commons in the midst of World War II, Winston Churchill quoted Henley’s poetic affirmation to stir and encourage his countrymen to persevere in unconquerable hope.
“This is no time for boasts or glowing prophecies, but there is this—a year ago our position looked forlorn, and well-nigh desperate, to all eyes but our own. Today we may say aloud before an awe-struck world, ‘We are still masters of our fate. We still are captain of our souls.'”
William Earnest Henley and Winston Churchill are right. We are the captains of our souls because God gives us the power to choose faith over fear. Our hearts need not “be troubled,” nor need we “be afraid.” Because Christ conquered death, our souls are made unconquerable, saved through His miraculous gift.
"Invictus" by William Earnest Henley, recited by Upper Prep:
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