Never give up

When he was seven years old, his family was forced out of their home and off their farm. Like
other boys his age, he was expected to work to help support the family.
When he was nine, his mother died.
At the age of 22, the company he worked for went bankrupt and he lost his job.
At 23, he ran for state legislature in a field of 13 candidates. He came in eighth.
At 24, he borrowed money to start a business with a friend. By the end of the year, the business
failed. The local sheriff seized his possessions to pay off his debt. His partner soon died,
penniless, and he assumed his partners share of debt as well. He spent the next several years of
his life paying it off.
At 25, he ran for state legislature again. This time he won.
At 26, he was engaged to be married. But his fiance died before the wedding. The next year he
plunged into a depression and suffered a nervous breakdown.
At 29, he sought to become the speaker of the state legislature. He was defeated.
At 34, he campaigned for a U.S. congressional seat, representing his district. He lost.
At 35, he ran for Congress again. This time he won. He went to Washington and did a good job.
At 39, when his term ended, he was out of a job again. There was a one-term-limit rule in his
party.
At 40, he tried to get a job as commissioner of the General Land Office. He was rejected.
At 45, he campaigned for the U.S. Senate, representing his state. He lost by six electoral votes.
At 47, he was one of the contenders for the vice-presidential nomination at his partys national
convention. He lost.
At 49, he ran for the same U.S. Senate seat a second time. And for the second time, he lost.
Two years later, at the age of 51, after a lifetime of failure, disappointment, and loss (and still
relatively unknown outside of his home state of Illinois), Abraham Lincoln was elected the
sixteenth president of the United States.