Stand

I don’t know where this came from or who to credit but thought I’d share it…

I’ve been on my knees, in the muck and mire, the stench in my nostrils. I’ll stand.
Unbeatable forces force me again down, but again I stand. Pain hurts, but despair kills. I’ll stand.
Do you think yourself alone, a minority of one? Still stand. One is enough, when one is all that there is. Stand.
To stand is to make a target of yourself. Stand.
You will not win. You are doomed to fail. Stand.
Better men than you have died standing, but all men must die. Stand. Do you not wish to be counted among the better men? Then stand.
Better to live a slave than die a freeman? If you ask the question, you cannot comprehend the answer. Stand.
Today is not the day? When, then? Are you so comfortable? Do your knees not ache? Man was not built to kneel, but to stand. So stand.
You were given a priceless gift, the gift of life. Do not waste it. Stand.
They will mock as you fall. All men must fall. It is a shorter fall from your knees. But fall from your feet, so as to make a resounding echo. Stand.
You can live on your knees. You will die on your feet. Choose for yourself; I will not judge. But as for me, I’ll stand.