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“I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul.”
- Nelson Mandela
8 Comments on "What do you think about this quote?"
Reminds me of the word timshel in East of Eden. We have free will, that’s the beauty and the danger of it all.
I think G.K. Chesterton hints at this in, “A Man Called Thursday” as well as C.S. Lewis in “The Problem with Pain”
The dichotomy of it all it seems is that we have total control, and yet none at all.
Ya, this is an interesting one; I have mixed feelings. I tend to think of “master of my fate” and “captain of my soul” as two separate and different thoughts. In a way we are the captains of our souls, but THANK GOD we aren’t the masters of our fate!
Right… I think
I am pretty sure the quote comes from a poem called “Invictus”. Nelson used the poem during his imprisonment to survive. It is by William Ernest Henley circa the late 1800′s. The full text is below.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
thanks Cy! That’s an interesting context. Gonna have to stew on it for a little bit.
Sam- Depends on where you land theologically as a Calvinist or Armenian Free Will. Regardless, for any of us to state we’re “the master of our fate” or the “captain of our soul” implies its our power that matters, not God’s. I also take issue with the statement “unconquerable soul”, but that may be merely semantics, so I digress.
In the end, as I stated before, I think the poem is beautiful and well written, but that doesn’t make it theologically correct. In the end the reader will likely come to the conclusion that it’s by our strong will and internal fortitude that we will endure, succeed, and conquer. In truth, we can do none of these without Christ and the grace He provided us.
Just this guy’s take…
hmmmm…. I’m wrestling with something in this vein that I can’t quite articulate yet. but love your contribution to the post, I’ll try and collect my thoughts and post something later this week, in response!