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Learn by heart

Invictus · William Ernest HenleyRead in the library ↗

Out of the night that covers me,Black as the pit from pole to pole,I thank whatever gods may beFor my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstanceI have not winced nor cried aloud.Under the bludgeonings of chanceMy head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tearsLooms but the Horror of the shade,And yet the menace of the yearsFinds 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.

Exact wording of Invictus as hosted in the library. Public domain.

How to use it

  1. Read the whole passage aloud twice.
  2. Hide a few words, then say it all again, blanks included.
  3. Peek only when you are stuck. Keep going until every word is hidden.

Other passages

Or open any full-text work in the library, select up to about 400 words, and choose Memorize this passage. All memory work