If you've never read the book, this is the text of the wonderful mental-propulsion system of Dr. Seuss, as here he tackles with life and travel.
(this is 100% (c) Dr. Seuss, and I am just sharing the poem for inspiration.)
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Oh! The Places You’ll
Go! Congratulations! You have brains in your
head. You’ll look up and down
streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to
go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re
too smart to go down a not-so-good street. And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of
town. It’s opener there in the wide open air. Out there things can
happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you. And when things start to
happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening
too. Oh! The Places You’ll
Go! You’ll be on your way
up! You won’t lag behind,
because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon
take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go,
you will top all the rest. Except when you don’t. I’m sorry to say so but,
sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch. You’ll come down from
the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be
in a Slump. And when you’re in a
Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done. You will come to a place
where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly
they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you
dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can
you win? And if you go in, should
you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or
go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will
find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind. You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a
most useless place. ***** The Waiting Place…for
people just waiting. Waiting for a train to
go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting. Waiting for the fish to
bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or
waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or
a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting. No! That’s not for you! Oh, the places you’ll
go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games
to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the
winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the
whole wide world watching you win on TV. Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t. I’m afraid that some
times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play
against you. All Alone! And when you’re alone,
there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of
your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can
scare you so much you won’t want to go on. But on you will go
though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you
will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will
hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they
are. You’ll get mixed up, of
course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as
you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember
that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Kid, you’ll move
mountains! |