I am the Master of human destinies,

Fame, love, and fortune on my footsteps wait,

Cities and fields I walk my own pace;

Deserts and seas remote, I penetrate

Hotels, and marts, and palaces, soon or late

I knock uninvited, only once at every gate!

If you are sleeping, awake- if you are feasting, rise on your feet,

Before I turn away, for this is the hour of your fate;

And they who follow me reach every state

Mortals desire, and conquer every foe save death;

But those who doubt or hesitate,

Are condemned to failure, misery and hate,

Seek me in vain and uselessly implore-

I will not answer you, and I return no more.

Written and quoted by: John James Ingalls

Submitted by: Annie Almaden Gica