captopril's Journal

Long ago, a king, plagued by many worries, harassed on every side, called his wise men together. He asked them to invent a motto, a few magic words that would help him in time of trial or distress. “It must be brief enough to be engraved on a ring,” he instructed, “so I can see it every day. It must be appropriate to every situation, as useful in prosperity as in adversity. It must be a motto wise and true and endlessly enduring, words by which a person could be guided for his or her life, in every circumstance, no matter what happens.”

The wise men thought and thought, and finally came to the monarch with their magic words. These were words for every change or chance of fortune, declared the wise men. Words to fir every situation, good or bad. Words to ease the heart and mind in every circumstance. The words they offered to the king were: “This, too, shall pass.”

Century after century this old legend has survived. Whether or not the motto was invented for a troubled king, no one really knows. But this much is certain: The words are wise and true and endlessly enduring. They have proved their power down through the ages, to uncounted men and women, in every land and every conceivable situation. These magic words will give comfort to the afflicted, courage to the frightened, and hope to the depressed. As we climb the ladder of success and encounter life’s tougher moments, we can find solace in these words of wisdom: This, too, shall pass.