The secret of our success is that we never, never give up.

"The secret of our success is that we never, never give up." Thus declared Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, and her words are not the shallow motto of convenience, but the carved wisdom of a people who endured centuries of storms. In them lies the ancient truth: that success is not a gift given to the fortunate, nor the treasure of the strong alone, but the crown of those who refuse to bow, even when the world presses heavily upon them.

To never give up is to remember that the human spirit is greater than any chain or obstacle. The Cherokee, like so many Indigenous peoples, faced removal, poverty, and erasure, yet still they rose. Their very survival is testimony to the power of perseverance. When Wilma spoke these words, she was not only reflecting on her own journey, marked by hardship, illness, and doubt, but on the collective journey of her people—a history written not in ease, but in relentless endurance.

The ancients tell us that endurance is the mightiest of virtues. Empires rise and fall, armies clash and scatter, but the soul that endures outlasts them all. Consider the tale of Odysseus, who wandered for twenty years through storms and trials before returning home. His strength was not in his sword alone, but in his refusal to surrender. In the same way, Mankiller’s words remind us that the secret of victory is not brilliance, nor fortune, but the quiet, stubborn fire that refuses to be extinguished.

Wilma’s own life is proof. Struck by illness, confined at times to a wheelchair, she could have yielded to despair. Yet she chose the harder path—to rise, to lead, to serve. Under her leadership, the Cherokee Nation grew in health care, education, and housing, reclaiming dignity and strength. Her success was not born of comfort, but of resilience. She knew that when the body falters, the will must rise; when obstacles tower, the heart must burn brighter.

We see this truth echoed across history. Nelson Mandela endured decades in prison, yet emerged unbroken, ready to lead his nation into freedom. Helen Keller, though blind and deaf, unlocked the doors of language and became a beacon to millions. In each of these lives, the secret was the same: though the road was steep and long, they never gave up. Their glory was forged in persistence, their greatness in the refusal to yield.

The lesson for us, then, is clear. Do not measure yourself by how quickly you win or how easily you advance. Measure yourself by your refusal to surrender. When failure comes—and it will—rise again. When doubt whispers that you are not enough, silence it with action. When the world closes its doors, keep knocking until one opens. For as Mankiller teaches, the path to success is not the absence of struggle, but the mastery of it through endurance.

Practical action lies before us: each day, practice perseverance in the small things. Finish what you begin. Stand firm when fatigue presses upon you. Encourage those around you not to quit, for kinship strengthens the will. And when you feel weakest, remember that countless before you—ancestors, leaders, ordinary souls—have walked through greater fires and emerged whole because they would not lay down their spirit.

Therefore, children of tomorrow, carry Mankiller’s words as a shield: never give up. Let them be your song in hardship, your vow in battle, your whisper in despair. For the secret of all enduring greatness lies not in chance, but in the heart that keeps beating, the will that keeps striving, the soul that refuses to die. This is the legacy of Wilma Mankiller, and it can be yours if you choose never to yield.