The truth is, the harder you fight, the sweeter are the rewards

Hear, O children of perseverance, the voice of Mary Kom, warrior of the ring, who bore both triumph and trial upon her shoulders. She spoke thus: “The truth is, the harder you fight, the sweeter are the rewards in the end.” These words are no idle comfort, but the testimony of one who bled, endured, and rose from obscurity to glory. They speak not only to athletes, but to every soul who must wrestle with fate, reminding us that struggle itself gives savor to victory, and that without hardship, triumph is but an empty crown.

Mary Kom was born not into riches or ease, but into the soil of Manipur, a place where dreams were often drowned by necessity. Yet within her burned a relentless fire. She was told boxing was not a sport for women, that her body was too frail, that her duties lay elsewhere. But she fought—against doubt, against tradition, against the weight of poverty. She rose before the sun, trained until her bones ached, and carried her will like a shield. And in the end, when she stood crowned as a world champion, the reward was made sweet not merely by the medal, but by the remembrance of every obstacle overcome.

This is the eternal law of life: the harder the fight, the greater the joy of victory. A fruit plucked without effort is eaten and forgotten, but a harvest gathered through sweat and toil becomes a feast that nourishes the soul. Even the ancients knew this. Odysseus wandered ten years through storm and war before reclaiming his home; his embrace of Ithaca was made all the sweeter by the struggle that preceded it. So too in our lives, every difficulty endured, every battle fought, deepens the flavor of reward when it is finally won.

Consider also the tale of Nelson Mandela. For twenty-seven years he was caged in prison, his body withering but his spirit unbroken. Many would have surrendered hope, yet he fought in silence, in patience, in unyielding belief. And when freedom came, when he walked not as prisoner but as president, the sweetness of that moment was born from the bitterness of his long fight. Here again the law of Mary Kom’s words shines clear: struggle carves the vessel that will later hold the wine of reward.

But beware, for the path is not without pain. The fight will weary you, test your faith, and bring you to the edge of surrender. Many abandon the struggle before its fruits appear, and so they taste only bitterness. Yet those who endure, those who rise again each time they are struck down, find that the victory is not only in the reward itself, but in the transformation of the soul. To fight and not flee, to endure and not despair—this is the forge that shapes strength, courage, and wisdom.

Therefore, my children, learn from this wisdom: do not shrink from your battles, whether they be of body, of spirit, or of heart. Embrace them as the sculptors of your destiny. If the path is steep, know that the summit is glorious. If the sea is stormy, know that the shore is beautiful. For the truth is as Mary Kom declared: the fiercer the struggle, the sweeter the reward.

In your daily life, set your hands firmly to the work before you. When you fail, rise again. When you stumble, stand taller. Measure not your journey by the pain of today, but by the sweetness of tomorrow. Seek goals worthy of struggle, and do not abandon them when the night grows long. For the dawn will come, and when you finally grasp the prize, its taste will be richer because of every tear shed upon the road.

So let Mary Kom’s words echo in your hearts as a battle cry: “The harder you fight, the sweeter are the rewards in the end.” Let no fear of hardship deter you, let no wound silence you. Fight with all your might, endure with all your soul, and one day you too shall taste the sweetness that only struggle can bestow.