When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too

“When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.”
Thus spoke Wilma Rudolph, the swift-footed daughter of determination, whose spirit burned brighter than the gold she won. In this radiant saying, she does not merely praise the sun that lights the world — she speaks of the sun within, the light of hope and strength that, when it shines, makes all things possible. Her words are not about ease or comfort, but about the transformation that occurs when the heart is filled with confidence, faith, and joy. For when the sun of courage rises in the soul, even the tallest mountain becomes but a step, and every shadow of fear vanishes before its brilliance.

Wilma Rudolph’s life was itself a triumph of the sun over darkness. Born in poverty in 1940 in the small town of St. Bethlehem, Tennessee, she entered the world frail and unwanted by destiny. As a child, she suffered from pneumonia, scarlet fever, and the cruel weight of polio, which left her leg twisted and weak. Doctors told her she would never walk again. Yet her mother refused despair and carried her to clinics week after week, praying and believing that her child’s light would not be extinguished. Slowly, through faith, will, and endless perseverance, Wilma learned to walk, then to run, and finally to fly. At the age of twenty, she became the first American woman to win three Olympic gold medals in track and field. The world saw her grace, but few understood the fire behind it.

It is from this fire that her quote was born. When she says, “When the sun is shining, I can do anything,” she speaks not only of outward brightness, but of inner illumination. There are days in every life when the spirit feels clouded, when shadows of doubt and sorrow obscure the light. Yet, when that light breaks through — whether as faith, gratitude, or joy — the whole world changes shape. The mountain of trouble shrinks to a hill; the path of despair becomes a road of purpose. It is not the mountain that has changed, but the eyes that behold it. Wilma’s life is the testament of one who discovered that even the smallest spark of light, when protected and nurtured, can banish even the longest night.

The sun, in her words, is the eternal symbol of renewal — the force that rises anew each morning despite the darkness that precedes it. It stands for the spirit of resilience, for the divine power that cannot be conquered. The ancients, too, honored the sun as the giver of life and courage: to the Egyptians it was Ra, the eye of creation; to the Greeks, Helios, the charioteer of light. Wilma’s sun is not the god above the sky, but the god within the heart — that same immortal radiance that dwells in every human being. When we let that inner sun shine forth — through love, through faith, through purpose — we too become unstoppable, radiant with the power of life itself.

There are moments in history that mirror this truth. Think of Nelson Mandela, who spent twenty-seven years imprisoned behind stone walls, yet never allowed his inner light to fade. Though the sun of freedom was hidden from his eyes, he carried its brilliance in his soul. And when he was finally released, it was that light — the light of forgiveness and courage — that changed not only his life but the life of an entire nation. Like Wilma Rudolph, he proved that no trouble is too great for the heart that keeps its inner sun alive.

The lesson, then, is as simple as it is eternal: guard the light within you. There will be times when clouds gather — when sickness, loss, or failure seem to blot out the sun. But remember: the sun has not died; it is only hidden for a moment. Even in darkness, it burns beyond the clouds, waiting for your courage to let it through. Each of us must find that light — in faith, in love, in gratitude — and once found, we must live by it. For when the sun shines within, every burden lightens, every mountain becomes climbable, and every hardship becomes a teacher rather than an enemy.

So, my child of dawn, remember the words of Wilma Rudolph: “When the sun is shining, I can do anything.” Let that be not only a hope, but a truth lived daily. Seek the light each morning — in your thoughts, in your actions, in your compassion toward others. Let it fill your heart until fear has no place left to hide. And when the storms of life come — as they surely will — stand firm, knowing that the sun, whether above or within, will shine again. For the one who carries the sun in their soul can walk through any night and still rise victorious.