Isn’t it strange how princes and kings,
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
and common people, like you and me,
are builders for eternity?
Each is given a list of rules;
a shapeless mass; a bag of tools.
And each must fashion, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block, or a Stepping-Stone.
–R. L. Sharpe
I came across the short poem, Bag of Tools, above recently and it caught my eye with its simple yet insightful message. Looking deeper, into it, I found that it is often quoted and there are even videos of people reciting it, including one with Maggie Smith that was used in an ad for a large bank.
But who was the author , this R. L. Sharpe and when was it written?
There is little info on the poet and I have seen the poem dated 1890 as well as 1809, although I felt the earlier date was just a misinterpretation of the 1890. date. So after a bit of digging, I came across one little blurb on a forum that stated about the poet:
He was born in the 1870s and died in the 1950s.
For years he worked with his father, Edwin R. Sharpe,
who owned The Carrollton Free Press and a printing shop in Carrollton, Georgia.
In his later years he traveled a lot, mostly freelancing for magazines
of the ’20s and ’30s.
I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the info although I have seen a number of references from books of the early 20th century with attributions from an R.L. Sharpe in Carrolton, GA. I wonder if he ever realized the possibility that his words would one day become so widespread? He obviously fashioned a stepping-stone.
The post above is from back in 2015. I wasn’t going to post anything today but wanted to get the taste of yesterday’s post abut self-doubt out of my mouth and mind. I came across this post and felt that it applied in some way, that we use the tools we are given and make the best of it in our journey through life.
Along with the bag of tools we are all also given obstacles that arise along the way. For some– like those filled with self-doubt– these stumbling blocks prove to be the end of the line, a reason to stop struggling ahead. And for others they provide an opportunity to learn and grow and even as motivation to keep fighting forward.
They become, as in Sharpe’s verse, stepping-stones.
It all comes down to our resolve. Or so I believe. We have all seen people given bags of tools filled with greater talents and attributes that seem so much greater than our own fail to move beyond their own stumbling blocks.
And others whose tool bags seem spare and unremarkable conquer the obstacles presented to them with ease.
Maybe resolve is one of those tools in their bag that is missing in those others?
I can’t say.
But I will tell you that I am searching my bag of tools for a little resolve. I know there’s some in there somewhere. I got stepping-stones to build…
I was introduced to the poem by The Heptones, although I didn’t know the source of the lyrics for some years. It’s still one of my favorite reggae songs.
Your mention of the Heptones sounded familiar. I went back and checked the original post and sure enough, you had replied with their song back then. It remains a very satisfying take on the poem.