I like people who know when to quit.

I like this post quite a lot. Doesn't tell you that you should quit when facing insurmountable odds, but it does say that quitting wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. And when is that message ever really heard? There are so many sayings about quitting essentially being tantamount to evil. God hates a quitter. Nobody likes a quitter. Quitting is for losers (I might have made that last one up, but it's something that runs through my head on a semi-regular basis). How much guilt should someone who actually does quit something be made to feel? And why should the prospect of all that guilt prevent someone from quitting something that maybe s/he should be quitting?

Now kids, don't get me wrong - you should try, try, and try again to do whatever it is that you want to do. But sometimes, and you'll know when it's that time, it's time to give in. To throw in the towel. To realize that you could try your hardest at something but you're still not going to be happy with it. Or you still won't really succeed. And in these cases I think it is indeed okay to quit. Even better than okay - quitting is beneficial to your health. For example, when you are trying to get through a book that you just don't really like, it's okay to quit reading it. Why? Because there are so many other books to read that you'll like. Or when you are trying to run around your neighborhood and you are breathing so heavily that your throat begins to hurt, and the pain in your side is so strong that you can barely lift your legs. It's okay to stop running. Why? Because tomorrow's another day, and power-walking is better on your knees.

I am indeed an advocate of knowing when to say when. Michael Jordan should have read this blog post when he came back from retirement in 2001. Perhaps David Ortiz should consider hanging up his bat. (At least I know this about David Ortiz - he should give his restaurant one more try and if it still doesn't work then he should definitely quit that business.) One doesn't have to be good forever. And one doesn't have to be good at everything. As a matter of fact, one is usually not good at everything, and if you're not good at it, or if it's really not making you happy anymore, then just quit.