To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield

The impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been using literary references in his public statements. He quoted If by Rudyard Kipling:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

He also quoted Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson:

... tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

He said that he felt like the main character in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

I don't know whether he committed any crimes or not, but I am impressed by his ability to stand up to his enemies and to perform his public duties. A lot of people assume that he is guilty, but we really have no evidence that he has ever taken a dime in bribes.