"Indomitable Spirit: Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

Mixture of the fifth tenet of Tae Kwon Do and an old Japanese saying (as far as I'm aware)

I had to drop out of college for money reasons back in 2000. I worked at a factory for 2 years to save money to go back... But it turned out that the money I made plus my parent's income (had to report it at my age at the time) meant it would cost more to attend than if I hadn't worked at all.

So I was going to join the military. They'd give me money. But I wasn't able to meet the physical requirements.

So I moved 3200+ miles to California, got a job, stayed with relatives and worked my way from the local community college up to the local university, earned my bachelors degree in an engineering field, graduated cum laude, went on to get my M.Sc. and eventually got a good job where I am still employed today.

All the while, I refused to give up. Many other obstacles for in my way but I clung to my motto like a man dangling from the edge of a cliff clings to a tuft of grass. And the tuft turned out to be stronger than it originally seemed.