97. “We never know how high we are.” Part One: Life. Dickinson, Emily. 1924. Complete Poems

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Emily Dickinson (1830–86). Complete Poems. 1924.

Part One: Life

XCVII

WE never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise;
And then, if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the skies.

The heroism we recite	5
Would be a daily thing,
Did not ourselves the cubits warp
For fear to be a king.