The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Henley, William Ernest. Poetry Foundation. "https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51642/invictus."

Note that all parenthetical citations within the guide refer to the lines of the poem from which the quotations are taken.

William Ernest Henley was born in 1849 in Gloucester. He received a typical education growing up, which he found disappointing except for one brilliant teacher. As a boy, he suffered from tuberculosis. Beginning when he was twelve years old, he experienced periods of excruciating pain and disability. Eventually, his leg had to be amputated. He was highly involved in London literary circles (he is thought to have been the inspiration for the character Long John Silver in Treasure Island, while Wendy in Peter Pan is named in honor of his daughter). He himself is mostly remembered for this poem, "Invictus." He was married, with one child who died early. He had a successful career as a writer and journalist and died in 1903 after falling from a railway carriage.

This poem shares Henley's reflections on his long struggle with illness, and the philosophical strength he found in dealing with disability and mortality. It is one of the most-quoted poems in all of English literature as well as popular culture due to its emphasis on personal strength and autonomy in the face of adversity.