Meaning of “We must turn out what we can; we…”

Optimism is defined here as willingness to participate and act, sharply distinguishing Keller’s position from passive expectation that circumstances will improve on their own.

The narrator responds to anticipated responsibility by practicing deliberately, treating capability and composure as qualities that can be strengthened through effort.

Dunbar closes the poem by making patient continued effort its central refrain, pairing work with the willingness to wait through difficulty.

Love of intellectual and manual labour becomes evidence of Keller’s active optimism, connecting outlook with her willingness to contribute despite limits.

Experience of sustained effort can deepen appreciation of the labour embedded in another person’s work because the observer has some basis for understanding its cost.

Progress is framed as requiring energy and courage rather than comfort, while the phrase also acknowledges that effort can be painful.