Sylvester Stallone’s entire career, which spans five decades, can be traced back to his early success with 1976’s Rocky, the story of an underdog boxer which he both wrote and starred in. And ever since, Stallone has continued to see himself as something of an underdog with plenty in common with that iconic character.

The 75-year-old actor frequently opens up on Instagram about the “crossroads moments” in his life and career when he has felt that he is up against insurmountable odds, from one of his earliest auditions where he learned a valuable lesson about bouncing back from rejection (and scaring the life out of director Woody Allen), to later challenges, like getting the sequel Rocky Balboa made despite widespread doubts that anyone would want to see a new installment after a gap of 16 years.

In a new post, Stallone shared a clip of himself that he filmed during a recent visit to the Library of Congress, where he sent one of his first-ever pieces of writing based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe in the early 1970s, never thinking he would ever actually get to visit.

“So here I am, 50+ years later, at the same place, where this cold, broke writer with high ambitions sent his material to,” he said.

"This is an example of blood, sweat and dreams that can be fulfilled," he elaborated in the caption. "I was not a very good student, actually I was asked to leave at least a dozen schools, but once I was on the street I knew I had to apply myself and I started to write. I didn’t know what I was doing but I didn’t stop… As you can see at the end of this post what can be achieved against all odds. Keep punching."

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