The Will to Win - A Powerful Life Poem

The Will to Win
by Berton Braley

If you want a thing bad enough
To go out and fight for it,
Work day and night for it,
Give up your time and your peace
And your sleep for it,

If only desire of it
Makes you quite mad enough
Never to tire of it,
Makes you hold all other things tawdry
And cheap for it,

If life seems all empty
and useless without it
And all that you scheme
And you dream is about it,

If gladly you'll sweat for it,
Fret for it, Plan for it,
Lose all your terror of God
or man for it,

If you'll simply go after that
thing that you want
With all your capacity,
Strength, and sagacity,
Faith, hope, and confidence,
stern pertinacity,

If neither cold poverty,
famished and gaunt,
Nor sickness nor pain
Of body and brain
Can turn you away from
the thing that you want,

If dogged and grim you
besiege and beset it,
You'll get it.