The Will to Win

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 for it,

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 you 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 the thing that you want

With all you capacity,

Strength and sagacity,

Faith, hope and confidence, stern pertinacity,

If neither cold poverty, famished and gaunt,

Nor sickness nor pain

Of body or brain

Can turn you away from the thing that you want,

If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it,

You’ll get it!

By Berton Braley