‘The Man Who Thinks He Can’

If you think you are beaten you are,
If you think you dare not you don’t.
If you’d like to win but think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will,
It’s all in the state of mind.

Full many a race is lost,
Before even a step is run
And many a coward fails
Even before his work has begun.

Think big and your deeds will grow,
Think small and you’ll fall behind.
Think that you can and you will,
It all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can!

Walter D. Wintle