We learned the following Plebe Summer at USNA…and lived it for 4 years…and the “carry over” has served us well over the years. So much of life is “all in your state of mind.”
If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you won’t;
If you like to win, but don’t think you can,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost;
For out in the world you’ll find
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in a state of mind.
For many a game is lost
Ere even a play is run,
And many a coward fails
Ere even his work is begun.
Think big and your deeds will grow,
Think small and you’ll fall behind;
Think that you can and you will;
It’s all in a state of mind.
If you think you are out classed, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise;
You’ve got to be sure of your self 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 fellow who thinks he can.