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The Will To Win
The Will To Win is one of Berton Braley's most famous poems. Its powerful verses have motivated generations of readers to work toward their goals with determination, courage, and persistence. If you need encouragement to keep moving toward your goals, reflect on these words and remember that success often comes to those who remain focused and refuse to give up.
Updated July 27, 2026, by Catherine Pulsifer.
The Will To Win
Poet: 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 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!
Key Reflections in This Poem
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Success Takes Determination
Achieving worthwhile goals begins with a strong desire and the determination to keep moving forward. Success comes to those who are willing to stay committed, even when the journey is difficult.
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Hard Work Makes The Difference
Dreams become reality through consistent effort. The poem reminds us that planning, learning, and working faithfully each day are essential parts of reaching our goals.
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Do Not Let Challenges Stop You
Every worthwhile goal comes with obstacles. Whether facing disappointment, hardship, or setbacks, perseverance helps us continue when others might give up.
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Believe In Yourself
Faith, hope, and confidence provide the strength to keep going. Believing that your goal is worth pursuing gives you the courage to face difficulties with a positive attitude.
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Stay Focused On What Matters
Success requires keeping your attention on your purpose instead of becoming distracted. Remaining focused helps turn determination into lasting achievement.
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Persistence Leads To Success
The poem closes with a powerful reminder that those who refuse to quit often reach their destination. Steady effort, patience, and determination can accomplish remarkable things.
The Will To Win reminds us that worthwhile goals are rarely achieved by chance. Success comes through determination, hard work, careful planning, and the courage to keep going despite setbacks. While the poem encourages wholehearted commitment, it also inspires us to pursue goals that are honorable, meaningful, and worth the effort required to achieve them.
Quotes From The Poem, 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 and your sleep for it"
Berton Braley
There is no doubt that these verses highlight the significance and necessity of action over dreaming. To go a step further than what these verses tell you to do is what lies behind these thoughts. Part of the "action" theme as depicted within is that before action can be properly taken all action must be based on a detailed goal setting plan. That is to say that no action by itself, unless organized into smaller, manageable steps, in a specific ordered list, will accomplish the end goal. The goal plan must recognize that a certain step must be taken before another step can be taken. And, while action steps may be taken in coordination with other steps in some cases, the successful accomplishment of each step leads in a linear fashion to the very next step. This plan should also highlight the importance of specifying a time frame for each step for without a time goal, one can easily procrastinate potentially resulting in one losing all sense of urgency or commitment.
"If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it, you’ll get it!"
Berton Braley
The goal setting plan, in addition, is absolutely worthless without several personal characteristics at its forefront. In other words, one may have
composed the best goal setting plan but the lack of several personal attributes can derail its' accomplishment. So, what are these personal
attributes? Without delving too deeply into these attributes, let it be said that dedication, perseverance, and commitment are some of the key
personal characteristics necessary before achievement is attained.
For example, if you are committed to achieving your goal, some of your favorite pastimes may have to be either eliminated or somewhat curtailed.
It may be necessary to spend numerous nights to unfold your plan especially if the action phase must be completed when you are not performing
your normal work day duties. This may mean that no matter how long or hard your normal work day is, you must still take action on your plan during
your off work hours. For some, this will be a real test of your dedication and perseverance. But, the real test of how strongly you want to accomplish
your goal is how much you are willing to give up something else that you used to do in your off hours. It may mean, for example, that while everyone
of your friends is enjoying a weekend of leisure, your weekend may be filled with spending hours and hours moving an action step forward. There
has never been an action plan accomplished by watching television when you should have been investing this time taking action. Forward working is
not backward leaning.
Popular Pages
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Enjoy Some One Can Do It, a poem that encourages us to believe in our abilities and face difficult tasks with confidence.
Find encouragement in these Persistence Quotes about staying committed, overcoming setbacks, and continuing until your goal is reached.
Conclusion
The Will To Win reminds us that dreams require more than hopeful thinking. They require effort, planning, confidence, and the determination to continue through difficulty. Berton Braley's words encourage us to believe in worthwhile goals and give them our best. When progress feels slow, remember that each faithful step brings you closer to where you want to be.
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