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Can't is the word that is foe to ambition,
An enemy ambushed to shatter your will;
Its prey is forever the man with a mission
And bows but to courage and patience and skill.
Hate it, with hatred that's deep and undying,
For once it is welcomed 'twill break any man;
Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying
And answer this demon by saying: "I can."

— Edgar Guest A Heap o' Livin (1916)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Edgar Guest, "Can't" (poem on YouTube)

More quotes by Edgar Guest

Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying
And answer this demon by saying: "I can."

A Heap o' Livin (1916)

The things are mighty few on earth
That wishes can attain.
Whate'er we want of any worth
We've got to work to gain.

A Heap o' Livin (1916)

None knows the day that friends must part
None knows how near is sorrow;
If there be laughter in your heart
Don't hold it for tomorrow.

A Heap o' Livin (1916)

Are you one of the nine who pass men by
In this hasty life we live?
Do you refuse with a downcast eye
The help which you could give?
Or are you the one in ten whose creed
Is always to stop for the man in need?

All That Matters (1922)

The difference 'twixt good and bad is not so very much,
A few more minutes at the task, an extra turn or touch,
A final test that all is right—and yet the men are few
Who seem to think it worth their while these extra things to do.

All That Matters (1922)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Edgar Guest (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.