Ambition

Ambition

(Selected)

If you would rise above the throng

And seek the crown of fame,

You must do more than drift along

And merely play the game.

Whatever path your feet may tread,

Whatever be your quest,

The only way to get ahead

Is striving for the best.

'Tis not enough to wish to do

A day's toil fairly well;

If you would rise to glory, you

Must hunger to excel.

The boy who has the proper stuff

Goes into every test,

Not seeking to be "good enough,"

But eager to be "best."

Aim high! And though you fail today

And may tomorrow fail,

Keep pounding steadily away,

Some day you'll hit the nail.

At no half-way mark ever pause

In. snug content to rest,

Who would win honor and applause

Must want to be the best.

The best must be your aim in life,

The best in sport or work,

Sucess in any form of strife,

Falls never to the shirk.

The crowns of leadership are few,

The followers move in throngs,

If you would be a leader, you

Must shun the "drift alongs."

The American Boy.