Defeat
by Edgar A. Guest

No one is beat till he quits, 
No one is through till he stops, 
No matter how hard Failure hits, 
No matter how often he drops, 

A fellow’s not down till he lies 
In the dust and refuses to rise. 
Fate can slam him and bang him around, 
And batter his frame till he’s sore, 

But she never can say that he’s downed 
While he bobs up serenely for more. 
A fellow’s not dead till he dies, 
Nor beat till no longer he tries.