In 1880, a french sculptor named Auguste Rodin conceived an idea to build a statue in honor of the Italian poet Dante. Rodin’s ambition was to pay tribute to Dante’s great poem The Inferno, and he imagined Dante sitting atop a rock in front of the gates of Hell, either pondering his poem or the persons who were about to pass through those gates. 28 years later, Rodin’s conception was finally birthed in bronze. He build a statue called “The Thinker” (“Le Penseur” in French).

The original statue, which now sits in the Musee Rodin in Paris, is considered one of the greatest pieces of contemporary art. As one writer described it, “the work depicts a nude man sitting on a rock. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left thigh, holding the weight of his chin on the back of his right hand. The pose is one of deep thought and contemplation, and the statue is often used as an image to represent philosophy.”

When I graduated from college, one of me mentors gave me a miniaturized version of the statute as a gift. At the time, I was rather disappointed. I was hoping for something more immediately valuable, like a vacation or cash. LOL. Although I lost the statue during a difficult transition (that’s another story for a another day), my appreciation of his gift has only deepened down through the years. I am now fully convinced that one of the variables that separates winners from losers is the quality of their thoughts.

Although there is ample biblical evidence to support this assertion, let me offer two passages that drive home the point. First, consider Proverbs 23:7. It says “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Next, consider Philippians 4:8. It says “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Tell me how you think and what you think about and I can determine your direction, your decisions, your desires and your destiny.

My Father loved poetry. And one of his favorite poems, written by Walter Winkle, is an appropriate coda to the matter. Winkle rhapsodized:

If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't.  If you like to win, but you think you can't, it’ is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost. For out of the world we find, success begins with a fellow's will, it's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are. You've got to think high to rise. You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go. To the stronger or faster man, But soon or late the man who wins Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!”