General Ulysses S. Grant Didn't Know The Word Can't

General Ulysses S. Grant didn't know the word can't.  It wasn't in the dictionary at that time, so to him everything was possible.  Because he strongly believed he could, he did.

For any project to be successful under your leadership, you must be personally committed to it.  During the Civil War, General Ulysses S. Grant was completely committed to winning the war for the union, while making reconciliation after possible.  His commitment was evident to all in his command and they were committed as well.  They lost men, lots of them, but not nearly what the Confederates did.  They achieved more than any other command and marched through battle-after-battle victorious.  They couldn’t be stopped because they wouldn’t be stopped.

Even as young child, General Grant didn’t know the word “can’t.”  At seven or eight years of age, his teacher gave his class an unusually difficult arithmetic lesson.  At recess, one student remarked, “I can’t do it, and I won’t try.”  Another commented, “I shall try, but I have no idea that I can master it.  Another boy, looking down upon Grant said, “Lyss will put it through.  His forte is in arithmetic, and he will dig away until he has got it; but I can’t do it.”

Ulysses answered, “Can’t! can’t!”  “What does that mean?” and hurried to the teacher’s desk to reference the dictionary.  Everyone paused in silence as he perused the dictionary.  “Can’t!” exclaimed Ulysses; “there’s no such word in the dictionary,” closing the book.  “It can be done.”

In the end, Ulysses and the other boy that vowed to try both got it, whereas no one else did.  The teacher, having heard about the conversation that occurred remarked, “No, there is no such word as can’t in the dictionary.”  “Ulysses is right; and he never would have mastered the lesson if he had believed with some of you boys ─that he could not do it.  Believe you can, and you can.  It is half the battle to have confidence in your ability to accomplish a task.  To try and fail, is vastly better than it to fail without trying.”

That excerpt was taken from the book “Tannery to The White House.  The Life of Ulysses S. Grant.” By William M. Thayer published in 1885 by A.G. Nettleton & Company.

There are many lessons to be learned from this event.  First, is believing something is possible, committing to it, and persevering to see it done.  If you are convinced that something can be done, it usually can.  The lack of believing leads to many failings from the lack of trying.