Yes to the first Q, but that's not the entirety of the belief, however. You can be (or do, or have) anything you want to be (or do, or have) -- if you take a workable path and continue to work at achieving it. It's not magic; we don't get what we want "just because we want it". We still have to take successful steps to achieve 'whatever'. All baseball players want to win the World Series. That doesn't mean that they all will. But the ones who perfect their skills, stay healthy, maintain their discipline ... and manage to join teams of similarly skilled and motivated players ... have a chance. "Can" doesn't mean "will". Most of the hard-working people living in poverty lack one or more of the necessary components to achieve the success they want: - the intelligence to understand this - a plan that has a chance of success - the discipline to carry it through - the 'survival instinct' (for lack of a better term) that helps them to move to the right places at the right times (whether that's a metaphysical 'move' to a school, industry, career, relationship, or an actual 'move' to a city or country that fosters success) I don't mean this to come off as arrogant as it might appear, but I'm too busy right now to word this more nicely.

No, I think this kind of slogan is Puppy-Think(tm) (i.e. the kind of thinking puppies do which makes them both cute and ineffective as leaders) Most slogans are crap: even if they have an element of truth in them, they have a tendency to be dangerous because they produce the illusion of wisdom -- and the illusion of wisdom is potentially more hazardous than ignorance. In many parts of the world, the absence of infrastructure, commercial activity, and education render survival an even bet at best, even for those with unusual ability and ambition. So yes, having initiative and courage are helpful, but there are limits imposed by environment.

Yes it is possible, but some have to work much harder at it than others. If your goal is to graduate college, is it easier for a poor minority from the inner city or the child of a millionaire. "You know where it ends, yo, it usually depends on where you start."

You can TRY to be anything you want to be, but there are no guarantees.