Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. – Henry Ford

There are two versions of this saying attributed to Henry ford.
The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both right. Which one are you? – Henry Ford
Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. – Henry Ford
They are exactly the same, but i chose the shorter version, to keep the title short.

Before i share with you my opinion about this philosophical quote, let’s get to understand the sayer and his background. Henry Ford was a visionary entrepreneur, and rose to become the most influential American innovator of the 20th century.

Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.

Henry Ford

The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both right. Which one are you?

Henry Ford

To start, my reserves on this saying are:
The verb can, has a lot of uncertainty in it. Can is not will. You can be rich, you can be a president, you can be an astronaut, but will you ?
Everyone can be whatever he/she wishes, but will they is another question.

Let’s jump now to the philosophical analysis of the saying / quote:

If you think you can you are right: because you are getting the can do attitude, and the achiever mindset. This has a huge effect on the possibility and probability of achieving a goal. Having the right mindset makes everything easier, and makes achieving the goal possible.
If you think you can’t, you’re also right: because having a negative attitude, means that you will give up before trying on many things. Thus the probability of achieving will be reduced.

Worth noting, it is easier to make such claims when you are rich or have enough money to start or fund your dreams. This is not an option for many poor people, that struggle to live day to day. Thus even if they have feasible dreams, great ideas of projects, whether they think the can or think they can’t is irrelevant, as it is unlikely to happen.