For what I give, not what I take, For battle, not for victory, My prayer of thanks I make.

The speaker frames gratitude as an ethical stance rather than a tally of personal gains. Thanks are offered for the capacity to give, and for the struggle itself (“battle”) rather than the outcome (“victory”), suggesting a moral ideal of service, courage, and perseverance. The lines imply that character is formed in effort and sacrifice, and that a worthy life is measured by contribution and steadfast engagement with difficulty, not by rewards or triumphs. As a prayer, it also recasts thanksgiving as humility: one is grateful for being called to act well, even when success is uncertain.