Blog Archive

Wednesday 19 January 2011

The Epitome of How to Survive: If by Rudyard Kipling

Many people are familiar with this poem by Rudyard Kipling and I think, once read, much of it stays with you for a long time.Each part of it has a resonance with some stage of most people's lives. Which part do you most identify with and why?

Rudyard Kipling 1865 - 1936
If by Rudyard Kipling:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: 

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!



To read more inspiring articles based around this poem, please visit All Things If

4 comments:

  1. I always loved this poem by Kipling! Great reminder you have posted here.
    Thank you!
    Btw, very interesting blog you have here. I hope to see it develop even further. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much! Coming from you, that is a real compliment. I am also keenly following your blog and enjoy reading the stories very much indeed! :)

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  3. Hi!

    What a great website! I came across your website while searching for the poem "If" for a project I'm working on. It's a website called "All Things If" and it's an entire site devoted to the ideals of the poem. If you like the website, I was wondering if you would consider adding a link back to us at the bottom of your "If" post? Thanks so much for considering. You can reach me at the above email.

    Best wishes,

    Trevor

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  4. Hi Trevor, Thank you very much! Your website is very inspiring and I am sure I will learn a lot from it. I particularly like this poem turned to song, and discovering 'Invictus' by William Henley!

    Yes, of course, I will put a link up for you.

    ReplyDelete

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