“ If ” is a poem written in 1895 by Mr Rudyard Kipling, an Indian born English writer. He authored the “ The Jungle Book “ in 1894 and was awarded the Nobel prize for literature in 1907.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same
“If” by Rudyard Kipling
This poem is written in the form of a Father’s advice to his Son. Despite being more than a century old, the message is surprisingly, still relevant today.
In 4 stanzas of 8 lines each, Kipling perfectly captures the principles of stoicism, giving us a simple blueprint for better living.
A few lines of this poem are engraved on the players entrance at Wimbledon. A copy of the poem is affixed in the cabins of officer cadets at the National Defense Academy, Pune and Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala.
Even though it’s addressed to a Son about being a Man, substituting “Father/Son/Man” with “Mother/Daughter/Woman” doesn’t change the intended message.
The Poem
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 [on you,] 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!
Source : Wikipedia
Damn!!! That last line gives me goosebumps every single time.
If you are interested in a detailed analysis of the poem, check out “ Episode 140 of Jocko Podcast ”. It’s around 2 hours long, but well worth your time.
If you’ve come across any other such inspirational pieces of literature, please share with us in the comments below.
Related post : A Letter to My Younger Self
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