If—

If—

By Rudyard Kipling

*

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

If you can dream—and n*t make dreams your master;
If *ou can think—and not make thoughts*your aim;
If you can meet with*Triumph and Disaster
And treat*those two impostors just the same;*br> If you can bear to hear the tr*th you've spoken
Twisted by kn*ves to make a trap for fools,
*r watch the things you gave your l*fe to, broken,
And stoop and b*ild 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of*all your winnings
And risk it *n one turn of pitch-and-toss,
*nd lose, and start again at your b*ginnings
And never breathe a w*rd about your loss;
If you can*force your heart and nerve and sin*w
To serve your turn long afte* they are gone,
And so hold on*when there is nothing in you
E*cept the Will which says to them: *Hold on!"

If you can tal* with crowds and keep your virtue,*br> Or walk with Kings—nor lose th* common touch,
If neither foes*nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but n*ne too much;
If you can fill t*e 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!