Post 18. "If–" by Rudyard Kipling

A poem to end your night.

A few weeks ago, someone gifted me a copy of If by Rudyard Kipling. I’d been putting off reading it, but I finally got around to it tonight.

It’s not the kind of poem that tries to be inspirational in a loud way. It’s not David Goggins yelling at you, but it has certainly sat with me. I’m still thinking through a lot of it, but I thought I’d share:

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“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!

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Also, before fishing this note, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who’s taken the time to subscribe and read. I just saw that we hit 2.5k all-time reads on my posts and am really excited to keep writing and sharing more.

Wishing everyone a great start to the week and good luck to everyone starting their internships tomorrow!

Best,

Jack