Monday, April 25, 2011

If

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 imposters 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 wornout 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 breath 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!

-Rudyard Kipling
Chrissie Wellington recited this to herself during her countless Ironman victories.  No need for that but some good motivation nonetheless!

18 comments:

  1. Pretty motivational poem :) I liked it.

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  2. Dang. That's great stuff, man. I kind of want to get up and move to be honest :P.

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  3. Great poem, you can tell that there's a lot of emotion behind it.

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  4. sweet poem, didn't expect this from the site name, but pleasant none the less!

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  5. That's a nice poem, I'm sure it's nice to hear when you're feeling a bit down.

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  6. Great poem. Really enjoyed it. Love your stuff!

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  7. Awesome poem! Thanks for the post!

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  8. Kipling's a legend, and that poem is legendary.

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  9. Good reminder, nice way to end the day

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  10. Very inspirational. Thanks! :)

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  11. That will get me going this morning.

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