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Rate this poem:4.6 / 31 votes


If
4


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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Modified on May 03, 2023

1:27 min read
17,854 Views

Rudyard Kipling

 · 1865 · Mumbai
 · 1936 · London

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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Discuss the poem If with the community...

25 Comments
  • BellaTheMilkCarton
    its a nice poem, I like it, something strange, but its a new read for me, its still rather lovely
    LikeReply7 days ago
  • Demon_night
    I advise go through it make it make a little more sense
    LikeReply26 days ago
  • Demon_night
    Some lines don't go together
    LikeReply26 days ago
  • NightWisp
    This is one of my favorite poems.
    LikeReply1 month ago
  • nirusingh739285
    Well done
    LikeReply2 months ago
  • Twomoonspoetry
    saved this one for my son
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • nirusingh739285
    Beautifully crafted words that touch the heart.
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • aasthashekhar557
    Just amazing...
    LikeReply3 months ago
  • Zorion
    Beautiful way
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • adhikarishivashis
    A powerful guide to resilience
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • alanswansea18
    Beautiful would look nice framed.
    LikeReply4 months ago
  • miraculousthemodel
    One of those timeless pieces that feels like it speaks directly to your soul, no matter the decade. The balance between strength and humility, resilience and grace it’s incredible how every line still hits home. “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same” ... that alone is a life lesson. Truly powerful.!!!!! 
    LikeReply5 months ago
  • Monkeyman2000
    I LOVE IT.
    LikeReply5 months ago
  • BellaTheMilkCarton
    nice
    LikeReply7 months ago
  • Tenthousandsaints
    Tenthousandsaints
    Words to live by
    LikeReply7 months ago
  • Darkness
    Darkness
    One of my favorites
    LikeReply 18 months ago
  • BellaTheMilkCarton
    I really like that
    LikeReply8 months ago
  • BeeSora
    Such a nice poem
    LikeReply8 months ago
  • jonsaviours
    This one's one of my favorite
    LikeReply8 months ago
  • Xuan-An
    amazing
    LikeReply9 months ago
  • Shocam
    Epic poem and valuable teachings to lead a life full of worth
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • kazbrekker
    This poem just makes me think about decisions of my life and I don't like that part
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • sablon_m
    Great poem!
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    Truly an epic poem by a master poet of years ago !
    What if
    Only if
    What stops us from going the extra mile ?
    A wise man calculates the risk and never looks back !
    LikeReply3 years ago
  • dogsbolls
    f%%%ING Brillant
    LikeReply3 years ago

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"Poetry.com" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LTD, 2025. Web. 12 Sep. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/>.

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