If by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming in 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 stood and build 'em with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of potch and toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force you 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,

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!

-by Rudyard Kipling-

-Taken from English Form 4 Textbook (Selected Poems & Short Stories)-

The Meaning

If you can keep your cool and be sensible when everyone around you is in panic and illogically blaming you for all their misfortunes

If you can believe in yourself and have self-confidence when all those around you think you're wrong

And you do not feel slighted and make excuses for their doubting you

If you can cultivate the virtue of patience and not lose your enthusiasm

And not resort to lies when others are telling untruths about you

Or refrain from returning hatred with hatred

But be humble and moderate in your speech and appearance

If you can have dreams and ambitions without letting them control you. You should actualise them and not only daydream about them

If you can think, aim to turn your thoughts into actions

If you can meet with success and failure on equal footing without being too overwhelmed by either of them

Both success and failure can mislead and you should not be too happy with success or too disappointed with failure

If you can remain calm while others misconstrue your words of truth to deliberately twist your words and use them for their own advantage to harm gullible and naive people

Or if you can remain calm and be unruffled as you watch your life's work being destroyed by unscrupulous people

And you can make an effort to start all over again even though the odds are against you

If you can gather all your wealth in one venture

And risk everyhting you own on one venture

And to lose all of it and yet be willing to start all over again

And not complain about your loss

If you can persevere and discipline your mine and heart

To be positive and be objective even if you're feeling weak or fearful

And continue to endure when you have nothing left

Except a strong will power which will not quit despite the odds against you

If you can mix with all sorts of people and be true to your values and upbringing

If you can live in harmony with both your friends and enemies without being harmed by them

If you are just and give equal treatment to everyone

If you can appreciate the value of time

And use every second of every minute carefully and wisely

You can have the whole world and everything you want in life

And much more than you can ever wish for. You'll be a whole, complete and fine gentlemen if you can do all the above.

p/s: This is one of my favourite poems. The other one is Sonnet 18 by William

Shakespeare. (Sonnet 18 sgt sweet! =.=) I'll get it posted when i'm free. Thank you.