
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 all 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!
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Other sites by Alysion
- World's Funniest Jokes
- Survival Retreat? Maybe now is the time
- For wisdom: follow The Path of the Dog
- Beginnings: First Lines from Scriptures
- Infidel Guides to Islam, Theism, Atheism, and...
- World Religion Simplified
- The Diamond Sutra: Condensed version
- The Platform Sutra of Huineng: Condensed
- The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation
- The Zen Teachings of Huang Po on the One Mind
- Zen and the Art of Mindful Bus Riding
- Private Retreat: Alysion Acres
- Two Zen Stories
- 14 Mindfulness Trainings of Thich Nhat Hanh
- 14 Thoughtfulness Trainings
- Westfulness and Eastfulness
- Mindfulness Meditation Bell, Gong, Timer
- Buyer's Guide to Food Preparedness Products
- Alysion Acres: An intentional community
- Mom's Favorite Poems
- Ryan's Favorite Poems
- WWW Collection of Favorite String Figures
- Take the Super Post-Mensa IQ Test
- Alternative Handwriting and Shorthand Systems
- Handywrite
- Making the Tree of Life: Fun with phylogenetics
- Human Chow: The Website
- Small Animal Euthanasia at Home
- Fun with Dimensional Analysis
- Medication Math for the Nursing Student
- Lorien: A poem
- Walled-in: A poem
- Making Boxes for your Rock & Mineral Collection
- Making a Mass Balance Scale
- Ryan's 50 States Flashcards
- Adventures of MeraLee
- World Religions Simplified
- eBike Touring Association
- The True Right to Life Movement
- Cochise Stronghold Trail
External Links
- Poets.org
- From the Academy of American Poets.
- Famous Poets and Poems
- Poems and the people who make poems.
- Classic Poetry Aloud
- Hear poetry read aloud.
