Rudyard Kipling to his son:
If you can keep your head when all about are losing theirs
And blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
And 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 yet 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 them up with worn out tools,
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
And walk with kings yet not lose the common touch,
If neither friends nor loving friends can hurt you,
With all men count with you yet none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is the earth and all that is in it,
And what is more you’ll be a man my son.