"And you can see the work of your life destroyed And without saying a single word begin to rebuild, Or lose in one fell swoop the winnings of a hundred games Without a gesture and without a sigh;
If you can be a lover without being mad with love, If you can be strong without ceasing to be tender, And, feeling hated, without hating in turn, Yet fight and defend yourself:
If you can bear to hear your words Distorted by beggars to excite fools, And to hear their foolish mouths lie about you Without lying a word yourself;
If you can remain worthy by being popular, If you can remain a people by advising kings, And if you can love all your friends as brothers, Without any of them being everything to you;
If you know how to meditate, observe and know, Without ever becoming skeptical or destructive, Dream, but without letting your dream be your master, Think without being just a thinker;
If you can be tough without ever being angry, If you can be brave and never reckless, If you know how to be good, if you know how to be wise, Without being moral or pedantic;
If you can meet Triumph after Defeat And receive these two liars on the same front, If you can keep your courage and your head When all the others lose them,
Then Kings, Gods, Luck and Victory Will forever be your submissive slaves, And what is better than Kings and Glory You will be a man, my son."
#IRLAuthorRudyardKipling
#1895_If
#TheoryPhilosophyStoicism
Context https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if