IF
by Rudyard Kipling

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!

My sister- Rema found this beautiful and meaningful poem and she asked me if I could do something with it so she can print it as a poster, frame it and hang it on the walls of his boys’ room.  She discovered the poem during one epic tennis match -Wimbledon 2008 Finals that the BBC has screened.  Two epic tennis rivals – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer read the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling before they start to beat each other to win the title.

I have done the best that I can and I hope that my skill has done justice to the beautiful picture of my cute nephews and the meaningful poem of Rudyard Kipling.  If you want to print this image as a poster, feel free to do so.  If you click the image above, you will be directed to the higher resolution of which is best if you print large images.  I will print this myself and will hang it in one of the walls in our place.  A reminder that even if I don’t have a child or son, I already have my BOYS!