If

Oblivious

Oblivious

Oblivious

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If - 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 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 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it 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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What are peoples opinions on this poem? A timeless classic, which has been hanging in my parents kitchen as long as I can remember. But I paused to read it today instead of just walking past it.

It actually makes a lot of sense, and more so than when I read it at school/etc years ago. It is written in such a brilliant way, and because of that its a poem I feel everybody should read., if you haven't already.
 
I've never seen the whole poem but heard the famous lines many times.

It's fantastic, wouldn't mind it in my kitchen actually :)

I'm annoyed this wasn't taught to me in school. Kids do bible studies and RE for years through school and probably never read anything so on the button.
 
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If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs
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You are not aware of the situation!

Ahem, I had an ex that had this hanging on her wall, and I read it quite a few times. Though how many people 'could' do all that? - would require someone with a very cool head :)
 
It's a very inspirational piece, but for most people it's certainly 'of it's age' (or more probably 50 years before it was actually written).

It was written of and about a time when the Britain still had an Empire on young men from public schools up and down the country would pack their stiff upper lips, moustasch trimmers and Wisden's rules of cricket and set off around the globe to plant the flag in places so the turned pink on the map.

These days folks are probably a bit cynical to take it at face value, but I think it's something to aspire to.
 
Oblivious said:
If - Rudyard Kipling
.
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We had it hung in the front room while I was growing up and I've always loved it. I've recited it to myself many a time when things have been going badly. I love this bit the most:

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 imposters just the same;
 
I prefer Alan Partridge's version of it tbh.

"It's like the Rudyard Kipling poem, "If", you know that? If you do X, Y and Z Bob's your uncle."

:P
 
First time iv seen it, but i cant help but recognise some lines from somwhere, brilliant poem, takes a bit of work to read properly though.

Have the lines been used in an advert or somthing?
 
willd58 said:
First time iv seen it, but i cant help but recognise some lines from somwhere, brilliant poem, takes a bit of work to read properly though.

Have the lines been used in an advert or somthing?
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Yep, the first few lines were used in an advert a while ago. Can't remember what it was for, so it couldn't have been very good :p
 
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