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 on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe 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!
If Poem Summary
In short, this is an inspirational poem that gives advice on how one should live one’s life. The poem takes the reader through various ways in which the reader can rise above difficulties that will almost certainly be thrown one’s way at some point in one’s lives. Throughout the poem, the speaker gives the reader multiple scenarios, both positive and negative, along with a glimpse into how one should conduct oneself. The poem has an almost mathematical proof about it with its if-then scenario. Kipling leaves the “then” until the final two lines, revealing to the reader that if he or she is able to do all that was just mentioned, he or she will not only have the world at his or her fingertips, but he or she will also be a “Man.”
Form and Scheme
Kipling separates his poem into four stanzas of equal length; each stanza contains eight lines. Each stanza has a set rhyme scheme of ababcdcd, with the exception of the first stanza, which has the following rhyme scheme: aaaabcbc.
Stanza 1:
You might be able to stay sane when everybody else is going crazy and thinking you're the problem. You might be able to put faith in yourself even when nobody else does. You might be able to be patient for a long time. Even if people are saying untrue things about you, you can still be truthful yourself. Likewise, even if people are hateful toward you, don't hate them back. Don't get all self-righteous, though.
Stanza 2:
Think about the future and your goals, but don't get overly caught up in them. Be thoughtful, but don't stop there—actually put your thoughts into action. Understand that victories and failures are both not as big of a deal as you might think. Accept that people will take your own words and warp them to trick other people. When things go really poorly, you have to deal with it and start over as best you can with what you've got.
Stanza 3:
You should understand that winning and losing aren't that big of a deal, and you should just keep striving toward your goals instead of moaning about your failures. Keep working, even if you feel like you physically can't. Use your own drive to persist no matter what.
Stanza 4:
Hang out with big groups, but stay true to yourself. Hang out with famous, influential people, but don't lose touch with reality. Don't give anyone the power to hurt you. Appreciate everybody, but don't worship anyone. Take the time you have and use it well. Do all this stuff, kid, and you'll have everything you want in life, plus you'll be a true adult.
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