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 an Expat, my son!
Or not, in which case you'll be be the better for trying.

cheers

Great work

Cut and paste job, 1 amendment, 1 extra line. Can I claim my BE Poet Laureate now.

I don't know.It sounded a bit iffy to me.

How about I change the 'If's to 'When's (?)

yes that's good but whenever would be better.

No, I think "when" sounds uch more definite

I always loved that, but can't hear it know without thinking
of Mike Bassett England Manager

Football? I'd forgotten about it. I remember it being inspiration when I was in my late teens. Something reminded me of it last night amongst those threads.

As my son would say, "cool"

No,lets stick to Mr Kipling's if,after all,He's a better man than I.
Personally I prefer Kojak's version but credit where it's due Mr Kipling did make exceedingly good cakes.

especially his fondant fancies

Ooooh yeah

It's a poem that everyone can understand, and relate to, I reckon, and its not a bad blueprint for a young person to aspire to. It's well written, and not at all twee. I remember teens killed and the poem was read out at their funerals.