My father read this to me at my Eagle Scout court of honor.
I first heard it from a friend who was a POW in Vietnam who cites it as part of his inspiration, or their inspiration for staying alive, focusing mostly on the part "if you can force your heart, your nerve and sinew, to serve their turn long after they are gone and so hold on when there's nothing left within you except the will that says to them, 'hold on.'"
Every line of this is inspirational to me. It's a poem by Rudyard Kipling and the poem is a father giving advice to his son going out in the world and was written around the turn of the 20th century. I've memorized this now and when life gets hard I sometimes find myself reciting it or looking for what part of wisdom I missed in it. I'm sure many people have read it or heard it, if you have, here it is again, if not, take some time to ponder it. The wisdom in it is timeless.
'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!
