A post by Amanda Patterson on Rudyard Kipling triggered a stream of thoughts this morning. Kipling was born yesterday in 1865. I couldn’t recall ever reading anything by Kipling but I’ve certainly heard of him. (DK. Mr. Contemporary. Always looking forward. Never much for history. Not much for looking back. What possibly could I learn from a life 100+ years ago? PAST IS PAST.)
Kipling, “born in India, was sent to England to live with a foster family and receive a formal British education at the age of 6. These were hard years for Kipling. His Foster mother was a brutal woman, who quickly grew to despise her young foster son. She beat and bullied Kipling, who also struggled to fit in at school. Kipling’s solace came in books and stories. With few friends, he devoted himself to reading. By the age of 11, Kipling was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. A visitor to his home saw his condition and immediately contacted his mother, who rushed back to England and rescued her son from the Holloways.”
Yet, here’s a man who survived this childhood and flourished. He said:
Small miseries, like small debts, hit us in so many places, and meet us at so many turns and corners, that what they want in weight, they make up in number, and render it less hazardous to stand the fire of one cannon ball, than a volley composed of such a shower of bullets.
And said:
I always prefer to believe the best of everybody, it saves so much trouble.
And said:
This is a brief life, but in its brevity it offers us some splendid moments, some meaningful adventures.
And a man, who produced this poem in 1895:
IF
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!
Rudyard Kipling is considered to be one of the greatest writers who has ever lived. He was and remains the youngest writer to have won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Inspiration…look no further.
Sources: 1) Amanda Patterson, 2) NYBooks.com illustration of Kipling by David Levine, 3) Biography.com
Live & Learn 
A poem that is ubiquitous, yet never cliche..It gives me chills each time I read it, tears (what can I say, it’s me)..And now integrating his nightmarish youth into my reactions to his writing, the superlatives apply even more.
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And me, it was the first time I had ever seen the poem (IF). (Don’t mock or laugh.) And I had a similar reaction – profound. Period.
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I will withhold all shock and awe, disbelief and mockery – tempting though it may be. Instead I will say that I am really happy you found each other (IF and you). Full stop.
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🙂 Good decision.
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Writings reveal so much about the person who wrote it. I see and feel the beauty and pain together. It’s beautiful and now I realize why it is said that, “Behind every beautiful thing, there’s some kind of pain.”
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Sonia, your quote beautifully captures the spirit of Kipling’s story. Bob Dylan I think said: “Behind every beautiful thing, there’s some kind of pain.” Thanks for sharing.
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Wow! You always make me smile when you come up with the source of the words I write =) I would love to be like you.
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Oh, no Pal. No you wouldn’t. Trust me on this point.
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Laughing! & you trust me (=
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I was introduced to the poem “If for Girls” when I graduated high school. Similar but gender-specific. Seems to have more meaning now. And I had “Jungle Book” read to me when I was a young girl. It’s the only book I remember my parents reading to me. Thanks for bring that memory back…….
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Lucky you to have been introduced to Kipling so early in life. I’m playing catch-up.
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Excellent post, David! Thank you for a rich year of sharing helpful and inspiring posts on Lead.Learn.Live!
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Thank you for the kind words Christian. Happy holidays to you and your family. Dave
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This is so brilliant – thanks for reminding us David.
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Thank you Julie. Happy New Year to you and your family. Dave
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Lovely post….
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Thank you Ioanna.
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verily a fine poem David!
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🙂 Thanks Anake. BTW, Love “verily”
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Reblogged this on anakegoodall.
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Thanks for sharing Anake.
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Reblogged this on What I see, what I feel, what I'd like to see… and commented:
Thanks for sharing this, David…
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Thank you Todd. Happy New Year to you and your family. Dave
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If you have learned to live life, at its worst but at your best, you have conquered the self and now is prepared to capture the world.
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Bingo. Now to execute. 🙂
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This was one of my Dad’s favorite poems…thank you so much for timely posting it. Hugs to you and Happy 2013!
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Ahhhh, then it must have brought back memories for you. So glad. Happy New Year to you and your family. Dave
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Great piece. I did not know he was born in India. I got introduced to his poem “iF” by an executive with Smith Barney years ago and has become one of my favorites. Get chills every time I hear it or read it. Thanks Dave.
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Written so long ago. Yet still so appropriate and relevant. Another classic/master standing the test of time. I’m with you.
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That poem is a tall order!
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Certainly is. I have a lot of work to do.
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Love this poem. Always kept a copy of it.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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I now have a copy Francine. 🙂
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When I graduated from high school, my parents gave me a framed copy of Kipling’s “If”. I still have it and have long since committed the poem to memory. Great stuff indeed!
Thanks for another helpful post, David. Here’s wishing you continued success, with the blog and all your ventures / adventures in 2013.
John
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Thank you John. Committing this poem to memory is a worthy endeavor. I need to get after it. Happy New Year to you and your family. Dave
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Excellent Poem. Inspiring Post. Thank You.
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It is Ivsrao. It is. Thank you.
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Have always found this poem incredibly wise, especially the lines “If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—-nor lose the common touch,” As a child I was enthralled by “The Jungle Book” stories, particularly Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (the hair on the back of my neck still stands on end when I imagine that cobra slithering into the garden….) Did *not*, however, know Kipling’s ‘back story.’ Amazing. Thx for the knowledge, David!
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Thanks Lori. When I hit the line “Walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch”…the poem had fully consumed me. I hadn’t had the opportunity of reading The Jungle Book…sounds like it is worth picking up and reading. Dave
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The backstory tells so much about how real character is formed, or should I say forged. Happy New Year David.
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Forged is the appropriate word here John. Yes, I agree with you. Happy New Year to you and your family John. Dave
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One of my favorite poems – thank you!!
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Mine too Verna. Happy New Year to you and your family. Dave
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Hi Dave, “If” is one of my all time favs! Happy new year.
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Hi Kevin. Happy New Year to you too. This was new to me. And very inspirational. Sometimes later in life is better than not at all. Not sure I would have appreciated it earlier anyway…
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Happy New Year David. May you be blessed at every turn and in unexpected ways.
IF is one of my all-time favorite poems. The word “if” itself also happens to be the middle word in LIFE. I love how Kipling’s life experience forms the instructive nature of the poem without being overly maudlin.
It has been my experience that IF we allow life’s trials, tribulations and sufferings to instruct us to be more wise, more loving, more compassionate, we are better off by far. We then stand with other great humanitarians who add value to others. For me, what life is about is summed up in these words I live by… BE LOVE TO OTHERS.
May your burdens be light and your blessings heavy!
[www.williambutler.ca]
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Happy New Year to you Bill. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights. If we could even make it half way down Kipling’s suggested path…what a world this would be. Take care. And thanks again. Dave
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I found two poems in my dads stuff when he died. there was the one you have posted, which was just the sort of poem dad might keep, even though he wasn’t a poetic man. The other was almost a counterpoint to the Kipling, and it was weird to find them together in my dads belongings. It was called “The Barefoot boy” and can be read here, if you are interested.
http://srevestories.blogspot.com/2007/05/barefoot-boy-with-cheek.html
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Thank you so much for sharing. I will take time this weekend to read your post and your Dad’s poem when I can give it my full attention. Dave
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Wonderful… Those with the strength to survive, and thrive with kindness – are truly the epitome of humanity.
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Yes, incredible it is.
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