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Si / If
A veces unos versos, leídos en la juventud, te acompañan toda la vida; o leídos en la madurez, te permiten entender la noche ya lejana de tu juventud. A muchos les ha ocurrido con este poema. Dicen que Kipling lo escribió para enseñarle a vivir a su hijo. También dicen que le inspiraron las virtudes y las decisiones vitales de un amigo, una suerte de estoico guerrillero a la británica. Es probable que los grandes del estoicismo de ahora y siempre —Marco Aurelio, Montaigne, Thoreau— lo hubieran leído y releído. Habla sobre la fortaleza, la templanza, la perseverancia, la paciencia y la presencia. Ésta no es la primera edición en castellano de este poema, pero seguramente es la más bella.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1910
48 people are currently reading
1829 people want to read
About the author
Rudyard Kipling
7,307 books3,750 followersJoseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
June 15, 2025
This is surely the classic prototype for all our ready and very ample supply of self help literature. Yes, Kipling says so much. No wonder. It is the fruit of a lifetime's Cross: fighting the good fight.
Never mind that he was a racist; never mind that he was an ultra-right wing jingoist; and ladies, please pardon his misogyny!
We are all cracked pots, aren't we? So what if we curse, forget our manners and sometimes put ourselves first -
When the wine of wisdom flows freely, surely ours, we hope - that has been trodden down in the winepress of our excruciating anguish - will be non pareil, and worthy of the Vintner's seal of approval!
I read this poem in the final year of grammar school. My Dad, a depression-era child of correct Edwardian parents - very much from the Old School of gentrified thinking - had already imprinted its old-time values upon my heart, from the time I was an infant.
It was the era of Excelsiorist thinking that Longfellow lampoons in his classic poem. And my Mom was American, like that poet.
Both Dad and Mom wanted me to "fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run" - give it my best shot. But Mom, ever free and easy, favoured the heart, while Dad favoured the head. She was on Longfellow's side.
This war of opposites created in me a perfect storm - striving for the best while (retreating from Dad's stern discipline) reverting to a lifetime of low-grade ASD.
But I have never given up fighting, thank the Lord. Surely the day I do my brain will revert to mush - sur chatiment! - hence I continue.
My inner child fights on with my introjected discipline...
Yet, I still retain a hope that the Wine I made will pass Muster in the end!
(A note to readers: IF is in the public domain, and ready to read on the web.)
Never mind that he was a racist; never mind that he was an ultra-right wing jingoist; and ladies, please pardon his misogyny!
We are all cracked pots, aren't we? So what if we curse, forget our manners and sometimes put ourselves first -
When the wine of wisdom flows freely, surely ours, we hope - that has been trodden down in the winepress of our excruciating anguish - will be non pareil, and worthy of the Vintner's seal of approval!
I read this poem in the final year of grammar school. My Dad, a depression-era child of correct Edwardian parents - very much from the Old School of gentrified thinking - had already imprinted its old-time values upon my heart, from the time I was an infant.
It was the era of Excelsiorist thinking that Longfellow lampoons in his classic poem. And my Mom was American, like that poet.
Both Dad and Mom wanted me to "fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run" - give it my best shot. But Mom, ever free and easy, favoured the heart, while Dad favoured the head. She was on Longfellow's side.
This war of opposites created in me a perfect storm - striving for the best while (retreating from Dad's stern discipline) reverting to a lifetime of low-grade ASD.
But I have never given up fighting, thank the Lord. Surely the day I do my brain will revert to mush - sur chatiment! - hence I continue.
My inner child fights on with my introjected discipline...
Yet, I still retain a hope that the Wine I made will pass Muster in the end!
(A note to readers: IF is in the public domain, and ready to read on the web.)
March 20, 2014
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
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
September 26, 2021
Simplesmente um livro maravilhoso, amoroso e carregado de emoção.
Um livro escrito pelo autor britânico, nascido em Bombaim, galardoado com o Prémio Nobel em 1907, Rudyard Kipling, e ilustrado pelo italiano, Mauro Envagelista.
Um livro que é um poema lindíssimo, mas não é só um poema é muito mais... É o Amor de um pai pelo filho.
As ilustrações ao longo do livro remetem o leitor para outros livros, outras histórias, desde referências literárias como Dante, no início da "Divina Comédia" a "Dom Quixote de la Mancha".
Conclusão, temos num só livro duas artes que se entrelaçam de uma forma perfeita: a arte de escrever e a arte de desenhar, pintar,...
Gostei mesmo muito deste livro e vai ficar por muito tempo na minha mesinha de cabeceira para o poder contemplar quantas vezes me apetecer. ❤️
Um livro escrito pelo autor britânico, nascido em Bombaim, galardoado com o Prémio Nobel em 1907, Rudyard Kipling, e ilustrado pelo italiano, Mauro Envagelista.
Um livro que é um poema lindíssimo, mas não é só um poema é muito mais... É o Amor de um pai pelo filho.
As ilustrações ao longo do livro remetem o leitor para outros livros, outras histórias, desde referências literárias como Dante, no início da "Divina Comédia" a "Dom Quixote de la Mancha".
Conclusão, temos num só livro duas artes que se entrelaçam de uma forma perfeita: a arte de escrever e a arte de desenhar, pintar,...
Gostei mesmo muito deste livro e vai ficar por muito tempo na minha mesinha de cabeceira para o poder contemplar quantas vezes me apetecer. ❤️
April 19, 2021
So freaking beautiful, very inspirational. Found this when my mom taped it onto the refrigerator lol. But definitely a must read, it's truly a lovely poem.
February 1, 2024
Um livro que se traduz num belíssimo poema!
February 9, 2021
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I love this poem! It's so good and so wise, and very well done.
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....
Read the whole thing. It's short, but so worthwhile.
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....
Read the whole thing. It's short, but so worthwhile.
Read
January 1, 2020Some goods words to bring us into the new year decade.
December 9, 2021
This is a great poem. A father gives great advise to his son on how to be a man. This should be manatory reading in middle school for it is wonderful and sorely needed today.
I recommend this to all.
I recommend this to all.
December 6, 2017
Las únicas letras que acompañan este libro, dejando de lado biografías, son las que componen el poema "If" o "Carta al hijo".
Este poema es más que famoso y creo que justamente lo es por ser tan hermoso, verdadero y atemporal, además que logra enseñar mucho con tan pocas palabras, seguro lo que más les suene sea la estrofa final del poema:
"si puedes llenar el minuto implacable
con sesenta segundos que valgan la pena,
tuya es la Tierra y todo lo que hay en ella,
y -lo que es más- ¡serás un Hombre, hijo mío!"
Y por supuesto, las ilustraciones, realizadas por el italiano Mauro Evangelista son completas obras de arte, que tienen mucho significado y le dan aún más peso a las palabras de Kipling, en especial si se tienen en cuenta las referencias de las mismas que aparecen al final del libro.
Más que recomendable.
Este poema es más que famoso y creo que justamente lo es por ser tan hermoso, verdadero y atemporal, además que logra enseñar mucho con tan pocas palabras, seguro lo que más les suene sea la estrofa final del poema:
"si puedes llenar el minuto implacable
con sesenta segundos que valgan la pena,
tuya es la Tierra y todo lo que hay en ella,
y -lo que es más- ¡serás un Hombre, hijo mío!"
Y por supuesto, las ilustraciones, realizadas por el italiano Mauro Evangelista son completas obras de arte, que tienen mucho significado y le dan aún más peso a las palabras de Kipling, en especial si se tienen en cuenta las referencias de las mismas que aparecen al final del libro.
Más que recomendable.
March 27, 2020
3.5/5 ⭐
August 2, 2016
Κάθε στίχος και μια αξία με την οποία οφείλεις να μεγαλώσεις το παιδί σου για να γίνει Άνθρωπος.
November 2, 2019
Για υπέρμαχος του ιμπεριαλισμού καλά τα είπε....
December 14, 2018
If it is good to stir the coffee-pot.
Then spin what's in to the sides
and never spill one single drop.
Make the fluid rise up,
dry the centre due to the centrifugal,
Sugar cube goes, plop!
If, beset by sombre and dim view,
from the last line as it is written,
Standards are not only masculine issue.
These things need cementing,
One must be this tall,
To climb the stairway to heaven
If not Mister Kipling's bar,
/---------------------------\
I would call in below Historical par
Then spin what's in to the sides
and never spill one single drop.
Make the fluid rise up,
dry the centre due to the centrifugal,
Sugar cube goes, plop!
If, beset by sombre and dim view,
from the last line as it is written,
Standards are not only masculine issue.
These things need cementing,
One must be this tall,
To climb the stairway to heaven
If not Mister Kipling's bar,
/---------------------------\
I would call in below Historical par
June 28, 2020
αν ούτε εχθροί, ούτε αγαπημένοι φίλοι μπορούν να σε πληγώσουν
January 24, 2022
This is my favourite poem. Simple and wise.
March 11, 2019
Este es el primer poema ilustrado que leo y he de decir que me ha gustado bastante este formato. Se trata de un poema de siete estrofas divididas de entre 4 y 8 versos, divididos en un par de versos por página y, cada una de estas, con una ilustración. En este caso, las ilustraciones son minimalistas, pero muy originales.
En cuanto al significado del poema, podría decirse que es un mensaje que Rudyard Kipling, autor de "El libro de la selva", quería dejar como legado a su hijo para que se convirtiera en un adulto bueno, honrado y trabajador.
Sin duda, una buena metáfora y un libro que, por sí solo, un niño es muy muy difícil que comprenda, pero que a su vez es una buena oportunidad para mantener una conversación con los peques en una especie de lectura conjunta/tertulia literaria/debate.
En cuanto al significado del poema, podría decirse que es un mensaje que Rudyard Kipling, autor de "El libro de la selva", quería dejar como legado a su hijo para que se convirtiera en un adulto bueno, honrado y trabajador.
Sin duda, una buena metáfora y un libro que, por sí solo, un niño es muy muy difícil que comprenda, pero que a su vez es una buena oportunidad para mantener una conversación con los peques en una especie de lectura conjunta/tertulia literaria/debate.
November 13, 2018
Κλασσικό και αγαπημένο. Πολύ αισιόδοξο πάραυτα για τα γούστα μου.
February 7, 2018
"If-" by Rudyard Kipling is yet another example of great 19th century poetry. A father's invaluable advice to his son, written with the beauty and elegance that only the 19th century could achieve. Oh wait, I just checked and this poem was first published in 1910 but I will still categorise it as 19th century because it takes a while to get over a century, especially one as interesting as the 19th. Until the mid-1920s, I think it's safe to say that it was still basically the 19th century. It seems like a weak argument just because I'm biased in favour of poetry written in the 1800s and that may be partially true but that doesn't make my argument any weaker or at all invalid. Feel free to argue and I shall take on the challenge.
Anyway, back to the review..
My siblings and I were talking about good poems and my sister mentioned this one (the only one of the ones we talked about that I didn't know) so I set about searching the internet for it. I found it and read it aloud as they listened. And boy was I impressed by it.
I would read this again. And (Naimah is going to be disappointed in me for this) I would gladly sit in an English Literature class and analyse this poem thoroughly. In fact, I wish I could.
What a shame we have to grow up and apart from our old lives. I miss English Lit lessons analysing 19th century poetry with Mr Laing and Mrs Barraclough-Dunn!
Anyway, back to the review..
My siblings and I were talking about good poems and my sister mentioned this one (the only one of the ones we talked about that I didn't know) so I set about searching the internet for it. I found it and read it aloud as they listened. And boy was I impressed by it.
I would read this again. And (Naimah is going to be disappointed in me for this) I would gladly sit in an English Literature class and analyse this poem thoroughly. In fact, I wish I could.
What a shame we have to grow up and apart from our old lives. I miss English Lit lessons analysing 19th century poetry with Mr Laing and Mrs Barraclough-Dunn!
June 27, 2013
It is all unfolded in a very magical onward way ...
The title is put in a very intelligent way to be a very catchy one
the poem itself is a work of art , in one word a masterpiece
The title is put in a very intelligent way to be a very catchy one
the poem itself is a work of art , in one word a masterpiece
October 13, 2020
As I read the short stories in William J. Bennett's The Book of Virtues, I sometimes come away with wanting to review a poem or story separately because it stands out as something I really want to highlight and remember. I chose this Kindle edition, only for the cover art, having read it already and it being quite short, I copied Kipling's "If" below.
As soon as I started to read "If", I knew that I heard the very beginning before but not having read the poem itself, I love this poem which has a father telling his son his thoughts on being a man. One can be a man, regardless but to be truly a man which Kipling, so beautifully professed, is something to really behold.💖
"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! "
On a lighter note, I had heard Fred Flintstone's take on "If", the episode synopsis is below and I could not find the clip of the poem to post.
Copied below from Fandom.
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is the thirty-second episode of the second season and the sixtieth overall episode of the original series, The Flintstones. It aired on April 27, 1962.
Synopsis
Fred becomes a Little League umpire, but is unprepared for the intensity of the competition among the kids' parents.
Plot
Fred hears thumps, from his house's roof, of what he believes is hail- in July. Actually, impact of baseballs on the roof is the source of the sound, baseballs batted from the street by practicing youngsters of the Stone Age Pee-Wee League. Their coach: Barney. Their team name: the Giants, despite their minuscule size.
Arnold the rock-newspaper delivery boy and Mr. Slate's son, Eugene, are some of the Giants, and Fred is persuaded to umpire their practice game, proving with his "big mouth" and overbearing manner to be an excellent umpire prospect for the Bug Leagues. Barney introduces Fred to a Major League Baseball representative, who will hire Fred to officiate in the Major Leagues pending Fred's performance as umpire at a Pee-Wee League game upon which the fathers of Bedrock, including Mr. Slate, base their respect of their sons and which Fred is urged to officiate with favoritism to the home team.
The Major League representative pep-talks Fred to be without bias, unwavering, abrasive, and eager to be hated if that is the result of his unquestionable honesty, and in the Pee-Wee League game against the Grittsburg Pyrites, Fred's crucial decision in a runner/catcher "close call" at home plate is honest and true- and contrary to the Giants, who lose the game. Fred is bombarded by soda pop bottles by the irate fathers of the Giants, and an anonymous person throws a note attached to a rock through a Flintstone home window, saying, "Reverse your decision-- or else."
The Giants march to Fred's door to apologize for their fathers' poor sportsmanship, and Fred joins the boys in appearing before the fathers of Bedrock and informing them that the Giants will found their own, secret sandlot and play baseball entirely for fun- without adult interference. "
I admit I am a big fan of The Flintstones!💕
As soon as I started to read "If", I knew that I heard the very beginning before but not having read the poem itself, I love this poem which has a father telling his son his thoughts on being a man. One can be a man, regardless but to be truly a man which Kipling, so beautifully professed, is something to really behold.💖
"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! "
On a lighter note, I had heard Fred Flintstone's take on "If", the episode synopsis is below and I could not find the clip of the poem to post.
Copied below from Fandom.
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is the thirty-second episode of the second season and the sixtieth overall episode of the original series, The Flintstones. It aired on April 27, 1962.
Synopsis
Fred becomes a Little League umpire, but is unprepared for the intensity of the competition among the kids' parents.
Plot
Fred hears thumps, from his house's roof, of what he believes is hail- in July. Actually, impact of baseballs on the roof is the source of the sound, baseballs batted from the street by practicing youngsters of the Stone Age Pee-Wee League. Their coach: Barney. Their team name: the Giants, despite their minuscule size.
Arnold the rock-newspaper delivery boy and Mr. Slate's son, Eugene, are some of the Giants, and Fred is persuaded to umpire their practice game, proving with his "big mouth" and overbearing manner to be an excellent umpire prospect for the Bug Leagues. Barney introduces Fred to a Major League Baseball representative, who will hire Fred to officiate in the Major Leagues pending Fred's performance as umpire at a Pee-Wee League game upon which the fathers of Bedrock, including Mr. Slate, base their respect of their sons and which Fred is urged to officiate with favoritism to the home team.
The Major League representative pep-talks Fred to be without bias, unwavering, abrasive, and eager to be hated if that is the result of his unquestionable honesty, and in the Pee-Wee League game against the Grittsburg Pyrites, Fred's crucial decision in a runner/catcher "close call" at home plate is honest and true- and contrary to the Giants, who lose the game. Fred is bombarded by soda pop bottles by the irate fathers of the Giants, and an anonymous person throws a note attached to a rock through a Flintstone home window, saying, "Reverse your decision-- or else."
The Giants march to Fred's door to apologize for their fathers' poor sportsmanship, and Fred joins the boys in appearing before the fathers of Bedrock and informing them that the Giants will found their own, secret sandlot and play baseball entirely for fun- without adult interference. "
I admit I am a big fan of The Flintstones!💕
January 10, 2020
Precedent setting!
...
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
...
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
Read
May 7, 2020This poem is outstanding, as one would expect from the famed Rudyard Kipling. In his unique style, Kipling puts words on a page to give advice to his son and share his dreams for him.
If there was ever time to be a dreamer, middle school would be a great time. It is also a time where giving advice seems to be just as important as getting it. I remember one of my favorite things to do on the quiet afternoons would be to text my friends and just shoot the breeze. Most of the time we would just talk aimlessly and would give each other pointers on what to do in whatever situation we found ourselves in. While most of this was probably superfluous or ineffective, it certainly made me feel appreciated and strengthened the love and relationships I had for my friends. One of my favorite definitions of love is by Thomas Aquinas and he defines love as to will the good of another. The poem certainly embodies that type of love.
In order to incorporate a writing task to strengthen the authenticity and genuine qualities of this text, I would use this bit of poetry as a jumping off point for students to write their own advice to the next incoming class. By implementing this share your expertise exercise explained by Kelly Gallagher in his book, Write Like This, this writing task not only allows students to be reflective on the choices they made over the year, but also gives them an opportunity to inform, explain, and practice loving complete strangers by willing the good of the other.
If there was ever time to be a dreamer, middle school would be a great time. It is also a time where giving advice seems to be just as important as getting it. I remember one of my favorite things to do on the quiet afternoons would be to text my friends and just shoot the breeze. Most of the time we would just talk aimlessly and would give each other pointers on what to do in whatever situation we found ourselves in. While most of this was probably superfluous or ineffective, it certainly made me feel appreciated and strengthened the love and relationships I had for my friends. One of my favorite definitions of love is by Thomas Aquinas and he defines love as to will the good of another. The poem certainly embodies that type of love.
In order to incorporate a writing task to strengthen the authenticity and genuine qualities of this text, I would use this bit of poetry as a jumping off point for students to write their own advice to the next incoming class. By implementing this share your expertise exercise explained by Kelly Gallagher in his book, Write Like This, this writing task not only allows students to be reflective on the choices they made over the year, but also gives them an opportunity to inform, explain, and practice loving complete strangers by willing the good of the other.
May 24, 2025
SI | Rudyard Kipling
“Si…” de Rudyard Kipling es un poema inspirador que funciona casi como un manual de vida, ofreciendo consejos sobre la templanza, la resiliencia, la humildad y la autodisciplina.
Escrito en forma de carta de un padre a su hijo, el poema sintetiza ideales y valores que promueven una masculinidad basada en el equilibrio emocional y la fuerza interior más que en la agresividad.
Como madre, lectora y profesora, valoro profundamente la claridad con que Kipling transmite lecciones atemporales sobre cómo enfrentar la adversidad sin perder la cabeza ni el corazón. Desde una mirada crítica, sin embargo, se puede señalar que su visión puede sentirse rígida o idealizada, especialmente desde perspectivas contemporáneas más inclusivas y emocionalmente expresivas.
Lo que más me gustó fue la potencia ética de sus versos y su capacidad de inspirar, mientras que lo que menos disfruté fue la falta de matices afectivos o vulnerabilidad emocional.
Las ideas fuerza del poema, como mantener la calma ante la injusticia, confiar en uno mismo sin despreciar otras opiniones y saber perder o triunfar sin dejarse dominar por ninguno, lo convierten en un texto breve pero profundo, ideal para reflexionar sobre la madurez, el carácter y el liderazgo personal.
“Si…” de Rudyard Kipling es un poema inspirador que funciona casi como un manual de vida, ofreciendo consejos sobre la templanza, la resiliencia, la humildad y la autodisciplina.
Escrito en forma de carta de un padre a su hijo, el poema sintetiza ideales y valores que promueven una masculinidad basada en el equilibrio emocional y la fuerza interior más que en la agresividad.
Como madre, lectora y profesora, valoro profundamente la claridad con que Kipling transmite lecciones atemporales sobre cómo enfrentar la adversidad sin perder la cabeza ni el corazón. Desde una mirada crítica, sin embargo, se puede señalar que su visión puede sentirse rígida o idealizada, especialmente desde perspectivas contemporáneas más inclusivas y emocionalmente expresivas.
Lo que más me gustó fue la potencia ética de sus versos y su capacidad de inspirar, mientras que lo que menos disfruté fue la falta de matices afectivos o vulnerabilidad emocional.
Las ideas fuerza del poema, como mantener la calma ante la injusticia, confiar en uno mismo sin despreciar otras opiniones y saber perder o triunfar sin dejarse dominar por ninguno, lo convierten en un texto breve pero profundo, ideal para reflexionar sobre la madurez, el carácter y el liderazgo personal.
January 21, 2019
This gorgeously illustrated poem made into a book is one of my most inspiring bits of reading I’ve ever come across. I start a new job in a few days in the mental health industry and this book will come live on my desk with me. A little push, a gentle reminder. Go the extra inch, try something new. Don’t be afraid of if, just do.
May 10, 2024
A friend recently recommended me this Short Poem. We were talking about Overthinking and he quoted this line by Rudyard: "If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim." So i looked it up and realized that this book is one of the best Classics portraying a Father's advice to his Son.
Read and loved it.
5 ⭐
Read and loved it.
5 ⭐
March 9, 2017
The illustrations didn't always illustrate the text as well for me. But this poem--whose last line I know very well--was one I did not know. And found much beauty and depth in. So though the pictures didn't help with the words, they did, however, reflect the depth and wishing found in the poem.
August 20, 2020
Κλασσικό αλλά πάντα ζωντανό. Παραινέσεις και σοφά λόγια που θα έπρεπε να αποτελούν οδηγό ζωής για μικρά αλλά και μεγάλα παιδιά. Ίσως διαβάζοντάς τα κάθε μέρα και κανον��άς τα πράξη θα μπορούσαμε να γίνουμε λίγο καλύτεροι Άνθρωποι...
January 17, 2021
I’m reading this poem for my British novels class. I really enjoyed annotating it line by line. It was beautifully written. The word choice is incredible. I loved picking it apart and defining every line. I can’t wait to discuss it with my class! LOVED IT!
October 4, 2021
A really beautiful, inspirational poem, and one that I really feel despite speaking to the heart or possibly because of that fact, is able to pull a range of emotions out of the reader depending upon their mood and day.
One I will definitely refer back to from time to time.
One I will definitely refer back to from time to time.
November 16, 2017
Brings a tear of pride to my eye by the last line.
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