What I Read This Weekend

If—, by Rudyard Kipling

To extol literature is to celebrate creativity, shared values and the ability to distill life’s lessons in more engaging — and at times more effective — ways than day-to-day parenting, especially with teenagers. But to laud literature is not particularly original: writing is one of the cornerstones of civilization. Still, not every novel, essay, or poem carries the same weight. Among those considered seminal, few are more frequently invoked, and less frequently reread, than Rudyard Kipling’s If—.

Etched on office walls, locker room doors, and motivational posters, the poem is often cited for its rallying vision of perseverance. But beyond its familiar inspiration lies something more enduring: a blueprint for moral discipline.

Mr. Kipling’s virtues (patience, courage, temperance, resilience, humility) call for a harder path. To celebrate self-restraint in an age addicted to outbursts, to praise inner resolve when external validation is the alpha and the omega, and to reward character when visibility is the benchmark of success is anything but fashionable. These virtues are difficult to adopt and even harder to sustain. But they are timeless and universal precisely because they ask us to prioritize society over self.

If— reminds us that strength does not require applause. It lives in quiet conviction. “If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken / Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools…” The poem does not honor loudness or visibility. It asks us to remain anchored, especially when the world around us convulses.

The final promise Mr. Kipling offers is neither fame nor fortune, but maturity. “You’ll be a Man, my son.” In a time when moral compasses often spin, If— reminds us that self-worth is earned, not claimed.

English: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if---

French: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/if-si.html-6

Italian: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/if-se.html-0