Writers
Poetry Conversations:
If—
By Gloria Gaither
Watch and listen as Gloria Gaither (a former high school English teacher) and Andy Andrews (a former high school poetry hater) discuss Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If—.” This incredible piece touches on humility, patience, arrogance, triumph, disasters, and begs the question, are you as comfortable and real everywhere in your life—from one place to another?
"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 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!
The Cask of Amontillado
First published in 1846, this grim short story is told from the perspective of a man whose family name has been insulted by an arrogant wine...
Timeless Wisdom from the Traveler
Timeless Wisdom provides you with seven principles demonstrated by great men and women throughout history: Harry S. Truman, Anne Frank, King...
Writing for Different Audiences: Tailoring Your Message
Picture yourself at your annual office Christmas party. Chances are, you wouldn’t chat with your CEO the same way you’d share a laugh with your...
American Held Hostage: 444 Days in Iran
Remember “America Held Hostage!” Have you ever pondered the depths of human endurance, facing peril in a distant land away from loved...
What If? Seven Retellings of the Tortoise and the Hare
The timeless fable of The Tortoise and the Hare offers not only a moral lesson in perseverance and humility, but also a unique opportunity to...
Letters from Sports Heroes
Read when can happen when you never give up and go for it!
0 Comments