12-06-2015, 22:39
(12-06-2015 22:21 )gunnar Wrote: [ -> ]^If
If you can pretend to give 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 fake it with listeners and talkers
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 butter them up about their 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 voice and rack and ass
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 sex with weirdos and keep your virtue,
Or walk without panties—and never spread it,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much credit;
If you can vamp the unforgiving 3 minute clock
With sixty seconds’ worth of sneering lip curl,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Babeshow Babe, my girl!
(with apologies and credit to the original - surprisingly apposite, very few words actually changed.
He made exceedingly good cakes too...oh no wait that might have been another bloke)