《If》是英国诗人、诺贝尔文学奖获奖作家Rudyard Kipling写给儿子的励志诗。在他的文字面前，马克·吐温都要敬仰三分，这首相当励志的诗歌，曾被译成27国语言作为学习的教材，里面的许多金句，都被很多的青年拿来当做自己奋斗路上的座右铭，据说迈克尔·杰克逊的妈妈把它刻在了儿子的墓碑上。

　　If

　　By Joseph 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,

　　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!"

　　Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

　　And — which is more — you'll be a man, my son!

　　（编辑：李思）