Both are by Rudyard Kipling. The first is an excerpt from some of his writing that seems to some up my life at the moment. The second pretty much embodies the basics of manhood. Enjoy...

1..Small miseries, like small debts, hit us in so many places, and meet us at so many turns and corners, that what they want in weight, they make up in number, and render it less hazardous to stand the fire of one cannon ball, than a volley composed of such a shower of bullets.

2..[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 all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath 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

"some" should be "Sum"...sorry

you should be punished, you had a word wrong lol. nice.

I, know I should be performing various acts of flagellation as we speak. I'm simply devastated. Just kidding. Hey look on the bright side I'm a guy that openly acknowledges mistakes and does his best to correct them! That's got to be a rarity!

Bravo!!!

It is definately a rarity...we need more people like you in this world.

That was quite possibly the best compliment I have ever received. Thank you so much!

Your very welcome!!!! Its the truth. Glad you joined the site. I think you will find a lot of friends here.

very nice, thanks for sharing

Welcome Moreyd


Well, well, well .... Kipling huh?

*nods and smiles*