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!
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| In their 2nd fight, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, knocked Sonny Liston out in Round One to retain the heavyweight title. Like in the first fight, where Liston failed to answer the bell in Round Seven, Clay was too fast for Liston. In his own words, Clay "shook up the world." After beating the "killing machine", Clay was beginning to call himself "the greatest"/ |
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| When almost everybody thought he was only fighting for the money, Muhammad Ali, trailing in points, unleashed a powerful right that staggered defending champion George Foreman and, then, followed this with more powerful punches to knock Foreman out in Round 8. Again, he beat a seemingly indestructible opponent by employing good strategy backed by powerful punches to regain the heavyweight title at age 32. |
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| Dubbed "Rumble in the Jungle", George Foreman was heavily favored to retain his title. But Muhammad Ali proved them wrong. |
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| Not intimidated by then reigning champion Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield showed to millions of boxing fans that he was stronger, and definitely, was much better than Tyson as the referee stopped the fight in Round 11 to win the WBA heavyweight title. |
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| Frenchman Jacques Anquetil was the first cyclist to win the grueling Tour de France five times. He was regarded as a legend in his own time. |
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| These guys started their friendship in the mid 60s. They have one thing in common -- love for sports. They are into basketball, tennis, golf and pingpong. Their interest in sports has not waned. And all these years, they have been guided by Kipling's IF. From left, Nelson Quito, Ted Gener, Bob Soliongco, Rouel Quito and Willie Lim. - Konted |
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