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Spartan Surfers

1865–1936

Rudyard Kipling

English writer born in Bombay, author of The Jungle Book and the poem If—, first printed in Rewards and Fairies (1910).

9 sourced lines

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. Keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.

    Panic spreads, and so does blame. Kipling's first test of character is staying calm while others lose control. Be the steady one in the room.

    If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)

  2. Trust yourself when all men doubt you.

    Hold your ground when everyone doubts you, but hear their doubts out. Kipling asks for confidence without arrogance. Listen, then decide.

    If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)

  3. Meet Triumph and Disaster. Treat those two impostors the same.

    Kipling calls both success and failure impostors because neither tells you who you are. Win without swelling and lose without collapsing. This line hangs over the players' entrance at Wimbledon's Centre Court.

    If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)

  4. Lose it all, start again, and never breathe a word.

    Risk big, and if you lose, start over without complaining. Kipling values quiet resilience over self-pity. Get back to the beginning and build.

    If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)

  5. Hold on when there is nothing in you but the will.

    When heart, nerve and muscle are spent, the will can still say hold on. Endurance is the last thing left and often the thing that decides it. Hang on one more round.

    If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)

  6. Fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds of distance run.

    Time never gives back a minute, so Kipling calls it unforgiving. Make every second count toward the distance. Run the whole minute.

    If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)

  7. Dream, but don't make dreams your master.

    Dreams give direction, but they make poor bosses. Keep dreaming and keep your hands on the work. Dream in service of doing.

    If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)

  8. The strength of the pack is the wolf. The strength of the wolf is the pack.

    A team is only as strong as each member, and each member draws strength from the team. Neither stands without the other. Show up for your people and let them carry you when needed.

    The Law of the Jungle (The Second Jungle Book, 1895), Original English (The Second Jungle Book, 1895)

  9. Something hidden. Go and find it.

    Kipling's settler is told the land ends at the foothills, but a whisper keeps telling him to go look. Curiosity is a call worth answering. Look behind your own ranges.

    The Explorer (The Five Nations, 1903), Original English (The Five Nations, 1903)