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

Rudyard Kipling, If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)

What it means

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.

The source

"Meet Triumph and Disaster. Treat those two impostors the same." Rudyard Kipling said it in If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910). Written in English: Rewards and Fairies, 1910.

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same;"

Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910). Text read at gutenberg.org.

Who said it

Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). English writer born in Bombay, author of The Jungle Book and the poem If—, first printed in Rewards and Fairies (1910).

Questions

What does "Meet Triumph and Disaster. Treat those two impostors the same." mean?: 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.
Who said "Meet Triumph and Disaster. Treat those two impostors the same."?: Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). Source: If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910).
What is the original wording?: If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same; (Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)). Written in English: Rewards and Fairies, 1910.
Is "Meet Triumph and Disaster. Treat those two impostors the same." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Meet Triumph and Disaster. Treat those two impostors the same." (Rudyard Kipling, If— (Rewards and Fairies, 1910), trans. Original English (Rewards and Fairies, 1910)). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/meet-triumph-and-disaster-treat-those-two-impostors