Introduction
Hello again. My name is Ken Webb. It is 28 May 2025 at 1730 hours, or 5:30 PM for you civilian types. I’m speaking to you from the beautiful, sunny district of Miraflores, right here in Lima, Peru.
Right now, my crime thriller novel Trapped in Deception is with a paid beta reader. While I wait for her feedback before diving back into edits, I’m taking time to share some of the literature that has shaped minds and hearts for generations.
Today’s reading is a poem that speaks directly to the soul of any man who has faced hardship, uncertainty, or temptation. It is a blueprint for character. A reminder of what it means to stand tall when the world tries to bend you. This is If— by Rudyard Kipling.
Sit back. Listen closely.
“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!
Thank you for listening to me today. I hope Kipling’s words reminded you, as they reminded me, of the kind of strength and steadiness we are all called to live out.
If this moved you, I invite you to check out my upcoming novel Trapped in Deception. You can follow along at kenwebb69.com, or join me on YouTube and Facebook for more readings and reflections.
Also, don’t forget to take a look at the three book cover options I’ve posted. Leave a comment with your favorite one, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a free copy of the book when it launches.
Until next time, take care of yourself and the people around you. God bless everyone.