How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; (1-2)
The important, stoic principle of maintaining control is expressed right at the beginning of the poem. The whole idea of "keeping one's head" applies to other stoical ideas in the poem: not giving in to hate, not despairing over defeat, and not giving in to physical exhaustion.
Quote #2
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, (5-7)
Stoicism is about being patient and about not giving in. These lines say it best. "Don't deal in lies," and "don't give way to hating." Hating, lying—these are negative things, and giving into them is a way of losing control of one's emotional equilibrium.
Quote #3
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: (9-12)
We meet the idea of control again, this time with dreams and thoughts. The neatest thing about these lines is the rhyme on "master" and "disaster." The poem very cleverly tells us that a key aspect of stoicism is mastering disaster—emotional, literal, or any other kind.