Rudyard Kipling Quote

One man in a thousand, Solomon says.Will stick more close than a brother.And it's worth while seeking him half your daysIf you find him before the other.Nine hundred and ninety-nine dependOn what the world sees in you,But the Thousandth Man will stand your friendWith the whole round world agin you.'Tis neither promise nor prayer nor showWill settle the finding for 'ee.Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em goBy your looks, or your acts, or your glory.But if he finds you and you find him,The rest of the world don't matter;For the Thousandth Man will sink or swimWith you in any water.You can use his purse with no more talkThan he uses yours for his spendings,And laugh and meet in your daily walkAs though there had been no lendings.Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em callFor silver and gold in their dealings;But the Thousandth Man he's worth 'em allBecause you can show him your feelings.His wrong's your wrong, and his right's your right,In season or out of season.Stand up and back it in all men's sightWith that for your only reason!Nine hundred and ninety-nine can't bideThe shame or mocking or laughter,

Rudyard Kipling

One man in a thousand, Solomon says.Will stick more close than a brother.And it's worth while seeking him half your daysIf you find him before the other.Nine hundred and ninety-nine dependOn what the world sees in you,But the Thousandth Man will stand your friendWith the whole round world agin you.'Tis neither promise nor prayer nor showWill settle the finding for 'ee.Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em goBy your looks, or your acts, or your glory.But if he finds you and you find him,The rest of the world don't matter;For the Thousandth Man will sink or swimWith you in any water.You can use his purse with no more talkThan he uses yours for his spendings,And laugh and meet in your daily walkAs though there had been no lendings.Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em callFor silver and gold in their dealings;But the Thousandth Man he's worth 'em allBecause you can show him your feelings.His wrong's your wrong, and his right's your right,In season or out of season.Stand up and back it in all men's sightWith that for your only reason!Nine hundred and ninety-nine can't bideThe shame or mocking or laughter,

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About Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( RUD-yərd; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936) was an English journalist, novelist, poet and short-story writer. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
Kipling's works of fiction include the Jungle Book duology (The Jungle Book, 1894; The Second Jungle Book, 1895), Kim (1901), the Just So Stories (1902) and many short stories, including "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888). His poems include "Mandalay" (1890), "Gunga Din" (1890), "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" (1919), "The White Man's Burden" (1899) and "If—" (1910). He is seen as an innovator in the art of the short story. His children's books are classics; one critic noted "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was among the United Kingdom's most popular writers. Henry James said "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius, as distinct from fine intelligence, that I have ever known." In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, as the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and at 41, its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and several times for a knighthood, but declined both. Following his death in 1936, his ashes were interred at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.
Kipling's subsequent reputation has changed with the political and social climate of the age. The contrasting views of him continued for much of the 20th century. The literary critic Douglas Kerr wrote: “[Kipling] is still an author who can inspire passionate disagreement and his place in literary and cultural history is far from settled. But as the age of the European empires recedes, he is recognised as an incomparable, if controversial, interpreter of how empire was experienced. That, and an increasing recognition of his extraordinary narrative gifts, make him a force to be reckoned with."