When you get what in the struggle for self, 

And the world makes you king for a day, 

Then go to your mirror and look at yourself, 

And see what the man has to say, 

For it isn't your father, your mother or wife, 

Whose judgement of you - you must pass, 

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life, 

Is the guy staring back in the glass. 

He is the man you must please - never mind all the rest. 

For he's with you clear to the end, 

And you have passed your most difficult test, 

When the man in the glass is your friend, 

You can be like another and chisel a plum, 

And think you're a wonderful guy, 

But the man in the glass says you're a bum, 

If you can't look him straight in the eye, 

You can fool the whole world, 

Down the pathway of years, 

And get pats on your back as you pass, 

But your final reward will be heartache and tears,

If you've cheated the man in the glass.

poet - unknown