Rudyard Kipling – ‘Six Honest Men’

If you are reflecting or planning for 2012, here are some wise words to consider. Particularly – What, Where, When, How, Why, and Who.

Six Honest Men

I keep six honest serving-men:
(They taught me all I knew)
Their names are What and Where and When
And How and Why and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.

I let them rest from nine till five.
For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men:
But different folk have different views:
I know a person small–
She keeps ten million serving-men,
Who get no rest at all!
She sends ’em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes–
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
The Elephant’s Child