The poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling itemizes the ups and downs associated with life and how to find mental and emotional balance while going through them. There are pieces of advice associated with all aspects and ages of life, from the very young to the very old. Kipling addresses success, failure, crisis, manners, ethics, the golden rule, and taking risks in life; then he advises how to handle them all with a humble attitude and without complaining. Then, at the very end, after making a list of many of the attitudes and events that might face a person in life, he makes the following promise:
"Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!" (Lines 31-32).
The promise is that anything in life and on the Earth can be yours if you follow these principles. The effort to obtain manhood, or a fulfilling and abundant life, is available if one behaves properly under pressure as well as while succeeding. This is great advice!
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