“If” Poem Summary

In the poem “If”, it addresses the theme of how the ideal man should act. A man should be humble, consistent, patient, dependable, and trustworthy. He will have to understand that he must have faith in himself when others doubt him, and even when being hated, to not give in and do the same. His words may be twisted and used against him, and deal with the wavering societal norms. He has to have the right balance between being confident and humble. In the poem, “If”, Rudyard Kipling shows the characteristics of being a man, his stoicism.