There are many moral values that Kipling makes reference to in the poem “If”. In the very first stanza of the poem, he states,
“If you can keep your head when all about you /
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,” (lines 1-2)
In these two lines, Kipling is discussing the value of staying calm and relaxed when faced with difficult situations.
Lines 3 and 4 begin a new value which is believing in yourself when others do not, but, at the same time, being aware that others doubt you. In these lines he states,
” If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too” (lines 3-4)
Continuing on in the same stanza, Kipling says,
“If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise.” (lines 5-8)
Here, he looks at a few different values; line 5 talks about the virtue of patience; line 6 warns the reader not to lie or deal with anyone who does lie. In line 7 Kipling would like his reader to think about the implications of hating or loathing another. The final line of this stanza is quite possibly the most important when dealing with values these days and tells the reader that he/she should not try to show off but be more modest in his/her ways.
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