If you can dream–and not make dreams your master;
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
. . .
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And–which is more–you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling's "If—" is a time-honored poem, echoing the virtues esteemed in early 20th-century masculinity. Through a series of conditional statements, Kipling outlines the qualities he believed were necessary to achieve greatness and maturity. The poem encourages a balance between ambition and humility, urging the reader to dream and think without being enslaved by these pursuits. It also posits that true strength lies in emotional resilience: treating "Triumph and Disaster" equally. This balanced approach to life's highs and lows serves as a guideline for becoming a well-rounded individual. Kipling's crescendo toward the poem's conclusion emphasizes the importance of diligence and perseverance, encapsulated in the phrase "fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run." If one embodies these ideals, Kipling promises the ultimate reward: mastery over one’s environment and entry into the realm of adulthood, marked by the words "you'll be a Man, my son!"