From the point of view of the speaker of "The White Man's Burden," the empire suffers more from the burden of colonialism than the colony. To the speaker, the white colonizers sacrifice their best men to go to the aid of a "sullen" people who are "half devil and half child."

The poem goes on to outline the sacrifices the white conquerers make to civilize "captive" Native peoples. Whites are patient as they face "terror." They are simple and open as they try to communicate with other cultures for the other's "profit" and "gain."

Whites feed the hungry and cure diseases only to be repaid with the "sloth" and "heathen folly" that ruin white hopes for bringing civilization to native peoples. Whites are met with what the speaker calls, ironically, the "old reward" of having their efforts met with "blame." The whites meet with "hate" and complaints as they try to help.

The speaker depicts it as noble for the whites to take on the burden of imperialism and admonishes them to hide their weariness and keep on going against the ingratitude they face.

The poem has become notorious in modern times for solely representing the perspective of the colonizer and displaying no understanding that the colonized might reasonably resent the intrusion of unwanted invaders coming to exploit them and impose white culture on them.