IF

Rudyard Kipling informs his audience in the poem "If-" that success comes from not taking life too seriously. He counsels staying loyal to oneself, taking risks, and not letting emotions control one's actions.

Composure and Self-Restraint champions a morality built on moderation. In this poem, he advises his son to move through life with composure and to always exercise self-control, integrity, and humility.

This means never letting "Triumph" nor "Disaster"—events either good or bad—go to one's head.