“If” by Rudyard Kipling and “The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt.
Sometimes we have to recover from hardships like divorce, failure, betrayal, death, or loss and find the will to carry on. President Theodore Roosevelt’s speech “The Man in the Arena” and Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” have guided me through those times.
Roosevelt says, “It is not the critic who counts. … The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.” That person may continuously fall short, but at least they are striving to do something. Even if they fail, they do so “while daring greatly,” unlike the “cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
“If” explains how the world can be yours — if you can dream and think without letting dreams or thoughts take over you. If you can handle both triumph and disaster. If you can risk everything and start again if you lose. If you never give up. —James Daily, founding partner of Daily Law Group, which helps high-profile clients with fiduciary abuse litigation, including fraud, crisis management, and business and family disputes; connect with James on LinkedIn
