You probably enjoyed Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” as a child, and now that you are older you can learn many life lessons from Rudyard Kipling. In addition to writing popular children’s stories and becoming the highest paid writer in the world, Rudyard Kipling lived a life with many ups and downs. When his bank failed he went bankrupt, he lost his daughter to pneumonia, and he lost his son in World War One. While these tragedies were painful, they also made him a very wise man, which is why there are many life lessons from Rudyard Kipling.
One of the poignant lessons from Rudyard Kipling is, “We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse.” Failure is an inevitable part of life, and it is something that each person has to deal with. As Kipling points out, there are no excuses for failure. When you fail, learn from your failure and move on with grace and courage toward success.
Taking responsibility for our failures rather than concocting excuses not only displays integrity but also propels personal growth. Kipling's wisdom resonates especially in today's culture, where shifting blame is all too common. Instead of falling into this trap, embracing our missteps can lead to empowerment and a deeper understanding of ourselves. In doing so, we find the courage to pursue our aspirations, undeterred by the fear of failure, thus aligning with Kipling's enduring philosophy of resilience and tenacity.
It can be tempting to look at your past and wish you could change decisions you made, or even wish you could go back to a time when things were better. However, Kipling points out, “Never look backwards, or you’ll fall down the stairs.” Staying in the past will not help you move forward. It is much better to focus on the present and prepare for the future. You cannot change the past, but you can enjoy the present.
Hard work and diligence are two things that will allow you to achieve almost anything, but sometimes you do have to put in a lot of work before you can enjoy the outcome. Kipling understood this when he stated, “Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” Just like a garden is made by intensive labor, goals are achieved by hard work. So, when you are working hard to achieve your goal, remember that you will be rewarded by a beautiful garden in the end.
Hard work and diligence are two things that will allow you to achieve almost anything, but sometimes you do have to put in a lot of work before you can enjoy the outcome. Kipling understood this when he stated, “Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” Just like a garden is made by intensive labor, goals are achieved by hard work. So, when you are working hard to achieve your goal, remember that you will be rewarded by a beautiful garden in the end. Stay patient and resilient, as the fruits of your labor will bring immense satisfaction and beauty to your life.
Rudyard Kipling wisely declared, “Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst is our own fears.” Fear can be a very powerful emotion. It can paralyze you and stop you from trying to achieve your goals. However, when you are experience fear, it is important to remember what Kipling said, fear is a liar. Your fears are not reality, so don’t listen to them.
Unfortunately, people can be judgmental of others. However, being judgmental doesn’t do anyone any good. Kipling asserted, “I always prefer to believe the best in everybody, it saves so much trouble.” Believing in the best in people will help you have much more positive relationships, which is something that is very important in life.
In “The Jungle Book,” Rudyard Kipling wrote, “For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.” In your group of friends or family, it is important to take care of one another, because each person derives their strength from the others. When you are down, your friends pick you up and vice-versa.
Kipling asserted, “He travels fastest who travels alone.” However, traveling fast in this case is not a good thing. Relationships are important. You don’t want to rush through life trying to achieve your goals as fast as possible. Enjoy the process and make friends along the way. Life is meant to be traveled with others.
Rudyard Kipling was an extremely talented writer who lived a full life with many ups and downs. His talent as a writer and his life experiences gave him the ability to pass on many life lessons. Which of these life lessons resonated with you the most?