Robert Burns also stresses on the importance of self- respect with honesty. However much success a person gains, if he or she does not possess the required amount of self- respect, their life is useless. Respecting oneself is extremely essential but respecting others is also equally significant if one desires to secure a good future for all, a future that is full of mutual respect and brotherhood among all the individuals. Self- respect, honesty and respecting others as much as an individual respects himself is essential for all; a man characterized by these entire traits can be termed as a perfect human being according to Burns. Burns, time and again also stresses on the importance of hope in an individual’s life. If hope is absent in a life, in the life of any individual as a matter of fact, the mere essence of existence is lost.
A man without hope is similar to a dead man. Living with hopes is essential for the survival of mankind. In a crux Robert Burns in this beautiful poem depicts the necessities of the entire character of a man, he essentially says how an individual should be in his or her lifetime.