Meaning of “If a man does not keep pace with…”

A life copied from convention leaves important human faculties unused; choosing deliberately requires observation, judgment and firmness.

The line makes self-trust a prerequisite for independent thought and action.

Wilde separates deliberate individual living from merely passing through existence, making self-realization and chosen purpose part of what it means to live fully.

The passage favors an examined personal direction over drifting into a life selected by convention.

Failure becomes useful when it is examined and incorporated into future conduct instead of being allowed to settle a person’s sense of dignity or possibility.

Asking for help does not replace the responsibility to make the effort that is already within one’s own power.