Happy Mother's Day 2014 to all the readers of this site who may be Moms!
Today, I'm continuing my series of "The Wisdom of ..." with a poem by, appropriately on this day, Mother Teresa. She hung up on the wall of her children's home in Calcutta a poem called "Anyway". It was not attributed and because of that this poem is often attributed to her. Without further delay, please check it out.
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered,
LOVE THEM ANYWAY
If you do good, people will accuse you of
selfish, ulterior motives,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
If you are successful,
you win false friends and true enemies,
SUCCEED ANYWAY
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable,
BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY
What you spent years building may be
destroyed overnight,
BUILD ANYWAY
People really need help
but may attack you if you help them,
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY
Give the world the best you have
And you'll get kicked in the teeth,
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY.
The truth of the matter is that the poem "Anyway", often attributed to Mother Teresa, was a slightly altered version of the below piece.
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001
Remember: "Do it anyway!"
For other entries in my "The Wisdom of ..." series, please check out:
Please check out these other posts on Poetry:
- "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley
- "The Man in the Arena" by Theodore Roosevelt
- "If" by Rudyard Kipling
- "Desiderata" by Max Ehrmann
- Assorted poems by Yamaoka Tesshu
- Poem by Dan Inosanto
- Aubrey Marcus' What is a Warrior?
- "Samurai Song" by Robert Pinsky (1940-) & World Poetry Day
- "Fearless" - a poem by Renzo Gracie
- "For I Have Strayed From the Path..." - a poem by Stickgrappler
For more information, please check out:
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