Desiderata: Original Text
Back to index of documentsThis is the original text from the book where Desiderata was first published.
- Go placidly amid the noise & the haste, & remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
- Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull & the ignorant; they too have their story.
- Avoid loud & aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
- Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
- Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
- Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
- Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
- Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness.
- Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees & the stars; you have a right to be here.
- And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. & whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
by Max Ehrmann ©1927