The Paradoxical Commandments

I found this in a magazine a couple years ago. I am trying to incorporate these ideas into my life. There's a funny story about it too. This was written in 1968 by a man named Kent Keith. Then in 1997 he was at a Rotery Club meeting and one of the presenters wanted to read a poem by Mother Teresa (it was shortly after her death). He proceeded to read these commandments and Kent Keith was stunned. He looked through a bunch of books relating to Mother Teresa and then he found it, no author was listed, but the reference said 'from a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, Mother Teresa's childrens home in Calcutta'. How strange to have something you wrote in college (for a student leadership manual no less) end up being credited to Mother Teresa. Anyway, they are great commandments to live by.

The Paradoxical Commandments

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
LOVE THEM ANYWAY

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
DO GOOD ANYWAY

3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
SUCCEED ANYWAY

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
DO GOOD ANYWAY

5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY

6. 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

7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
FIGHT FOR A FEW UNDERDOGS ANYWAY

8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
BUILD ANYWAY

9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY

10. Give the world the best you have and you'lll get kicked in the teeth.
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU HAVE ANYWAY.