Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and 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 and clearly;
and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and 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 and 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 and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and 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. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
*******
The poem “Desiderata” was really popular and widely distributed in poster form in the 1960s and 1970s. This „Words for life” text is a list of things desirable in life.
For a long time, there was a legend that it had been found on an old piece of parchment in St Paul’s Church in Baltimore and that the poem itself dated from the late 1600s.
But that was not the case. Desiderata (Latin: "things desired") is an early 1920s prose poem written by the the American writer Max Ehrmann from Terra Haute, Indiana, about 1927. He was a lawyer, turned poet, and wrote a fair amount of other works, but the Desiderata poem is his most famous work.
The poem is full of magnificent language and is a great example of the New Thought philosophy that was popular in the early part of the 20th century. Sometimes the language of the poem is so majestic that it’s difficult to understand.
The meaning of life is explained in the simplest way in thirty lines. The text is used in some therapeutic communities, as it is full of optimism and wisdom, it calms and inspires energy to develop and deal with challenges in life.
It creates a desire to live a balanced, harmonious and peaceful life; A desire to find happiness in life… to discover happiness in ourselves!
Here you can find the Desiderata poem in Bulgarian language:
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