The Paradoxical Commandments



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.

About this poem

The Paradoxical Commandments are about finding personal meaning in the face of adversity and were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders.

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Written on 1968

Submitted by schlmj29 on August 06, 2023

Modified by schlmj29 on August 07, 2023

53 sec read
13

Quick analysis:

Scheme xa xA xa xA xa xa xa xa xa xa
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 904
Words 178
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

Kent M. Keith

Kent M. Keith (born in 1949 in Brooklyn) is an American writer and leader in higher education. more…

All Kent M. Keith poems | Kent M. Keith Books

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    "The Paradoxical Commandments" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/165605/the-paradoxical-commandments>.

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