For many years, the prose poem called “Anyway” has been put on walls, refrigerator doors, used in speeches and college commencement ceremonies, and shared extensively on the web. The words of this prose poem were valued so much by Mother Teresa that she put them on the wall of her children’s home in Calcutta. Many thought she was the author of these words, but this is not so. They were written in 1968 by Dr. Kent M. Keith as part of a booklet for his students. Following is this prose poem, originally called, 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 shut 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.