My friend Daniel Lafontaine published on Facebook a set of aphorisms about doing good attributed to by Mother Teresa today. I enjoyed them immensely and when I researched them, I discovered that they are based on a text called “The Paradoxical Commandments” (no doubt based in turn on earlier wisdom) written by Kent M. Keith in 1968.
Here is the original text:
The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
1968
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 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.
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