Mother Teresa’s Poem “ANYWAY”
Dear All,
This poem is among the inspirational writings I keep close to me at all times. I have been meaning to post it, but have been busy with other things. Thanks to Charlotte for reminding me about posting this beautiful poem.
Blessings,
Dawn
ANYWAY….by Mother Teresa
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some genuine enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you;
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world your best anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
March 4th, 2005 at 7:49 am
Words to live by…Thanks for posting them.
March 4th, 2005 at 11:08 am
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing! I am new here, found you when doing research after seeing Wonderland. Wanted to say hi!
March 4th, 2005 at 2:45 pm
I think I remember reading that somewhere before. It is such a wonderful poem! Thank you for sharing it
Kristen
July 19th, 2005 at 12:41 pm
it’s a wonderful poem – i live by it
January 20th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
I’ve just seen the movie Wonderland and I discovered your site and story.
I wish you well.
March 15th, 2006 at 2:07 am
the poem was so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes.that is turely a poem to live
by. every one should read it. i now about abuse because i have seen my mother go though it and she better to day and is doing well.
March 30th, 2006 at 10:59 am
Poem was written by Kent M. Keith ,a Harvard student when he was 19.
June 24th, 2006 at 5:44 pm
An Innocence Lost
As Alice,
She wanderd through
a Looking glass
of corruption
and violence.
No return,
Except to walk
through the fire
of Wonderland
surrounded by
bodies as broken
as her dreams.
Trusting the one
who chose
to abuse the angel
that stood before him.
Victim became
survivor,
her story a lesson
to all who seek
answers to
questions best
left in darkness.
The screams
of those
who remained
in Wonderland
now silenced
by the horror.
Finding a nightmare
instead of a
fairytale,
Alice flees this place
and forever searches
for peace
outside the pain.
January 15th, 2007 at 7:32 am
There is a country song out now that shares Mother Teresa’s lyrics—I know that writer got their ideas from this really wonderful poem! I wonder if they got permission to use her words? Libby
January 17th, 2007 at 2:47 am
Ive just read your poem and it was really moving,its a really beautiful poem.
April 6th, 2007 at 6:27 am
The song “Anyway” by Martina McBride from her new album Waking Up Laughing uses ideas from this poem by Mother Teresa. Great song – inspiring poem.
April 26th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
This poem – Anyway – was not written by Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama or Nelson Mandella – all of whom have been credited with the writing of this poem. It was written by a young Harvard student in the late 1940’s, when he was a contributor to the campus newspaper. This fact was researched by Reader’s Digest – and the copy of the campus newspaper can still be accessed. At last report, the (now) old gentleman resides in Hawaii – where he’s seen his poem travel all around the world at least once a generation since he graduated. He would have been quite content to be its anonymous author, had a REAL Journalist – one who actually checks facts and sources – not come along.
WC Mundy
May 4th, 2007 at 11:36 am
I kept this poem on my dresser. It gave me the strength during the roughest time of my life. It reminds us good people to stay the way we are, and not to let the not so good people bring us down. Mother Teresa is a true blessing
May 30th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
First of all, this is not a poem at all but a section out of booklet written in 1968 by Dr. Kent Keith. The booklet is titled “The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council” and the section is entitled “The Paradoxical Commandments”. In 1997, Keith Kent heard his creation being shared at a Rotary Club meeting and being attributed to Mother Teresa. Since then Dr. Kent has written a great book detailing the origins of these commandments coming out of his own personal experience. The book is called Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments–Finding Personal Meaning in a Crazy World, published in 2001 by G.P Putnam’s sons.
October 19th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
That is beautiful. I struggle with these things all the time, I want to be good to everyone but not everyone wants to be good to each other, I want to help people but people wonder what’s in it for you, for me doing something positive makes me feel better and that’s what’s in it for me but most people don’t think that’s enough of a reason to be kind and help people. I have been hurt a lot and I have had to remember to keep my guard up because not everyone has altruistic motives like I do. It is hard to make a living at being kind but I’m not kind because I want to make a living out if it, I’m kind because I think we all should be kind to one another but in this world that sometimes is a tough thing to hold on to and not get depressed when you realize how many people are so dead in their core that they can’t find the…whatever it is, to just try to be respectful and courteous to one another. This does make me feel better, and I will print this poem so I don’t forget that there are people who understand and feel the same way.
Thank you for posting this!!!
February 12th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
The original poem or writing I should say was by Mother Teresa and can be found on the last page of “Mother Teresa; A Simple life.” Kent Keith took the writing and formatted it into a poem. Beautiful both ways.
http://www.kentmkeith.com/mother_teresa.html
March 31st, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Actually, Mr. Keith DID write the words attributed here to Mother Teresa. The website quoted above even details the connection btw Mother Teresa using those words on the wall of the Children’s Home and that Mr. Keith was surprised and honored to know she had thought so highly of his words….but he did indeed write them himself. He then started writing about his concepts again later in life. Which led people to mistakenly believe that he had taken the words which were Mother Teresa’s and written them as his own after the fact. Just FYI. Beautiful words to live by, no matter who wrote them.
August 24th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
the poem is lovely. it is for a homework assignment at my school. it kinda represents my school, dcis. or denver center for international studies. i love mother teresa. does she have any other poems?
August 24th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
LOVED IT
November 14th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
such a great poem