Mother Teresa hung a copy of the following poem on the wall of the Orphanage she founded in Calcutta. Its source is unknown:
People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centred;
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 true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight:
Build anyway.
The good you do to-day
people will often forget to-morrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God:
it is never between you and them
anyway.