“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”
by Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Do it Anyway - The Paradoxical Commandments

1. The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, 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 unfaithful 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 creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

_________________________

2. The Original Version:

The Paradoxical Commandments

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
   Love them anyway.
   
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
   Do good anyway.
   
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
   Succeed anyway.
   
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
   Do good anyway.
   
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
   Be honest and frank anyway.
   
6. 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.
   
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
   Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
   
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
   Build anyway.
   
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
   Help people anyway.
   
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
    Give the world the best you have anyway.

© 1968, 2001 Kent M. Keith

"The Paradoxical Commandments" were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders.

The Paradoxical Commandments (Anyway), The Final Analysis

The Final Analysis

(Mother Teresa's version)

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

(As pessoas são freqüentemente irrascíveis, ilógicas, e auto-centradas;

Perdoe-nas assim mesmo.)

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

(Se você é bom, as pessoas podem acusá-lo de egoísta, com ulteriores motivos;

Seja bom assim mesmo.)

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

(Se você for bem-sucedido, você ganhará alguns falsos amigos

e alguns verdadeiros inimigos;

Faça sucesso assim mesmo.)

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

(Se você é honesto as pessoas podem perturbar você;

Seja honesto e franco assim mesmo.)

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

(O que você passou anos construindo, alguém pode destruir em uma noite;

Construa assim mesmo.)

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

(Se você encontra serenidade e felicidade, as pessoas podem ter inveja;

Seja feliz assim mesmo.)

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

(O bem que você faz hoje, as pessoas freqüentemente esquecem amanhã;

Faça o bem assim mesmo.)

Give the world the best you have,and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

(Dê ao mundo o melhor que você tem e isso pode nunca ser o bastante;

Dê ao mundo o seu melhor assim mesmo.)

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway...

Veja bem que, no final das contas, é entre você e Deus;

Nunca foi entre você e as pessoas...

(Mother Teresa 1910 - 1997)

The Paradoxical Commandments (Anyway) is both a poem and a book by Kent M. Keith. He wrote the poem as an undergraduate, and it has spread around the world often in slightly altered form. Two decades after writing the original poem, Dr. Keith wrote a book of the same title expanding on the themes of the poem: Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments: Finding Personal Meaning in a Crazy World (Hodder & Stoughton, 2002)
According to Webster's Dictionary, a paradox is "a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true." [1]
And a commandment is "an authoritative direction or instruction to do something." [2]
Therefore, with those definitions in mind, a Paradoxical Commandment is an authoritave direction or instruction to do something that seems contradictory, but may nonetheless be true.
The Paradoxical Commandments provide inspiration to those who are facing the trials of life and who may be struggling to hang onto their principles in the face of change. It is a set of maxims that help keep the reader focused on the goal and willing to endure what may be perceived as failure by some for the greater good of moving forward in a creative life lived with love,integrity, passion and compassion as the central motivational drivers.