The Paradoxical Commandments

Inspiration comes in many forms. This week a member of our discipleship group shared one of her favorite quotes.

As she read the words I immediately thought of Martina McBride’s hit song “Anyway”, the lyrics of which were  inspired by these Commandments.

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 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.

The Paradoxical Commandments is both a poem and a book by Kent M. Keith which he wrote as an undergraduate. It is often found in slightly altered form.

In 1997, Keith learned that the poem “The Paradoxical Commandments” had hung on the wall of Mother Teresa‘s children’s home in Calcutta, India. Two decades after writing the original poem, Dr. Keith wrote a book of the same title. In and he is expanded on the themes of the poem.

Martina McBride’s  “Anyway“

“Anyway” is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Martina McBride. It is an inspirational song based on a favorite poem of Mother Teresa‘s, written by Kent Keith, which he originally titled, “The Paradoxical Commandments”.

At the 2007 Country Music Association Awards, “Anyway” was nominated for Single of the Year and Song of the Year awards.