“Desiderata”   

 
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence;
 as far as possible without surrender of values, be on good terms with all persons; speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even if they seem to you dull and       ignorant: for they too have their story.
   
Avoid loud and aggressive persons… they are vexations to the spirit; Comparing yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be persons greater and lesser than yourself. Enjoy your achievements, learn from your failures.
 
Believe in your own calling, however humble; it is a treasured possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution and wisdom in your business affairs; for there are some who are full of trickery; but let this not blind you to how much virtue there is: many persons strive for high ideals and virtue, and in everywhere, life is full of heroism.
 
Be yourself, let life teach you who you are; be sincere, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical in matters of love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, love is a steady
anchor and is as perennial as grass on the earth.
 
Take kindly the counsel of those with many years, gracefully surrender the things belonging to the youth; nurture the strength of the Spirit to uphold you in misfortune; do not distress yourself with a fearful imagination; respect the limits of your fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
 
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right and a responsibility to be here.  And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe in which you are called to participate, is unfolding as it should.
 
Therefore, be at peace with God, whoever you perceive Him to be; and allow your work and aspirations to be directed by Him, within the noisy confusion of life, savor God’s steady peace in your soul.
 
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, ours is still, a beautiful world. Embrace it
carefully, fashion it with love, strive to be happy and bring joy while you are here; this will reveal instances of the world to come. 
 

(Words found in Old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore, Maryland: Dated 1692)