The Paradoxical Commandments

by 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 people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest ideas. Think big anyway.
  7. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
  8. People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them. Help them anyway.
  9. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
  10. Give the world the best that you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

© Copyright 1968, 2001 Kent M. Keith. All Rights Reserved

The Paradoxical Commandments were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders. In October 2001, his book The Paradoxical Commandments: Finding Personal Meaning in a Crazy World was published by Inner Ocean Publishing of Maui, Hawaii. A new edition was published in May 2002 by G. P. Putnam's Sons, titled Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments: Finding Personal Meaning in a Crazy World. 

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