Wicomico High School - Tom Tom Yearbook (Salisbury, MD)

Page 5 text:

DESIDERA TA Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they, too, have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you com¬ pare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for al¬ ways there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own ca¬ reer, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love: for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully su rrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born offatigue 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 to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham and drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. MAX EHRMANN c 1927 by Max Ehrmann All rights reserved. Copyright renewed 1954 by Bertha K. Ehrmann. Reprinted by permission Crescendo Publishing Co., Boston, Mass.