Be Glad Of Life

by Henry Van Dyke

Be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to work and to look up at the stars;

To be satisfied with your possessions;

To dispise nothing in the world except for falsehood and meaness;

And to fear nothing except cowardice;

To be govern by your admirations rather than by your disgusts;

To convet nothing that is your neighbour's except for his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners;

To think seldom of your enemies and often of your friends;

And to spend as much time as you can with body and with spirit;

These are little guideposts of the footpath to peace.