My dear,

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people may accuse you of selfish motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People who really want help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway. Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give the world your best anyway.

It’s going to be tough; loving those that hate, aiming to be better in a world that clamours for you to be mediocre, being honest in a world where lies get you farther, and rising up when everything pushes you down… it’s going to be really tough.

I ask that you be tougher.

Falsely yours,
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu