What Do You Think About These Things?
By Carl Sandburg

TO GET into the game of life, take chances, make decisions, and keep moving;

to cultivate dispatch, eliminate waste, introduce system;

TO ACQUIRE friends with whom you can babble of stars, roses, coffee, and the

weather; to head for the open country, hills and the free, fresh sun and wind;

TO USE every possible tool and situation for the advancement of The Great

Cause; to distinguish between intellectual discussion and futile rag-chewing;

to make a slight effort every day or so at inaugurating a civilization

that lays emphasis on the soul as the best man;

TO PITY the respectable and satisfied, and see in the heart of the jailbird your

own impulses; to be patient with the stupid and incompetent, and chat reverently

with the town fool about his religion;

TO SPELL Art with a capital A and enjoy paintings, poems, stories, statues

and the silent benedictions of architecture; to love expression;

to know when to behave and when to get reckless and forget that you're a

gentleman; to hoe in the garden, split wood, carry out ashes, get dirty and be

actually useful every once in a while if not twice; to pray and aspire and build and

when you build, build strong;

TO LIVE in a bungalow, with bathrooms, music, flowers,

a beautiful woman and children healthy as little savages; to be proud that you're

a human and aware that it's grand to be human; to help make life a chord of

music wherein are blended the notes of companionship, love and ability-

-how about these things, Brother?