Finding calm in a busy world
Desiderata sounds like a spell from an old book—but it’s Latin for “things to be desired.” Not the kind you buy, but the kind you live for. Peace that doesn’t depend on silence. Kindness that doesn’t need attention. Strength that looks gentle. When Max Ehrmann wrote it, the world was noisy too. Different noise, same struggle—to stay human.
“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste.”
Those words feel like breathing in slow motion. Desiderata doesn’t preach—it invites. It’s a message from someone who has seen the world’s noise and learned to stay quiet inside.
If you look closer, it’s not just random advice. It’s written like a journey—from the outer world to the peace within your heart.
1. The Outer World — Calm in the Rush
It begins with noise, movement, and pressure. Yet it says, go placidly. You don’t have to fight the world to find peace. You only have to walk through it without losing your stillness.
2. People — Live Kindly with Others
“Be on good terms with all persons.”
The message is simple: be kind. Listen. Even people you find boring or difficult have stories worth hearing. Avoid loud and angry people—they drain your spirit.
3. Yourself — Avoid Comparison, Stay Content
“If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter.”
That’s truth in plain form. There will always be people ahead of you and behind you. Be thankful for both your progress and your small steps. Every stage of life has its meaning.
4. Work — Be Honest but Wise
“Exercise caution in your business affairs.”
Life can be unfair, but don’t lose faith in goodness. Many still live with honor. Be yourself. Don’t fake love or wear masks. Stay real—even when it costs you.
5. Love — Stay Soft Even When It Hurts
“Neither be cynical about love…”
Love isn’t weak—it survives dryness, pain, and time. It keeps growing like grass after a storm. This is where the piece turns warm again—after all the warnings, it reminds you to hope.
6. Time — Grow Old with Grace
“Take kindly the counsel of the years.”
Learn to let go. Don’t fear change. Time will take many things, but it will also give you wisdom. Don’t waste strength on dark thoughts. Be gentle with yourself.
7. The Universe — You Belong Here
“You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars.”
This is the soul of Desiderata. You belong. You have worth—not because of what you do, but because you exist. The universe unfolds perfectly, even when you can’t see how.
8. The End — Peace and Joy
“Be at peace with God… Strive to be happy.”
The poem closes like a sunset—soft and calm. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s still beautiful. Even with pain, lies, and broken dreams, there’s always a reason to smile.
In the end, Desiderata isn’t about success—it’s about peace. To stay kind when the world turns cold. To stay quiet when everything feels loud. To stay human, and still gentle.
That’s the real anatomy of Desiderata: the journey from noise to peace.
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the 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 clearly, and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, for they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, 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 as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune, but do not distress yourself with dark imaginings; many fears are born of fatigue 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 in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann (1927)
Play Acoustically Amid the Noise and the Haste, an album inspired by the poem.
Listen on Apple Music and YouTube Music
⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ
