Wisdom Poems

1. Wisdom Teaches
   by William Arthur Ward
   
   Wisdom teaches:
   The fruits of silence;
   The blessings of health;
   The rewards of self-discipline;
   The satisfaction of achievement;
   The responsibility of power;
   The beauty of nature;
   The miracle of love;
   The meaning of friendship;
   The privilege of prayer;
   The power of faith;
   The joy of sharing;
   The treasure of integrity.




2. Wisdom Finds Us
   Poet: Catherine Pulsifer, © 2012
   
   Easy is as easy does,
   Who hasn't heard that phrase?
   But what really does that mean,
   If you don't do, easy never finds the way?
   
   There are so many different ways,
   That messages are tangled in.
   Find a quote or poem you like,
   Then make sense of what is says.
   
   Sometimes you may not understand,
   But then there will be times you do.
   And those times are when we truly benefit,
   And bring the message into view.
   
   Wisdom finds us in many ways,
   It's up to us to allow it to help.
   Many people benefit from these thoughts,
   And it's a way to allow yourself to self-help.




3. Wisdom's Ways
   Poet Unknown
   
   If wisdom's ways you'd wisely seek.
   Five things observe with care:
   Of whom you speak, to whom you speak,
   And how, and when, and where.




Wisdom Quotes



4. Silence
   Poet: Patience Strong
   
   If you stand very still in the heart of a wood -
   you will hear many wonderful things -
   The snap of a twig and the wind in the trees
   and the whirr of invisible wings...
   
   If you stand very still in the turmoil of life -
   and you wait for the voice from within -
   you'll be led down the quiet ways of wisdom and peace -
   in a mad world of chaos and din...
   
   If you stand very still and you hold to your faith -
   you will get all the help that you ask -
   You will draw from the Silence the things that you need -
   Hope and courage, and strength for your task.




5. If You Are Wise
   Poet: William Arthur Ward
   
   If you are wise, you will forget yourself into greatness.
   Forget your rights, but remember your responsibilities.
   Forget your inconveniences, but remember your blessings.
   Forget your own accomplishments, but remember your debts to others.
   Forget your privileges, but remember your obligations.
   Follow the examples of Florence Nightingale,
   of Albert Schweitzer, of Abraham Lincoln, of Tom Dooley, and forget yourself into greatness.
   
   If you are wise, you will empty yourself into adventure.
   Remember the words of General Douglas MacArthur:
   "There is no security on this earth. There is only opportunity."
   Empty your days of the search for security; fill them with a passion for service.
   Empty your hours of the ambition for recognition; fill them with the aspiration for achievement.
   Empty your moments of the need for entertainment; fill them with the quest for creativity.
   
   If you are wise, you will lose yourself into immortality.
   Lose your cynicism. Lose your doubts. Lose your fears. Lose your anxiety. Lose your unbelief.
   Remember these truths: A person must soon forget himself to be long remembered.
   He must empty himself in order to discover a fuller self. He must lose himself to find himself.
   Forget yourself into greatness. Empty yourself into adventure. Lose yourself into immortality.




6. The Wise Choice
   Poet: Lorain McLain
   
   "Oh, give me fame!" a youth once cried
   When touched by Fortune's wand,
   "A fame that shines from shore to shore
   And is known in every land,
   And I will never ask again
   Or seek more from thy hand."
   Through years he grew and grew in fame
   A lawyer great was he,
   That wielded well the legal power
   For gain and petty fee
   Until bound down by greed of gain,
   No longer was he free.
   
   "Oh! give me power," an artist cried,
   "To paint with steady hand
   A picture that shall far excel
   All others in the land,
   And I shall have the riches all
   That aught could e'er demand."
   He painted then a picture true;
   Folks marveled at the deed.
   He soon won fame and wealth and power.
   But, seized upon by greed,
   All slipped away — power, wealth, and fame —
   And left him sore in need.
   
   "Oh! give me power to rule the land,
   To sway affairs of state,
   And I'll have wealth and power and fame,
   And will be truly great,
   And never, never will deplore
   Or wish to change my fate."
   Time passed, and power was given him;
   Of state he held the rein,
   Until upon his conscience clear
   Was left full many a stain,
   For ah! so many deeds of shame
   He did alone for gain.
   
   "Oh! give me wealth, on every hand
   To gain me thousand fold;
   Take fame, take power, take honor all,
   But give me yellow gold.
   My heart will be as light and free
   As was the gods of old."
   Then wealth was given to the youth;
   Without his least endeavor,
   It quickly gained a thousandfold.
   Wealth proved a powerful lever
   That robbed the youth of honor bright
   And doomed his soul forever.
   
   "Oh! give me wisdom, grace, and peace,
   A heart of purity,
   An honest word that's always good
   For any surety,
   And I will always live content
   Throughout futurity."
   The youth was given wisdom grand
   And purity of thought;
   Then honor came, with fame and wealth
   And glory all unsought.
   Yet he despised the baser things,
   For which the weaker sought.
   
   O youth, choose wisdom while you may;
   Let those who will choose pelf.
   Contentment's yours with fame assured,
   And these alone are wealth;
   While conscience clear will loud proclaim
   You are an honor to yourself.




7. Be Wise Today
   Poet: Edward Young
   
   Be wise today; ’tis madness to defer;
   Next day the fatal precedent will plead;
   Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life.
   Procrastination is the thief of time;
   Year after year it steals, till all are fled.
   And to the mercies of a moment leaves
   The vast concerns of an eternal scene.




8. Men Are Four
   Arabian Proverb
   
   Men are four:
   
   He who knows, and knows he knows
   He is wise - follow him.
   
   He who knows, and knows not he knows
   He is asleep - wake him.
   
   He who knows not, and knows not he knows not -
   He is a fool - shun him.
   
   He who knows not, and knows he knows not -
   He is a child - teach him.