To Work or Not To Work…

WORK

I ask no odds of any man,
I am not one that follies sway.
I am the source of my rewards,
I do my work each day.

The fruit of trees, the grain of fields,
Wherever use and beauty lurk—
The good of all the world belongs
To him who does his work.

It matters not if rich or poor,
This is the future’s great command,
Who does not work shall cease to eat;
Upon this rock I stand.

Though work bring naught of power nor wealth
Spare me from want of common needs,
And give a share of manly health,
A few good friends, of honest deeds;

And till death’s peaceful slumber nears
A life of undishonoured years.

—Max Ehrmann

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