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Life Poems
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Read inspiring life poems such as this one by St. Clair Adams entitled Good Intentions. Thinking you would like a square meal will not in itself earn you one. Thinking you would like a strong body will not without effort on your part make you an athlete. Thinking you would like to be kind or successful will not bring you gentleness or achievement if you stop with mere thinking. The arrows of intention must have the bow of strong purpose to impel them.
Good Intentions
The road to hell, they assure me,
With good intentions is paved;
And I know my desires are noble,
But my deeds might brand me depraved.
It's the warped grain in our nature,
And St. Paul has written it true:
"The good that I would I do not;
But the evil I would not I do."
I've met few men who are monsters
When I came to know them inside;
Yet their bearing and dealings external
Are crusted with cruelty, pride,
Scorn, selfishness, envy, indifference,
Greed--why the long list pursue?
The good that they would they do not;
But the evil they would not they do.
Intentions may still leave us beast-like;
With unchangeable purpose we're men.
We must drive the nail home--and then clinch it
Or storms shake it loose again.
In things of great import, in trifles,
We our recreant souls must subdue
Till the evil we would not we do not
And the good that we would we do.
~St. Clair Adams
| Born in Arkansas, 1883, St. Clair Adams received a University education and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Adams has resided at one time or another in nearly all sections of America doing miscellaneous literary and editorial work. "Good Intentions" is found in the wonderful volume of life poems entitled "It Can Be Done: Poems of Inspiration" (Copyright 1925). |
This large collection of poetry was collected and compiled by Joseph Morris (1889-1947) – an American author, poet, editor, and an educator at Miami University - and his colleague, St. Clair Adams. The purpose of this collection is to bring men and women courage and resolution, to cheer them and to fire them with new confidence when they grow dispirited, and to strengthen their faith with the knowledge that things CAN be done!
Good Intentions by St. Clair Adams
Ownership by St. Clair Adams
The Rectifying Years by St. Clair Adams
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