Purpose

Not for the sake of the gold,

    Not for the sake of the fame,

  Not for the prize would I hold

    Any ambition or aim:

  I would be brave and be true

  Just for the good I can do.

  I would be useful on earth,

    Serving some purpose or cause,

  Doing some labor of worth,

    Giving no thought to applause.

  Thinking less of the gold or the fame

  Than the joy and the thrill of the game.

  Medals their brightness may lose,

    Fame be forgotten or fade,

  Any reward we may choose

    Leaves the account still unpaid.

  But little real happiness lies

  In fighting alone for a prize.

  Give me the thrill of the task,

    The joy of the battle and strife,

  Of being of use, and I'll ask

    No greater reward from this life.

  Better than fame or applause

  Is striving to further a cause.

                       by Edgar Albert Guest