It Takes Courage Poem by Anonymous

To refrain from gossip
When others delight in it,
To stand up for the absent person
Who is being abused.

It takes courage

To live honestly
Within your means,
And not dishonestly
On the means of others.

It takes courage

To be a real man or a true woman,
To hold fast to your ideals
When it causes you

To be looked upon
As strange and peculiar.

It takes courage

To be talked about,
And remain silent;
When a word would justify you
In the eyes of others,

But which you dare not speak
Because it would injure another.

It takes courage

To refuse to do something
That is wrong
Although everyone else
May be doing it

With attitudes as carefree
As a summer song.

It takes courage

To live according
To your own convictions,
To deny yourself
What you cannot afford.

To love your neighbor
As yourself!