The World Does Not Love You Poem by Martins Akhoeneto

The world does not love you;
it loves what you give.

Do not mistake a transaction
for devotion.
Never trade your peace
for the privilege of being needed.

Some hands hold you
only while yours remain useful.
When the giving ends,
watch how quickly the crowd
becomes a memory.

Give with virtue,
but never make goodness
a plea for love.
Let your kindness exist
without an audience.

Expect nothing,
and gratitude will never
become a debt.

Your worth was never measured
by what you could provide.
You are more than the shelter
you offered in someone's storm.

Seek no validation
from those who only noticed
your usefulness.

Let them leave
without teaching you
to question your worth.

The soul that needs no witness
cannot be wounded
by being unseen.

When everything you give is gone,
return quietly to yourself.

And if nothing remains
but you,
let that be enough.