Desiderata: Words to Live by

by Max Ehrmann

Book Overview

The beloved classic poem by Max Ehrmann. "Be gentle with yourself... You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here." This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439372933
• ISBN13: 9780439372930
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.1" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Perspective on life's big picture

One of my favorite poems, a comforting and refreshing perspective on life's big picture. It purports to have been discovered in a church in the seventeenth century, but in fact it was written by a man named Max Ehrmann in the first third of this century. I have kept a copy around since elementary school (ever since I learned that Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, kept one in his office), and now keep one in my office at home and one at work.

Photographs of Inspiration

This version of Desiderata is one of the most magnificent and inspirational books I have seen! Marc Tauss' photographs add beauty and completion to this Max Ehrmann work. It is a perfect gift, especially for a graduate. It would make an excellent addition to anyone's library.

It Warms The Heart and Uplifts the Spirit

I came upon this book quite by chance and I'm so glad that I bought it. I never knew the rightful author of the Desiderata until having come across this book. So many other people have taken claim to that wonderful poem. Max Ehrmann must have been a very special person to his students while he was teaching. My favorite poem in this book (although it's hard to single out one)is called A Prayer. It talks about the hopes and dreams of your life and the beauty of simple pleasures. I had this poem read at my mother's funeral service and even the priest got choked up and he had never even read it before that day! The other poems are quite wonderful also and I don't think that anyone should pass this book by. You will find yourself reading it again and again! In his intro, he once told an interviewer that at De Pauw Univ. he contracted a disease which he had never shaken off. The disease was idealism and because of it he did the thing in life he wanted to do--write.

This philisophical statement is my "Bible"

My mother gave me this book years ago and more than any other, Max Ehrmann's philisophical statement has offered me comfort,clarity and perspective throughout the years. I would recommend this for anyone who needs wants to be reminded of the simple truths in life. It is also a good present for someone special in your life.