Who’s up for another round of Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge? I know I am! With all the schoolwork taking up my time lately, it’s good to keep up on my creative inspiration now and then!

This week’s theme was change, and the quote I chose is one that’s commonly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi:

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi

Like a certain “Dr. Seuss quote” I shared a while back, there is no evidence to support that this one was ever actually said by Gandhi, though many sources agree that it may have been paraphrased from a much longer quote of his about the possibility of changing ourselves to change the tendencies in the world:

We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do. – Mahatma Gandhi

Still, I found this famous “bumper sticker quote” too uplifting to resist, so I decided to use it anyway as inspiration for a motivational poem. Enjoy!

Be The Change
If you wish to
Change the world,
Start with yourself.

If you wish to
See more peace,
Be mindful of your actions.
Avoid resorting to violence.
Know when to be patient,
And learn how to forgive.

If you wish to
See more kindness,
Be compassionate toward others.
Smile often at strangers,
And always be there
To help your friends.

If you wish to
See more tolerance,
Be open to the new.
Don’t be quick to judge.
Exercise understanding,
And treat others as your equals.

If you wish to
See more love,
Be a caring and generous soul.
Promote affection and respect,
And always do unto others as
You would have them do unto you.

If you wish to
Change the world,
To see more peace,
More kindness,
More tolerance,
More love,
Start with yourself.
You must be the change
You wish to see
In the world.

I hope you enjoyed my poem! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!

Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!